McDougle: Yes. I was like, “What haven’t you done? Can you cook?” This is another [shows photo]. I think this was her tenth anniversary. I took these photos of all the black astronauts. That was the day I took a picture with her. Then it was so funny because she was up there giving her speech, and I’m in the back snapping pictures of her. She said, “Sharon, put that camera down. She always has a camera!” And this was during her speech to everybody, “She’s forever taking pictures.” I feel like a family member. I just ran up on this [shows clipping] by accident, some little local Houston paper. They had a big article on her too.
This was celebrating her ten-year anniversary. It was over at the Hilton [hotel] on NASA Road 1. Nick [Nicholas Valentino] Lampson came and introduced her. It was so nice. Then the Houston OBAP (the Organization of Black Airline Pilots) did a big deal downtown at the Hilton of Americas. She attended that event also. Actually Juliea [Robinson-Nelson, Jemison’s chief of staff] called me and invited me to the event, and it was very nice. All the functions they have are so nice, and you just feel so special because she always introduces me to others, “This is my suit tech, she took such good care of me.”
You still don’t expect it, even after all this time. That’s when I really knew after all these years that she really did appreciate me, because she never stops thanking me. Every time I’m around she makes sure that people know I was her suit tech, and I just feel so special, because she’s a celebrity. For her to still be so real and genuine and still appreciate people and what they did for her. But the Women of Color in Flight gala was the ultimate. I still can’t believe she did that. I was nowhere near expecting to get honored with all those amazing women.
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