18 Facts About Julian Scheer

Julian Weisel Scheer was an American merchant mariner, journalist, public relations professional, and author.

Julian Scheer is best known as the assistant administrator of public affairs for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Washington, DC, from 1962 to 1971, and for his contributions to the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing mission.

Julian Weisel Scheer was born in Richmond, Virginia, on January 26,1926, the son of Hilda Knopf and George Fabian Scheer.

On graduation, Scheer became an assistant to Jack Wade, the Director of Sports Information at UNC.

In 1956, Julian Scheer accepted an invitation from Nelson Benton, a fellow UNC graduate who worked for the WBTV Channel 3 News, to visit Patrick Air Force Base in Cape Canaveral, Florida, where the United States Air Force was testing rockets and missiles.

Julian Scheer was fascinated by what he saw, but his editor did not think it was newsworthy.

Julian Scheer then returned to the Cape on his own time and dime to watch more missile launches, and wrote a series of articles on the work being done there.

In 1962, Julian Scheer had begun writing a novel on the civil rights movement when he was contacted by James Webb, the administrator of NASA, who asked him to come to NASA headquarters in Washington, DC, and develop a plan for coordinating media coverage of the space program.

Julian Scheer confronted Powers over this, and ordered him to send out copies to all the news media.

Julian Scheer was capable of withholding information; in the wake of the Apollo 1 fire he refused to issue any statement until the families of the three astronauts had been informed of their deaths.

Julian Scheer was responsible for naming the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia, and was involved in discussions about the lunar flag-raising ceremony, and the words on the plaque left on the Moon, successfully resisting pressure from President Richard Nixon to include mention of God.

Julian Scheer left NASA on February 22,1971, to become the campaign manager of Terry Sanford's unsuccessful candidacy in the 1972 presidential election.

Julian Scheer remained engaged with the space program as a consultant and a trustee of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum.

Julian Scheer worked for a Washington communications consulting firm until 1976, when he became a vice-president of Ling-Temco-Vought, in charge of its Washington operations.

Julian Scheer was LTV's public face during the Reagan administration antitrust suit against it, and later during its bankruptcy and subsequent reorganisation, and an unfavorable United States Supreme Court ruling.

Julian Scheer became a co-founder of Protect Historic America, a group that marshalled opposition to Disney's America from popular historians like David McCullough and Shelby Foote.

On September 1,2001, Julian Scheer suffered a heart attack while riding a tractor at his farm in Catlett, Virginia, where he had lived since 1965, and died.

Julian Scheer was survived by Suzanne Huggan, his second wife of 36 years, two sons and a daughter from his first marriage to Virginia Williams, which ended in divorce, and a daughter from his second marriage.