[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 12, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1231]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF JOHN GEORGE ZARCARO

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BRIAN BABIN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 12, 2018

  Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember John George Zarcaro 
who passed away on August 18, 2018 at the age of 85 from a rare and 
aggressive type of kidney cancer.
   The son of two Italian immigrants, John was born May 6, 1933, in 
Asbury Park, New Jersey. He graduated high school from LaSalle Military 
Academy in Long Island, New York. Much to his mother's chagrin, he went 
on to graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 
with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering.
   After college, John joined the United States Navy and became a 
pilot. He flew several planes, but his favorite was the A-4 Skyhawk. 
John often told the story of flying an S2F Tracker over the Atlantic 
during a storm when he bypassed landing on a Navy carrier thirteen 
times because of the ferocious pitch of the sea in darkness. When 
Zarcaro finally landed the plane on the carrier, the crew celebrated 
this act (a ship record) by baking him a cake. The story illustrates 
much about this remarkable man: grace under pressure, determination and 
skill, and humility.
   John continued to serve the country when he joined the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during Project Mercury. In 
1984, he started his own business, Geo-Control Systems, with the help 
of friends and investors. There, Zarcaro continued his service to the 
space program. He loved his military and civil service careers and 
treasured his time working with the immensely talented men and women of 
this nation's space program.
   John or ``Z'', as many of his friends knew him, spent a lifetime 
cultivating happiness, adventure, and joy. He met the love of his life, 
Rose Veronica Gonzalez, in Kingsville, Texas, and they married October 
4, 1957. Rose and John celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary and a 
lifetime of love last year with their family.
   John leaves behind a family that will miss him greatly: his loving 
wife Rose; son John Joseph, daughter-in-law Sandy, and grandchildren 
John Anthony, Ariana, Sophie, and Nicholas; son Michael, daughter-in-
law Sarah, and grandchildren Michael and Emily; daughter Rosanne and 
partner Chuck, and son Anthony.
   Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Space, it is 
my honor to remember the life of space pioneer, John George Zarcaro.

                          ____________________