Dr. W. Robert Stamper, a former nationally recognized Cheltenham High School science teacher, was a finalist among teachers seeking to fly aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, which broke apart 73 seconds into flight on January 28, 1986.

Christa McAuliffe, a New Hampshire science teacher, and six other astronauts (pictured below) died in the crash.

Dr. Stamper taught a variety of science courses at Cheltenham High from 1959 to 1986. His classes included honors biology, energy science, environmental science, and oceanography. He earned a PhD in Zoology from Penn State and retired after 20 years of teaching in the Biology Department at Muhlenberg College.

Dr. Stamper passed away on July 27, 2018, one day shy of his 86th birthday.

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