01
THE BOOK
Imagine you could ask an Apollo astronaut anything you wanted. What would you ask?
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If you had the chance to talk to someone who went to the moon, what would you say? What questions would you ask? Imagine the stories, thoughts, and reflections he would share. “What was it like to be in zero gravity?” “Did you see any UFOs?” “Were you scared?” Imagine what it would be like to spend time with one of the 24 human beings in the history of our planet to go to the moon.
Now imagine that the astronaut was your dad.
Apollo’s Creed is my own personal story of being Apollo 12 astronaut Richard F. Gordon’s daughter for thirty-nine years. It is about the private guy and the things he would say when the cameras were off. Here, I share the candid answers to the questions everyone always asks. It’s filled with the at-home anecdotes that most people weren’t around to see. When you’ve sat upon a rocket and set it on fire, been shot into outer space and then have been all alone in a space capsule, you get a different perspective on life. That’s what Apollo’s Creed is about. These are my stories—the funny ones, the profound ones, and the rare chance for a daughter to ask her dad, “So, what was it like to go to the moon?”
02
THE FACTS
He wasn't just my dad, he was an American hero.
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Richard Francis Gordon Jr. (October 5, 1929 – November 6, 2017) was an American naval officer and aviator, chemist, test pilot, and NASA astronaut, and an American football executive. He was one of 24 people to have flown to the Moon, as the Command Module Pilot of the 1969 Apollo 12 mission which orbited the Moon 45 times. Prior to his lunar flight Gordon had flown in space as the pilot of the 1966 Gemini 11 mission.
He won the Bendix Trophy race from Los Angeles to New York City in May 1961, in which he established a new speed record of 869.74 miles per hour and a transcontinental speed record of 2 hours and 47 minutes.
He logged more than 4,500 hours flying time with 3,500 hours of those hours in jet aircraft. He was also a student at the Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, California. Gordon logged a total of 315 hours and 53 minutes in space, of which 2 hours and 41 minutes were spent in EVA.
After Apollo 12, Gordon was assigned as backup Commander of Apollo 15. He was slated to walk on the moon as Commander of Apollo 18, but that mission was canceled because of budget cuts.
After his flights, Gordon worked in the astronaut office. He became the Chief of Advanced programs in 1971. Gordon worked on the design of the Space Shuttle.
After leaving NASA, Gordon served as Executive Vice President of the New Orleans Saints Professional Football Club in the National Football League (1972–1976);[ was General Manager of Energy Developers, Limited (EDL), a Texas Partnership involved in a joint venture with Rocket Research Corporation for the development of a liquid chemical explosive for use in the oil and gas industry (1977); President of Resolution Engineering and Development Company (REDCO), which provided design and operational requirements for wild oil well control and fire fighting equipment onboard large semi submersible utility vessels (1978); following REDCO merger with Amarco Resources, Gordon assumed the additional duties of Vice President of Marketing, Westdale, an oil well servicing subsidiary of AMARCO operating in North Central Texas and Oklahoma, and also served as Vice President for Operations, Texas Division (1980); served as Director, Scott Science and Technology, Inc., Los Angeles Division (1981–1983).
In March 1982 he became President of Astro Sciences Corporation. This company provided a range of services including engineering, project management, project field support teams, to software and hardware system design for control room applications. In the summer of 1984, Gordon was a Technical Advisor for and played the part of "Capcom" in the CBS miniseries Space by James A. Michener.
Gordon served as Chairman and co-Chairman of the Louisiana Heart Fund, Chairman of the March of Dimes (Mother's March), Honorary Chairman for Muscular Dystrophy, and on the boards of directors for the Boy Scouts of America and Boys' Club of Greater New Orleans.
Awards and Honors Received
Navy Astronaut Wings
NASA Distinguished Service Medal
NASA Exceptional Service Medal
Bendix Trophy in 1961
Two Navy Distinguished Flying Crosses
Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Phi Sigma Kappa Merit Award in 1966
Institute of Navigation Award for 1969
Godfrey L. Cabot Award in 1970
Rear Admiral William S. Parsons Award for Scientific and Technical Progress in 1970
Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) Superior Achievement Award
NASA Group Achievement Award
Richard Gordon Elementary School in Kingston, Washington was named after him.
Inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame with nine of his Gemini astronaut colleagues in 1982
Inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame on March 19, 1993
Grand Marshal, Rose Parade 1970
Richard was married twice, to Barbara Field and Linda Saunders. From his first marriage, he raised six children: Carleen, Richard, Lawrence, Thomas, James, and Diane. From his second marriage, he raised two stepchildren: Traci and Christopher.
03
THE AUTHOR
He inspired me to shoot for the moon...
and I did.
Raised by an Apollo astronaut (Apollo 12, Richard F. Gordon), and holding the honor of becoming the youngest female disc jockey in the US (she had her own radio show at 14 in 1980), Traci learned early on that to live your best life, you have to shoot for the stars. And, that's just what she did.
Traci earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Southern California and an M.S. in Organizational Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology. She also earned two Master's level certificates in health education and health coaching from the National Institute of Whole Health. In 2019, she became a certified personal trainer, with an emphasis on Senior Fitness.
She's published three books with co-author Dan Strutzel, The Growth Mindset, The Power of Charisma and The Power of Positive Selling. She's also published cookbooks, articles, books, blogs and more, all on the topic of health and personal development. Her book, The Binge Buster, was just recently re-released.
With more than 25 years as a personal, executive, and health coach, through her own practice and association with companies like Keilty, Goldsmith and Company and Nightingale-Conant, Traci coached more than 7500 people around the globe. She provided services to companies as diverse as ExxonMobil, Johnson & Johnson, Budget Car Rentals, GTE, Sun Microsystems, Nortel, and Northrop Grumman.
Traci's worked with leaders and celebrities in almost every field, including Ken Blanchard, Anthony Robbins, Les Brown, Brian Tracy, Marshall Goldsmith, Dr. Mark Hyman, David Bach, T. Harv Eker, Nightingale Conant, AuthorHouse, and Herbalife, among others.
Her portfolio includes more than two hundred video scripts, five Nightingale Conant audio programs, and dozens of corporate training videos, crowdfunding pitches, and online commercials.
She's been an audio and video commercial writer for WriteLabel, creating advertising for companies such as iHeartRadio, American Greetings, NBC Universal, and more.
Traci is also a popular speaker, and from the classroom to the stage, makes audiences laugh, listen, and learn. She also teaches at the university level, inspiring students to be the hero in their own life.
A passionate vegan, Traci lives in Pomona, California with her two ginormous dogs and two cats, all rescues and all crazy. She continues to write, coach clients, teach students, and annoy her animals. Traci's three adult children are off pursuing their own dreams