COLUMBUS — As the curtain was pulled back, with more than a little bit of excitement, NASA legend Gene Kranz stared up at the portrait of himself and four of Ohio’s astronaut heroes and exclaimed “Wow!”

Kranz and astronauts John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell and Judy Resnik gaze out of the painting done by Hicksville native William Hinsch.

Hinsch’s work, a 9-foot by 12-foot oil painting entitled “Ohioans in Space,” was installed in the Ohio Statehouse on Thursday. A gala to celebrate the project, as well as honor those Ohioans who touched the stars, was held Wednesday.

Charles Moses, chair of the Capital Square Foundation, said the journey to have the “Ohioans in Space” painting in the Statehouse started 20 years ago when the painting “Wilbur and Orville Wright and Their Accomplishments” was re-installed in 2004. After the Wright Brothers’ portrait was installed, there was one question that remained: What is going on the other wall?

In 2023, the Capital Square Review and Advisory board would commission the “Ohioans in Space” painting to answer that question.

“The first thing was to determine who is going to be in this painting, and after so many conversations it was pretty easy,” Moses explained. “We have the Mount Rushmore of astronauts in Ohio.”

Hinsch was selected from 36 artists who submitted works to the art committee. Moses praised Hinsch for his work and for allowing input on the project from the committee, foundation and astronauts’ families.

“This is an art project, a science project, a history project, but most of all an Ohio project,” Moses said of the artwork.

He stated that Hinsch’s painting “tells a linear story” that truly highlights the accomplishments of Ohioans who explored space.

Hinsch said he worked seven days a week for seven months on the painting.

“I’m just a boy from Hicksville, Ohio, so it’s a little nerve-wracking for me to get up here,” he said, speaking at the gala. There were several Hicksville residents and former residents at the event who cheered. “It was a supreme honor to do this painting.”

Family members of the astronauts depicted as well as Lovell and Kranz also spoke about the painting during the gala.

“The portrait of ‘Ohioans in Space’ is amazing,” said Kranz, who served as the chief flight director for the Mercy, Gemini and Apollo programs. “It was all very personal portraits.”

Lovell addressed the crowd in a video message.

“It is exciting to know that the ‘Ohioans in Space’ painting, along with new displays and videos at the Statehouse, will inspire, encourage and educate thousands of students and adults on the importance of the past and future of the aerospace industry,” Lovell stressed.

Actor Tom Hanks, who portrayed Lovell in the film “Apollo 13” also presented a video message. He noted that no other state could equal Ohio “in the number of their groundbreaking astronauts.”

“All of these great Ohioans, sons and daughters of the Buckeye State, have made an impact far greater than just the size of their own shoes that have walked both in the dust of the moon,” in the skies, at the Johnson Space Center and beyond, Hanks remarked.

Trevor Brown, dean of the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University, spoke on behalf of the Glenn family. He stated that while Glenn was protective of his image being used, he would have been proud to be part of Hinsch’s work, which will be an inspiration to generations of Ohioans.

Armstrong’s son, Rick, said he was confident his dad would point out the other Ohio astronauts depicted in the painting. He said his dad would probably call for a whole series showcasing all of the state’s astronauts.

While it’s not a series of paintings, it was announced that plaques to honor other Ohio astronauts, both natives and those adopted, will be installed at the Statehouse in the upcoming months.

Rick Armstrong added that he hopes Hinsch’s painting “will prove an inspiration” to the future and perhaps play “a small part in aviation and every other field.”

Charles Resnik, brother to Judy Resnik, called the painting “an honor that will stand the test of time.“

“Judy will be forever linked to these four great astronauts,” he uttered.

Rick Resnik pointed out that his family and those of the other Challenger astronauts who perished in the 1986 disaster have worked hard to have the crew remembered for their “accomplishments during their shortened lives.”

NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails quoted Kranz in her remarks stating that “it’s easy to talk to those who want to be inspired.”

“It’s hard not to be inspired by this group,” Swails pointed out. “It’s about inspiration and inspiring those who come after us. It’s fitting that these two portraits (of Ohio’s astronauts and the Wright brothers) face each other. We hope that the hundreds of kids that come here every day are inspired.”

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