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Former Black leader of NASA gifts his collection to USC

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NASA astronaut and Columbia native has gifted his personal collection to the University of South Carolina, reports ABC News 4 in Columbia. The Charles F. Bolden Collection captures Bolden’s career as a military veteran, NASA pioneer and the first African American to lead NASA for eight years. Bolden’s 34-year career with the Marine Corps included 14 years as a member of NASA’s Astronaut Office. After joining the office in 1980, he traveled to orbit four times aboard the Space Shuttle between 1986 and 1994, commanding two of the missions and piloting two others. He retired from the Marine Corps in 2003.  According to the university, Bolden’s collection features his space shuttle repair manual with notations, model rockets from foreign space programs and letters from his days in the U.S. Naval Academy. “Gen. Bolden is a true role model for aiming high in establishing and accomplishing personal goals, so it’s a great honor and responsibility for university libraries to receive his collection,” McNally says. Bolden, who lives in Mt. Vernon, Virginia, says his home is and always will be Columbia. Officials at the University say the collection will be made available to everyone, as soon as the items are cataloged.

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