James A. McDivitt, Jr. and Edward H. White, II, both U-M alumni and former Ann Arbor residents, flew on Gemini IV on June 8, 1965. During their second orbit around Earth, command pilot McDivitt controlled the spacecraft while White became the first American to walk in space. McDivitt later commanded Apollo IX in 1969, which included the first test of the Lunar Module in Earth orbit, and then directed the NASA Apollo Spacecraft Program for Apollo flights 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. White died as a lieutenant colonel in the 1967 Apollo I launch pad fire. On June 14, 1965, Ann Arbor dedicated this location to McDivitt and White in tribute to their achievements.