Hi, this is Larry Mantle. This year marks the 40th anniversary of my program Air Talk. On the show,

we've discussed the biggest topics and events of the day from earthquakes to elections. Please

join me for the biggest conversation in Southern California for 40 years.

Hey, it's just me, Paula Poundstone, and I'm coming to Glendale for a special live taping,

co-presented by LAist and Martin Media. It's February 8th at the Alex Theater. Tickets at

lais.com slash events. See you there. The first time I met Charlie, he towered over me like a

well-groomed giant, wearing a suit and a tie. I was just a kid and his

daughter, Claudia and I were best friends. Claudia and I spent a lot of time together, and I soon

became an honorary family member, a position I still hold today.

We lived for sleepovers, and they were magical at her house.

Claudia's parents, Charlie and Dolores, would throw the most amazing cocktail parties.

Claudia and I would sneak out of bed and sit at the top of the stairs and watch the

guests dancing below. The women were cocktail dresses in rainbow tool, and the men were so

elegant in their tuxedos and black suits. Charlie slowly became like a second dad, and he would often sit me down and talk to me about life and its lessons and about the choices we face as we pursue our dreams.

Everything in life is experienced. If you haven't experienced something that likely you don't know how to handle it.

That's Charlie today. Charlie has had a remarkable life. He was an aerospace pioneer. He was an engineer on the Apollo program, someone whose work helped America land on the moon. He would tell me about how being one of the

first black engineers in aerospace affected him, how it still affects him. But frankly, I was young,

and I didn't really understand his place in history. But over the past few years, I wanted to know more. I wanted to know what exactly did he do, when, where. So I sat down and started recording him. Is that okay? Yeah, that works for me. All right. Here we go.

When you're talking to Charlie about the Apollo program, he does what I call his vampire

glamour look.

He leans in really close, gazes deeply into your eyes.

And then he'll tell you.

...