When Gregory Jarvis was selected to be a payload specialist on NASA’s Challenger shuttle, he honored his alma mater by taking a white UB flag with him to space.
In the spring of 1985, Jarvis returned to the university to deliver a commencement speech encouraging a spirit of collaboration and adventure. That spirit was something he fostered in his own life, according to Marcia Jarvis, his wife and fellow UB alum.
But on Jan. 26, 1986, Challenger exploded with seven astronauts, including Jarvis, aboard. UB’s flag — which he’d planned to return after his flight — was found unharmed in the wreckage.
Jarvis’ death shook the nation and shook the university, bringing the community together in force. Professors like William George rallied to petition the board of trustees to designate a building in his honor.
Students rallied through official channels as well — but some took their protests a bit further.
In late March of 1986, four UB students risked their safety to scale an unnamed engineering building (now Ketter) and nailed a cardboard sign to the side that read “Jarvis Hall.” One of the boys even fell off the side of the building.
Keith Tannenbaum, one of the students who scaled the building, said he was motivated by Jarvis’ pride in UB.
“He was proud enough of UB to take the flag with him,” Tannenbaum said in a 1986 newspaper interview, “and the fact he lost his life trying to better society is something UB should be proud of.”
The university agreed that Jarvis’ memory should be honored.
“The life of Gregory B. Jarvis has shown that the ordinary person with extraordinary desire and determination can reach beyond his grasp to achieve great ends,” then-UB President Steven Sample said.
On Oct. 12, 1987, Engineering East was formally renamed Jarvis Hall. The dedication ceremony honored Jarvis not as a hero, but as an ordinary man.
The UB community members who spoke at the ceremony celebrated Jarvis’ ordinary nature, something Jarvis himself was proud of. He wasn’t just an astronaut, they said. He was an engineer, a civilian, and he was not ashamed. His humility and humanity were a running theme at the building dedication.
A former roommate told stories about how Jarvis helped him through the loss of his mother. Another friend read a letter written in 1985 where Jarvis described his life at length. He liked to run, bike, play squash and racquetball, and go whitewater rafting with his wife whenever he had time. He lamented in that letter that there wasn’t ever enough time to do and learn everything.
Marcia Jarvis, Gregory Jarvis’ widow, was also in attendance. She presented the university with Jarvis’ flag and a plaque from NASA honoring her late husband and the six other Challenger astronauts. In addition to the presentation, she gave a speech. Marcia Jarvis painted a picture of her husband — messy but kind, and constantly curious.
“Think of the person this building is named for in terms of his energy, his hard work, and his joy of living and searching for knowledge, and not the way he died,” she concluded.
Jarvis was known for living life to the fullest both in his quest for knowledge and his quest for joy. At the 1985 commencement ceremony, Jarvis said, “You can reach for the stars by always giving your best in performance and attitude.”
Darcy Winter is the fact checker and can be reached at darcy.winter@ubspectrum.com
