2006 Hall of Fame Gala Celebration
(October 3, 2006) - The San Diego Air and Space Museum's Hall of Fame Gala Celebration, slated for Saturday, November 4, 2006 beginning at 6:00 p.m., will continue its time-honored tradition of commemorating the accomplishments of air and space pioneers. This year's event, however, will be unlike any other. The Museum also will be celebrating those making space history now as well as launching its Hall of Fame Scholarship to support pioneers in the future.
"We're proud of our decades-long heritage of honoring the people and artifacts which made history in the past. But, we also need to focus on what’s happening in 21st Century air and space history because it's constantly evolving. And part of our mission must be to help our most promising young people prepare for future careers in aeronautical and aerospace engineering. That’s why we’ve chosen the past-present-future theme for the Hall of Fame Gala Celebration," explained Bill Lennartz, Museum CEO and President.
To commemorate the past, TWA's Jack Frye, Russia's Sergei Ilyushin and Pat Patterson of United Airlines, will be inducted into the International Aerospace Hall of Fame [IAHF] Gallery. They were the most recently elected IAHF honorees as 20th Century history makers. The Museum's International Aerospace Hall of Fame is the only hall of fame in the world solely dedicated to honoring great achievers in aviation and space exploration.
This year the Museum will also celebrate the present by lauding Dr. Peter Diamandis, Paul Allen and Burt Rutan for making space history in the 21st Century. Diamandis created the Ansari X-Prize that offered a $10-million award to the first privately financed organization to soar 100 km into suborbital space twice in a two-week period. Burt Rutan and Paul Allen designed and produced SpaceShipOne, the spacecraft that won the Ansari X-Prize in October 2004.
Rutan will give the keynote address. KOGO 600AM News Radio's Mark Larson will serve as emcee.
History will be also made at the event itself. California State Assemblyman Jay LaSuer will announce the designation of the San Diego Air & Space Museum as California's Official Air & Space Museum and Education Center, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will offer guests a video greeting.
In addition, the Museum will hail the return of its Spirit of St. Louis – the world's only flying replica of Charles Lindbergh's aircraft -- after a two-year absence during an extensive preservation after its successful flight in August 2003 to honor Lindbergh Field’s 75th anniversary.
Net proceeds from the event will help fund Museum programs, activities and operations as well as kick off fundraising for the new Hall of Fame Engineering Scholarship. But, that's only a start. The Hall of Fame Engineering Scholarship fund will need to raise and maintain $750,000 in order to achieve its goal of providing a five-year engineering scholarship to one deserving student each year.
"We believe that many folks in San Diego share our goal of expanding engineering education opportunities for our young people. The money we invest in the Hall of Fame Engineering Scholarship endowment fund today will help boost the US economy tomorrow because it's increasingly dependent on math, science and engineering. In particular, if we want to preserve America's global lead in air and space technology, we're going to have to encourage more of our young people to pursue careers in math, science and engineering," Lennartz added.
The goal of the IAHF is to help inspire future generations of designers and builders, pioneers and pilots, leaders and scientists who will push the frontiers of aviation and space.
Black tie optional. Reservations required. The evening includes a reception with Dr. Peter Diamandis and Mr. Burt Rutan and numerous other aviation greats such as astronaut Wally Schirra, Bob Hoover, Clay Lacy and others in addition to the dinner. $200 per person/ Tables of ten at $1800 or $2500. For more information please call Carolyn Garanian (619) 234-8291, Ext. 13. Register by phone or online by visiting: http://www.sandiegoairandspace.org/upcoming/iahf.html before October 26, 2006.