LOCAL HERO: There’s always a local angle....

LOCAL HERO: There’s always a local angle. . . . In this case, it turns out that Bryan O’Connor, commander of the space shuttle Columbia (A20), was born at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange in 1946 and spent his first two years in Santa Ana. “It was all in orange groves at the time , “ recalled his father, retired Marine Col. Thomas J. O’Connor of Twentynine Palms. The family lived at 901 E. Avalon Ave. before moving away. And what have the past few days been like? “It’s very interesting to watch your son’s spaceship” on TV.