Astronaut’s family flying high with local T-shirts

Published 1:21 pm Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Edmonds

A NASA space mission to the Hubble Space Telescope launching May 11 will have local ties in the form of some local T-shirts. Jan Hamilton, owner of Hamilton Printing Systems, helped to design shirts for California astronaut Megan McArthur’s family.

The red shirts feature the mission patch on the front of the shirt and were embroidered by Poulsbo resident Mary Jo Gerstel in blue on the back to feature the relationship of the wearer to McArthur.

The idea for the shirts came to Hamilton recently while Gerstel, a friend from Wenatchee High School, and McArthur’s aunt and high school friend Carol Kerns were visiting.

Soon Hamilton was on the phone to McArthur’s mother, Kit, another friend from high school.

“We called her mom and said we wanted to keep this a surprise but we’re going to tell you that we’re making shirts for everyone,” she said.

McArthur’s family members will pick up the shirts before traveling to Florida to see the launch, Hamilton said.

The former Maplewood Elementary teacher also made a few white T-shirts for her own family to show support for the mission. The day of the launch, she expects her twin grandchildren, fourth-graders Josie and Sam McCloughan, will wear the shirts to Maplewood Elementary.

“It might spark people to watch it more,” she said. “T-shirts for an astronaut never happen.”