THE OVERTON BROOKS YEARS, 1959-61 



61 



allow him to recover his strength before a further operation. His staff 

 director, Charles Ducander, visited the hospital every morning and, at 

 Brooks' insistence, brought him sheafs of committee papers. Several 

 days later, Brooks called Ducander and asked him to visit him at his 

 home. Surprised that Brooks was out of the hospital that fast, Ducander 

 was even more surprised when he found Brooks at home, fully dressed 

 and lying down on a sofa downstairs. "He had big piles of papers, 

 correspondence he was going through — congressional work, some com- 

 mittee matters I had brought out for him to read. And just about 5 or 

 6 days from then, he had a heart attack and he died." 



Chairman Brooks died on September 16, 1961. 



The changing of the guard occurred smoothly. Congressman 

 George P. Miller of California moved up to become chairman of the 

 House Committee on Science and Astronautics on September 21, a posi- 

 tion he held until Congressman Olin E. "Tiger" Teague became 

 chairman in January 1973- 



White House meeting of space leaders. From left: James E. Webb, NASA Administrator 

 Senator Robert S. Kerr (Democrat of Oklahoma), chairman of Senate Committee on Aero- 

 nautical and Space Sciences; President John F. Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon B.Johnson, 

 Chairman Overton Brooks, and Edward C. Welsh, Chairman of National Aeronautics and 

 Space Council. 



35-120 0-79-7 



