Photo: Chicagoans Celebrate James Lovell with Parade Following Apollo 13 Mission

James Lovell never walked on the surface of the moon, but he still received a hero’s welcome in Chicago on May 1, 1970 – a windy day that saw celebratory confetti swirling around the canyons between skyscrapers in Chicago’s Loop. In the Chicago History Museum image above, astronauts John Swigert, left, and Lovell, wave to a crowd that gathered downtown for a parade following the Apollo 13 mission. (The mission's third astronaut, Fred Haise was unable to attend due to an illness that he developed on the mission). 

The parade, according to a Chicago Tribune article from the time, attracted half a million spectators, and also featured five members from NASA’s mission control. Lovell received the city’s “Medal of Merit,” and at outdoor remarks with Mayor Richard J. Daley, told the crowd, “It’s a pleasure to be here again. There were times last month when I didn’t think I would quite make it.” The astronauts also met with 2,500 school children, to whom Lovell emphasized the importance of teamwork. 

Lovell, who later settled in Lake Forest, Illinois, died on Thursday, August 7 at age 97. Lovell was the commander of the Apollo 13 mission, which was meant to be the third moon landing, but was forced to return after an oxygen tank exploded two days into the mission. His leadership was immortalized by Tom Hanks in the 1995 film, Apollo 13. That mission was his last of four trips to space, in addition to Gemini 7, Gemini 12, and Apollo 8.