Fendell was Head of the Communications Systems Section, Flight Control Division at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Johnson Space Center on July 20, 1969, when Apollo 11 landed on the Moon.
[About his colleagues at NASA] We banded together. A handshake was a commitment. A set of common values tied us together. The values generated a chemistry that amplified our individual and team capabilities. Everyone understood the difference between "I" and "we." The tougher it got, the better we became. [Keynote commencement speech at Becker College, 2009]