NEW PHILADELPHIA, Ohio — Kevin Petitte dedicated his career to the lumber industry, but it was the space program that was really his true passion.
From tall banners to slivers of equipment smaller than your pinky nail, every wall in a room at Petitte's New Philadelphia home is covered with artifacts and autographed pictures from some of the country's top astronauts.
The passion started in 1963, following a car accident when Petitte was just 6 years old.
"My mother wrote to John Glenn telling him about the accident," Petitte recalled. "About a month later, these pictures and brochures showed up in the mail, and I was quite touched by it."
This kind gesture propelled decades of learning, collecting, even meeting and befriending his heroes, like John Glenn.
Petitte says his passion led him to write articles for magazines. He acted as Tuscarawas County's aerospace education officer, winning several awards, but the most gratifying part for him is inspiring young minds.
"The biggest reward when I give my talks is to see the looks on the kids' faces," he told us.
He believes space is our future. In fact, the space program is giving him a future with his family.
In 2023, Petitte found out he needed a pacemaker. According to NASA, the first rechargeable, long-life pacemaker battery was made based on technology for spacecraft electrical power systems, a discovery that saved his life for a second time.
"If I didn't have this pacemaker or anything like a pacemaker wasn’t in existence, I'd be gone," he said. "So thank you, space program."