Buzz Aldrin Receives First Key to Montclair

Dressed in a gold blazer and space-themed tie, Buzz Aldrin was handed the first-ever key to Montclair in the lobby of Montclair High School Sunday morning.

Aldrin told those gathered how the Class of 1947 valedictorian inscribed his yearbook with a message which foreshadowed his future. Under the words "rockets to the moon," he told Aldrin, "I'll build them, you fly them."

Twenty-two years later on July 20, 1969, Aldrin would become an American hero, joining Neil Armstrong on the first moon walk as part of the Apollo 11 mission.

Montclair at the time honored its native son with a parade along Bloomfield Avenue; a monument to "Montclair's Man on the Moon" was also installed in 1969 in front of his family's Princeton Place home. 

But it was not until now, as Aldrin tours the country with his new book, Mission to Mars, that he has been duly recognized.

Aldrin accepted the golden key and said Montclair schools gave him a strong education and drive to succeed. 

"My hometown opened opportunities for me. If I could turn this key I would try and open up opportunities for all you young kids also," he said.

Aldrin was born at Mountainside Hospital in Glen Ridge. In high school, he was a pole vaulter on the track team and his senior year he was part of the undefeated, state champion Mounties football team.

Rather than go straight to MIT on a scholarship, he enrolled in the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served in the U.S. Air Force as a jet fighter pilot in the Korean War.

He later studied at MIT and joined NASA in 1963 as part of President John F. Kennedy's challenge to put Americans on the moon before the end of the decade. 

"You can't imagine what it was like to see two people walking on the moon, just inconceivable," Montclair Mayor Robert Jackson told the young people who came to see Aldrin.

"This is a small token to a native son of Montclair, a giant expression of awe, inspiration, gratitude and love for what you have done for this country," Jackson said.

Aldrin was further recognized by having a small learning community at the high school renamed the Buzz Aldrin STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) Academy. A plaque near the main entrance recognized the distinguished alumnus. He was also surprised with the original 1947 state championship trophy bearing his name.

The ceremony concluded with moon pies and lemonade and Aldrin later made his way to the Montclair Public Library to talk about and sign copies of Mission to Mars.