Defining Decisions
Written By Carter Allen
Med One opened its doors in April 1991.
Where were you in 1991?
A lot has happened in the world in the past 35 years. At Med One, we’ve experienced growth, challenges, change, and success. Through it all, one phrase has remained constant — The Med One Way. But what does The Med One Way really mean?
To answer that, I want to take you back five years before Med One began — to 1986 — and to one of the most tragic events many of us remember.
On January 28, 1986, during its 10th launch, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster ended in tragedy just 73 seconds after liftoff. The shuttle disintegrated at 46,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Cape Canaveral, killing all seven crew members aboard.
The crew included five NASA astronauts and two payload specialists, among them high school teacher Christa McAuliffe, who would have been the first teacher in space. Approximately 17 percent of the U.S. population watched the launch live on television. The mission had experienced delays, including unusually cold weather in central Florida the night before launch. Ice covered parts of the launch pad. Despite concerns, the shuttle lifted off at 11:38 a.m. At 11:39 a.m., it was gone.
The disaster led to a 32-month suspension of the shuttle program and the formation of the Rogers Commission, appointed by President Ronald Reagan to investigate the accident. The cause was traced to the failure of O-ring seals in the right solid rocket booster — seals that were not designed to withstand the unusually cold temperatures that morning. Engineers had raised concerns. Warnings were given. But those concerns were not fully elevated or acted upon.
One of those engineers was Allan McDonald. Allan McDonald directed the booster rocket project for Morton Thiokol, based in Ogden, Utah. He was responsible for the two massive solid rocket boosters that lifted the shuttle skyward. On the eve of the launch, he faced a defining moment.
His job was to sign an official form approving the launch. Sign it — and he believed he would be risking the lives of seven astronauts. Refuse — and he would risk his job, his career, and the life he had built for his family.
McDonald had three major concerns:
- 1. Freezing overnight temperatures could compromise the booster rocket joints.
- 2. Ice on the launchpad and spacecraft that could damage heat tiles.
- 3. Rough seas at the booster recovery site.
Despite immense pressure, Allan McDonald refused to sign. He was overruled. The launch proceeded. History was made.
Later, McDonald would say that refusing to sign that form was the smartest decision he ever made in his lifetime. In the aftermath, he was initially demoted. But following the investigation, and under pressure from NASA, he was promoted to Vice President at Morton Thiokol and placed in charge of redesigning the booster joints that had failed. He continued working there until he retired in 2001 after 42 years.
Allan McDonald passed away in 2021 in Ogden, Utah, at the age of 83.
What we should remember most about him are his Seven Rs:
He also framed regret this way:
- Regret for things we did is tempered by time.
- Regret for things we did not do is inconsolable.
His family believes he lived the rest of his life without blame — and without regret.
A consistent theme at Med One has always been The Med One Way. What does that mean? It’s more than a slogan. It’s more than a phrase we use at meetings. It’s the standard we hold ourselves to — especially when decisions are difficult, pressure is high, or the easy path is not the right one.
I believe Allan McDonald’s story defines it perfectly. The Med One Way means doing the right thing for the right reason at the right time. It means putting customers first — not because it benefits us in the moment, but because it’s who we are. It means supporting each other as teammates — not because it’s required, but because we succeed together. It means choosing integrity over convenience and long-term trust over short-term gain.
If we commit to living and working the Med One Way — in our decisions, our leadership, our service, and our daily interactions — we position ourselves to live and lead without regret for the rest of our lives. And in the end, that may be the greatest success of all.