Lynwood : Astronaut Trainee Visits

Dr. Mae C. Jemison, the first black woman to be selected for the nation’s astronaut corps, paid a visit to Lynwood City Hall on Monday and talked with about 70 minority youths.

Jemison, 30, of West Los Angeles was chosen in June by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration along with 14 others as the first class of astronaut trainees since the Jan. 28, 1986, disaster of the space shuttle Challenger. She is scheduled to report to the Johnson Space Center in Houston on Aug. 17.

Jemison encouraged the youths to continue with their education and to set goals. The youths, who ranged in age from 5 to 12, were part of the city’s day camp program, sponsored by the Recreation and Parks Department. The program is for children of working parents. The parents pay a fee and the program also receives state funds. Lunch and a variety of activities are provided.

Jemison was given plaques of appreciation by Vice Mayor Evelyn Wells and Councilman Robert Henning and Vernice Dredd, director-at-large for the National Assn. of Commissions for Women. Jemison is in general practice on the staff of the CIGNA Medical Center near downtown Los Angeles. She is 30, single and holds a chemical engineering degree from Stanford University in addition to her medical degree from Cornell University in New York. Jemison also spent 2 1/2 years as a staff doctor for Peace Corps volunteers in West Africa before joining CIGNA 19 months ago.