Joy [McNair] was just 18 months old in 1986 when the unthinkable happened and the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff. Her father, astronaut Ronald McNair, and his six colleagues lost their lives, prompting President Reagan to call them true American heroes.
Now a 27-year-old Washington-based attorney, Joy experiences Father’s Day very much like any other day.
“I’ve never had Father’s Day to celebrate. So in a weird way it’s not something that I feel a loss for….”