by Dan McCaffery for First Monday

(2013) Many years ago, when I was researching the career of Sarnia-born astronaut Chris Hadfield, I came across a quote from his grade 2 teacher. The elderly lady, who taught Hadfield at King George Public School said, “He must have been a good boy, because I don’t remember him.”

Her failure to recall young Chris was understandable. Teachers have many hundreds of kids in their charge during their careers. But today, it’s safe to say Hadfield is one of the best known people on the planet. And anyone who meets him is sure to remember the encounter.

Circling earth in the International Space Station since late December, he has become something of a sensation with his tweets and his spectacular photos. In fact, Forbes magazine has described him as “the most social-media savvy astronaut ever to leave Earth.” And the Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom has been even more gushing in its praise. It said, “In a deliberate campaign to take Earth by storm, Hadfield harnessed the power of social media to inspire the sort of interest in space exploration that NASA and other agencies have been trying to attract for more than a decade. In the process, he is on his way to becoming a breakthrough star in his own right, the first internationally recognizable astronaut since the grainy black-and-white television images that made Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin and the original Apollo astronauts into superstars. That’s true, and it’s not a surprise to anyone who has ever met Hadfield.

I first interviewed him in 1984when he flew his CF-18 fighter jet into Sarnia Airport (which is now called Chris Hadfield Sarnia Airport). Since then, I have seen him speak on numerous occasions and have always been impressed with how he wins over crowds.

Hadfield is as good a salesman as he is a flyer. Better still, he has always kept his connection to his home town. His family has a cottage on Stag Island that he returns to often. People in Corunna tell stories about meeting him at the gas station or in restaurants and stores.

It was on Stag Island in 1969 that a teenage Hadfield watched the first moon landing and decided then and there to become an astronaut. And of course, he often returns to Sarnia. Whether it’s speaking to students or local air cadets, he always cuts a pleasing image.

Naming the local airport after him (an idea city council adopted at the recommendation of Observer reporter Neil Bowen) was a great idea. But more could be done. Now that Hadfield is a major international celebrity, Sarnia should try to capitalize further on his fame. Maybe a sign could be erected at the city limits informing motorists they’re entering the home town of Chris Hadfield. You see such signs outside St. Thomas, where they brag about NHL star Joe Thornton, or on the outskirts of Brantford, where they boast about Wayne Gretzky. Perhaps Chris could be brought home to MC Sarnia’s 100th anniversary celebrations next year.

Being connected to one of the most recognizable and popular people on Earth is not a bad thing. We should capitalize on it in any way we can.