Apollo-Soyuz Test Project crew patch. Fully embroidered, merrowed edge with tail. Diam. 4 in. 

WITH Autograph letter signed by Jerry C. Elliott (b. 1943) to Iron Eyes Cody (1904-1999). [Houston, Texas], 10 March 1978. 2 pages, 9 x 6 1/4 in., on illustrated stationery. With original envelope with Houston cancel. 

An original crew-worn patch that was affixed to their flight suits after the mission. Though many iterations of the patch exist, this example is the original crew-worn patch, distinguished by its 4-inch size and distinct gap between the outer red border and the blue and red flags. This is further corroborated by the letter accompanying the patch, in which NASA worker Jerry Elliott notes: "I want you to have this space patch from the First Russian-American space mission, Apollo-Soyuz, that occurred in 1974. I price it very much because it was given to me personally by the American and Russian Astronauts who flew that mission. It is not a copy and is worn on the space suits." 

The patch was presented by Jerry C. Elliott-High Eagle (b. 1943), a NASA physicist and one of the first Native Americans to work at the space agency. He joined NASA in 1966 and worked on the Gemini program and held important leadership positions during the Apollo program. Notably, he served on the mission control team during Apollo 11's moon landing and was the lead Retrofire Officer on the Apollo 13 mission. He was instrumental in the recovery of the crew, and in recognition of his role in the rescue, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Richard Nixon. 

After Apollo, he worked on several more important NASA programs, including the Apollo-Soyuz Program, the International Space Station, Skylab, and the Space Shuttle. 

Elliott is deeply committed to Native American causes, co-founding the American Indian Science and Engineering Society in 1975. He also advocated for improved telecommunications infrastructure on reservations, implementing the American Indian Telecommunications Satellite Demonstration Project. 

Here, he writes warmly and presents the patch to Iron Eyes Cody (born Espera Oscar de Corti, 1904-1999), an American actor who played Native Americans in film, including the role of Chief Iron Eyes in Bob Hope's 1948 western The Paleface. Cody is perhaps best remembered for his role as "Crying Indian" in the Keep America Beautiful public service commercial. Although Cody began to insist on his Native American heritage, he was, in fact, of Sicilian parentage. Elliott and Cody were evidently close, given the warm salutations and regret of having not had a chance to meet the last time Elliott was in Houston. 
 

[NASA, Space Exploration, Apollo Program, Apollo 11, Apollo 13, Space Shuttle, Soviet Union, Cosmonauts, Astronauts] [Native Americans, Native American History, American Indian, Indian History]