Astronaut and Oakland Community College (Mich.) graduate Andrew Feustel took a memento from his alma mater into space on his mission to service the orbiting Hubble Telescope.

Astronaut and Oakland Community College (Mich.) graduate Andrew Feustel took a memento from his alma mater into space on his mission to service the orbiting Hubble Telescope. The memento was a custom-designed t-shirt with a likeness of Feustel, an image of a space shuttle, and a statement incorporating Oakland Community College's slogan, "Get Anywhere from Here," with the postscript "... Even Space" emblazoned on the front. Feustel, 44, contacted a member of the college marketing department in late December 2007 to convey that each of the astronauts would be permitted to take a small memento on the historic trip. Feustel asked Oakland Community College cared to send an item. The answer was "yes" and college officials immediately launched an appeal to the college community for ideas. The winning suggestion was submitted by Royal Oak Campus mathematics Professor Jeff Parent. The design was developed by the college's Graphic Services Department. Upon graduation from OCC in 1986, Feustel enrolled at Purdue University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in earth sciences and a master's in geophysics. He completed a Ph.D. in geologic science at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada, and then worked for several years as an exploration geophysicist for Exxon Mobil. Feustel was named Oakland Community College's outstanding alumnus in 2003 and spoke to the graduating class at commencement ceremonies that June.

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