From Wisconsin to the Stars
An excerpt from Church Works Media’s new biography—Zero Gravity (available now to preorder)
Jeff Williams’ path to space began in a place most people never leave.
During Jeff Williams’ early years, space travel wasn’t even on his radar. Jeff’s big, audacious goal during his childhood was to be one of the few people from his small town to elude the gravitational pull of farm life and make it to college. And yet, the discipline and hard work of life on a farm uniquely prepared Jeff for everything that would follow.
Midwestern soil nourishes much of America. American cities rely on rural farmers. The “flyover” portions of the country feed the rest of the nation with their wheat, their meat, and their dairy.
And more often than you’d expect, Midwestern soil grows American heroes, including presidents like Abraham Lincoln, pilots like Orville and Wilbur Wright, and astronauts like John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. Jeff’s path to space began in the rural town of Winter, Wisconsin, and it was covered in mud, manure, and a Midwestern work ethic.
Good Stock
The farm Jeff grew up on was owned by his maternal grandfather, Nels Larson. Nels immigrated to the United States from Sweden in the 1920s—part of the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free” who went through Ellis Island. He was granted a Wisconsin homestead, and through backbreaking work, he cleared his one-hundred-acre plot, carved out a farm, and built his family a home. Jeff recalls, “Grandpa modeled the hard-working pioneer spirit that commanded respect. His quiet and stable personality combined with his solid character and work ethic became a model I tried to emulate throughout my life.”
When Nels’ wife died, he invited his daughter Eunice and her family to come live with him on the farm. Eight-year-old grandson Jeff became Nels’ buddy and coworker: “As soon as I was old enough to swing a hammer, I was working with my grandfather.” Nels poured into his grandson his work ethic and his general know-how.
Jeff’s dad Jake was born into a very different world, one of seven children raised by a single mom trying to eke out a living in Chicago. Eventually, she got them out of the city and into a tiny house in a remote rural town—Winter, Wisconsin.
Despite his difficult childhood, Jake was a gifted and committed student. After graduating from Winter High School in 1950, he served in the Air Force from 1950 until 1954. His military record was exemplary: he completed a tour of duty in Germany and earned the National Defense Service Medal, the Germany Occupation Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal. And it was Jake who first had the idea that his son Jeff could attend West Point.
Applying to West Point
Jeff’s high school record was strong. He graduated in 1976 as the valedictorian of his small class of thirty-four students. Like all military academy applicants, Jeff needed an endorsement from a United States senator. He requested the backing of Senator William Proxmire, and he received it.
Just going to college made Jeff a standout among his friends and classmates in rural Wisconsin, but admission to West Point was a significant achievement. His dad was understandably proud, as was his Grandpa Nels, the immigrant, farmer, and builder. Nels had carved out a new life in the Wisconsin soil—but his grandson would soar.
Purchase Zero Gravity by Chris Anderson to read about Jeff’s full journey.
NEW BOOK AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER!
The Story of Astronaut Jeff Williams and His 534 Days in Space
This compelling biography shows the grit required to graduate from West Point, endure test pilot school, and earn a place among the few who’ve traveled off our planet. Williams’ story invites readers to go behind the scenes of spacewalks and shuttle missions to witness God’s handiwork in the universe. Even more significantly, it reveals God’s work in transforming an ambitious, self-focused young man into a growing, devoted Christian, using every part of his experience for His glory.
More than a story of persistence and exploration, Zero Gravity is a portrait of the unshakable conviction that life—on or off this planet—is meant to be lived for our Creator.
