22-05-2025
Northeast Ohio businessman preparing for trip to the final frontier
CLEVELAND (WJW) – A Northeast Ohio businessman, author and world traveler is about to rocket into outer space.
Paul Jeris, known as 'Put-in-Bay Paul,' has always been an explorer at heart and enjoyed going scuba diving, skydiving and visiting 149 countries.
But he's about to fulfill a lifelong dream and embark on the final frontier.
'They called me and they said, 'are you ready to go?' Jeris said. 'I was so excited!'
Wayne Dawson declared cancer-free after treatment
He had been on a waiting list with the private spaceflight company Blue Origin for years. He hoped they would call, but now he can't believe it's actually happening.
'Low and behold, here I am and I couldn't be more excited,' he said.
It's something he has dreamed about since he was a small child watching his father go to work at the NASA Glenn Research Center.
'He was always a rocket dad,' Jeris said. 'I got to grow up watching my father work on the Mariner, the Voyager, the Viking missions and was fascinated by rockets and I still am.'
He said he will be flying with five other crew members on the New Shepard rocket, which is the same reusable aircraft William 'Captain Kirk' Shatner rode on during his trip.
Jeris said they will undergo three days of training in Texas, then launch over 2,300 miles straight up into outer space. They will float there for 10-12 minutes and then return to earth.
He can't wait to see the planets curvature and experience something called the overview effect.
'Looking at that thin blue line and to go above that and see that life and death part of Earth. That thin blue line that surrounds earth and see how fragile our planet is and to go up there and look down,' he said.
He can't give the exact dates, but said it's very soon. He also can't say how much it costs, only that he's been saving for it his whole life.
'Something that you dream about and in my life I never thought it would come true,' Paul said, choked up.
Going with him on the journey are some special objects from friends and family, including a Put-in-Bay Gazette and Herkimer natural diamonds.
But the most important items come from his father who recently passed away at 92.
'I'm going to bring his NASA badge and Marine Corps badge,' he said.
State-of-the-art robotic mowers make maintenance easier at local golf club
Making his father proud and keeping his spirit with him as he journeys among the stars.
'It's like really real,' he said with tears in his eyes, 'I think of my dad, him growing up reading this, little Parma boy does good.'
Jeris also serves on several local and regional tourism boards, enjoys giving back and in 2022 traveled to Ukraine on his own to assist refugees.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
