Popular hangout for Armstrong, other astronauts is for sale one small step from UNC

Fifty years ago, Neil Armstrong and Elliot See drove up to Carol Jenzano’s Chapel Hill home and got out of their car, still wearing flight suits.

Jenzano, a high school student at the time, was sitting on the porch when the astronauts arrived.

“They were just delightful guys you would love to have as your next-door neighbor,” she said. “And they were so much brighter than you can imagine.”

The Jenzano home, once a popular hangout for visiting astronauts, is now for sale. The home, located at 37 Oakwood Drive, is on the market for $300,000.

See and Armstrong, who died Saturday, came to Chapel Hill for astronaut training at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. On that day, instead of going to their motel, they joined their colleagues for a visit at the Jenzano home.

Carol Jenzano’s father, Anthony Jenzano, was director of the Morehead Planetarium from 1951 to 1982.

He pioneered the planetarium’s astronaut training program, which brought 62 of the first 63 American astronauts to Chapel Hill between 1959 and 1975.

Carol Jenzano met many astronauts who frequented her family’s home, but Armstrong was one of her favorites, she said.

Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon in 1969.

“He looked like the all-American boy,” Jenzano said. “He talked like the all-American boy. He told funny stories. He had a very self-effacing humor, and he was one of the nicest men I ever met.”

Her father felt the same way, she said.

“My father had tremendous respect and admiration for what these fellows were doing.”

Anthony Jenzano started the planetarium’s astronaut training program with the goal of teaching astronauts about celestial navigation.

“Jenzano recognized that the astronauts … may encounter times when their systems would fail, and it would be incredibly useful for them to have a good understanding of the night sky,” said Jeff Hill, director of external relations at the planetarium.

“Almost from the very beginning he had the vision that the Morehead could serve an important role in the space race.”

Anthony Jenzano pitched the idea to NASA, who began sending astronauts to Chapel Hill for training.

While the excitement over space exploration has quieted down today, Lee Shapiro —who became the planetarium’s director after Anthony Jenzano — doesn’t think it’s over.

“I would like to see us go back to the moon. I’d like to see us go to Mars,” Shapiro said. “I’m not expecting it to happen in the next couple years, but I’d like to see it as a goal.”

Carol Jenzano said she will take the memories of her home with her when she moves. She said she hopes the house’s new owners will appreciate its history — just as she does.

“I feel that my life was so enriched by having the opportunity to meet so many fantastic Americans,” she said. “I have met more since, but I met a whole lot as a young girl.”

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.