Heartfelt Thanks and Congratulations for Vincent

[airkale]

20 Years of Hab1, what a great legacy! I know Vincent is personally responsible for my engagement with USSRC as an adult. If not for this site and the board, I would have never gotten into the pipeline with the alumni camps and meeting some of the great friends I have had after my trips to SC/AC/AC as a kid.

I'm proud to call Vincent a Hall of Fame inductee, a great communicator and web master, and a friend. Here is to the next twenty years, even though these last years have been so hard! Way to keep it up!

[Vincent]

Thanks, Kale!

That's really touching!

[Hotdog]

Same here. It was the discovery of this board in 2006 that brought me back into the space world. I think of all the things that have happened since then...designing stuff for the Rocket Center, helping with Summerfest, going to tons of space-related events and launches, even moving to Huntsville this past year...WOW! It all started with Vincent and Hab1. That just blew my mind! When all of this COVID crap is over, we need to have a PAR-TAY!

[SpaceCanada]

Congratulations, Vincent! This page has been a huge part of my camp experience. I continue to read each update to the main page and check the forums on a regular basis (though not as regular with school this year).

[p51]

Vincent,
This forum is the best. I can't imagine how many people wouldn't have gone to Space Camp without it.
Thanks for all the hard work over the years.
Glad to have met you a few years back, too!

[Boomerang]

First off I wanted to say thank you and congratulations to Vincent on 20 years oh Hab 1. As someone who has been a member since very early on it amazes me how the site grew, changed, and helped unite and inform so many people over 20 years. I've made many friends here over the last 20 years. I've been inspired, motivated, and saddened here over the years. I don't think Vincent really has any idea just how much this site has done for so many myself included. So I'm going to share some of my own story.

To start we have to go back 3 years earlier to 1998. This was the year I attended Advanced Space Academy. This was my 4th trip to camp and by far the most amazing of my trips. An amazing team, amazing teammates, counselors, and overall experience. It was one of the best experiences I had ever had. I had just graduated high school wanted to take a year off before starting college and was enjoying life. Less than a year later my world came crashing down. Spring of 1999 I was diagnosed with cancer. It took 8 months of fighting but I overcame it. But it was not without its scars. When the fight ended i was sick, weak, depressed, and now confined t a wheelchair. I started college the following year doing online classes. But by 2001 I was still mostly home-bound. I had to rely on others for transportation, I could not get out to do all the stuff I use to love doing and it was taking a toll on me. I often found myself thinking back to that week in 1998 and how great it was. I looked for other campers through chatrooms and message boards on AOL and connected with a few.

Then one day in 2001 while searching for anything Space Camp on the web i found Hab 1. A still very new site. The forum had a few posts but I quickly added to them and when Vincent upgraded the forums they really took off. I was able to connect to others with the same love of Space Camp I had. Many were still attending and I could live vicariously through them. And I could keep up to date on Space Camp itself. You could say i became a little obsessed as you may have noticed I have over 6000 posts. I was posting and responding to others multiple times a day. It may sound crazy but it helped pull me out of a dark place.

Fast forward again to 2006. Word came out Space Camp was in the planning stages of its 25th anniversary the following year and seeking alumni input. At the time I was going through another more minor medical battle. I was stuck in the hospital for several weeks but Hab 1 again helped keep my spirits up giving input for and hearing about the 25th anniversary plans. I decided to return to camp in 2007 for one of the two adult alumni camps. Others posting about applying to work there in 07 inspired me to as well and I spent that summer as an Aviation Challenge crew trainer. A summer I will never forget. I would return one more time in 08 for another alumni camp.

Over the years since Hab 1 which I call the original Space Camp Alumni Association helped get the official one started. It has continued to bring alumni together. And led to Vincent being inducted into the Space Camp Hall of fame. I have no doubt the 2007 celebration would not have had as much success and the Alumni association may never have happened without Hab 1. This site has had an amazing impact on so many lives including mine.

Thank you for 20 amazing years so far!