WEST LAFAYETTE | When Neil Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 mission, Jerry Ross crowded around the black-and-white television with his family in Crown Point.

But Ross, 59, made sure to be in West Lafayette in person Friday night when fellow Purdue University graduate Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon, was honored.

A Friday night dinner at Lambert Fieldhouse was part of a busy weekend for Armstrong. In the morning, a sculpture of him as a student was unveiled. It is next to the engineering building that will be dedicated in his name this morning.

Often called the cradle of astronauts, Purdue has 22 alumni who were selected for space flight, including Virgil "Gus" Grissom and Roger Chaffee, both of whom died with fellow astronaut Ed White in a fire during a launch-pad test in 1967.

Chaffee's widow, Martha, attended this weekend's homecoming events, and Armstrong said this weekend marked the largest gathering of alumni astronauts on campus in many years.

Minutes before the dinner began, Ross, who now lives in the Houston area, said it's always good to get home.

"I grew up watching the space program develop, and watching Neil Armstrong, then I got a chance to meet him and know him professionally," Ross said.

Like Armstrong, Ross has his own records, including being the first person to be sent into space for a seventh time.

"Being in the space program has been an incredible, extraordinary experience," Ross said.

"I tell young people all of the time that God put you here for a purpose. Work with your teachers and parents to understand that purpose and set goals in accordance with that and you will have a successful and rewarding career," Ross said.

Today Ross is chief of the vehicle integration test office for NASA and manages a group of engineers. He said Purdue University was a fabulous school to attend, and it will continue to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

Ross dedicated a room in the new Armstrong building to his parents Donald J. and Phyllis Ross. Jerry Ross' father is deceased, but his mother still lives in Crown Point.

"This country is fortunate to have a plethora of fine colleges and universities, but Purdue is unique in many ways," Armstrong said.

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said Armstrong is well known for having commanded Apollo 11, but Armstrong also has handled himself with "dignity and style" and occupies a unique position in history.