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The 6-foot commemorative monument will stand as a source of inspiration, bringing light to the life of a boy from Faison who reached for the stars
FAISON — Beautiful clear skies set the background for a very special celebration honoring Faison’s homegrown astronaut, William E. Thornton, last Friday.
Approximately 75 people gathered at the site of the old gym in Faison, now home to the William Thornton Memorial monument and courtyard.
Mayor Billy Ward welcomed the crowd, thanking them for joining the town for the unveiling.
Ward credited Carolyn Kenyon, former mayor, for getting the project off the ground and Anne Taylor for spearheading it. He also acknowledged the Faison Library and Museum Committee, Faison Improvement Group, and town employees who worked long and hard to make it a reality and the support from generous citizens and businesses who contributed to funding the project.
Colorful leaves danced in the chilly breeze while guests bundled together as Taylor took to the floor. Taylor, a lifelong resident of Faison and classmate of Thornton, reminisced about their childhood and spoke about how deeply everyone cared about education.
She shared that Thornton credited his achievements to three aspects of his life — good parents, education, and a nurturing hometown.
“When William was very young, he had a dream he called his crazy dream. In this dream, he built an airplane and flew it from our schoolyard. He never built his airplane, but later in his life, he really did fly over our schoolyard,” said Taylor with a smile, explaining that Thornton flew over the school in a supersonic jet, rattling the old school’s windows. “That was his way of saying thanks.”
Thornton lost his father when he was just 11 years old. According to Taylor, Thornton repaired radios and record players for people in the community to help his mom. His determination led him to open a small radio repair shop in high school, where he worked tirelessly every day after school and on Saturdays.
Taylor shared that even in college, he would return home every weekend to work in the shop to pay for his education and ensure his mother was cared for.
Thornton earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of North Carolina and enlisted in the Air Force after graduating. He served his first tour during the Korean War. Thornton developed a target system for air-to-air missiles, earning the Legion of Merit Award in 1956. He returned to school, this time to study medicine, and in 1963 after graduating, he rejoined the Air Force. This time, he invented the first device for measuring mass in space. In 1967, Thornton became the first scientist-astronaut, logging over 300 hours in space on two missions. After retiring from NASA, Thornton became a clinical professor at UTMB, where he developed a computer-based training system for assessing virtual patients. Throughout his life, Thornton received numerous awards and holds over 60 patents covering various applications, from military weapons systems to the first real-time EKG computer analysis.
Former Faison mayor Carolyn Kenyon shared that in the 1950s, her younger brothers used to mow Rosa Thornton’s yard. Rosa was Thornton’s mother, and their family lived just one block behind them, highlighting the close-knit nature of their community.
Kenyon stated that she hopes the monument will stand as a source of inspiration for future generations so they can see that even coming from a predominantly rural community with limited industry, they too can achieve great things for their futures.
Andrew Taylor, president of Faison Improvement Group, was next to address the guests.
“If in all the future, only one child looks at this monument and sees for the first time that their hard work and tenacity can take them anywhere, even in a place like here, well, then this monument has succeeded in achieving that,” said Andrew, adding that they placed the monument in the park in hopes that Thornton’s life inspires the community and future generations, showing them that no matter their circumstances in life anyone can contribute to their community, their nation, and even humanity by working hard and embodying the spirit of relentless curiosity.
“They say that every journey begins with a single step, and Dr. William Thornton took a lot of those steps right where we are today,” said Jimmy Tyndall, executive town administrator, as he took to the stage. “It is likely on these very grounds that he began to dream of things that would have seemed near impossible to a young man from such a small town. How would he make those dreams a reality and where would he even start? Like this courtyard, it likely began with a simple idea. The idea that it could be done, regardless of the doubters or, I am sure, the many naysayers,” he continued. “It requires determination, hard work, and a certain amount of stubbornness to see it through, but it also requires a support system. People who believe in you even more than they believe in the project.”
Simon Thornton, who came from Texas to witness the memorial in honor of his father, spoke about his time in Faison.
“Growing up we would come to visit and stay with the Taylors,” said Simon. “I got to experience southern food, and one in particular was barbecue,” he shared, adding that he and his brother enjoyed Taylor’s cooking and developed a taste for pork barbecue.
“My grandmother Rosa worked in Cate’s Pickle plant,” said Simon, explaining that his dad looked forward to receiving a package with all their pickled goodies every Christmas when Cate’s Pickle was still in business.
Simon also spoke about the farm the Thornton family established on the outskirts of town where they planted 8,000 longleaf pines.
“My father was so attached to the land there that he went to a great deal of trouble to plant longleaf pines. We still maintain that property and its pine trees are now 20 years old. If you have an opportunity to go by — it’s quite spectacular,” he said and thanked everyone who contributed to making the monument a reality.
“We want this monument to be admired for many years to come and to show the youth of our future generations that no matter where you come from, how small or how big, or where you grew up, the sky truly is the limit. Dr. William Thornton portrayed this in his life, his education, and his many accomplishments, both on Earth and in outer space.Now may his son, Mr. Simon Thornton, do the unveiling,” said Ward.
