Christa McAuliffe Vice President George H. W. Bush announced that she had been selected for the position. Another teacher, Barbara Morgan, served as her backup. According to Mark Travis of the "Concord Monitor", it was her manner that set her apart from the other candidates. NASA official Alan Ladwig said "she had an infectious enthusiasm", and NASA psychiatrist Terrence McGuire told "New Woman" magazine that "she was the most broad-based, best-balanced person of the 10." Later that year, she and Morgan each took a year-long leave of absence from teaching in order to train for a space shuttle mission in early 1986.
Ron McAuliffe loved an argument, and most of all, he loved company." The Ron McAuliffe Medal is awarded to each year's State of Origin Queensland player of the series. Lang Park's Ron McAuliffe stand was also named in his honour. In 2009 McAuliffe was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame. Ron McAuliffe Ronald Edward McAuliffe OBE (25 June 1918 – 16 August 1988) was a politician and sports administrator in Queensland, Australia. He is best remembered for his years running the Queensland Rugby League, and his instrumental role in the formation of the State of Origin series. McAuliffe attended school