50th Anniversary Enshrinement Attracts “Who’s Who” of Air and Space Legends


National Aviation Hall of Fame 50th Anniversary
Enshrinement Attracts “Who’s Who”
of Air and Space Legends

Astronauts, military heroes, industry leaders and aviation buffs
to descend on Dayton this Saturday to celebrate four pioneering enshrinees into Hall

(Dayton, Ohio – October 3, 2012) The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) today officially announced the participants taking in part in the 50th Anniversary Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony, to be held at the Dayton Convention Center on Saturday, October 6th. The Master of Ceremonies will be former Good Morning America show host, producer, and writer, David Hartman, a long-time NAHF supporter.

Hartman will lead what’s widely known as “America’s Oscar Night of Aviation” before an expected audience of nearly 700 aerospace industry executives, armed forces leadership, government representatives, corporate sponsors, aviation scholars and enthusiasts from across the U.S.

The Enshrinee Class of 2012 and their personally selected ceremony presenters are:

    • Geraldyn “Jerrie” Cobb – Record-setting pilot, Mercury 13 member and Nobel Prize nominee for flying humanitarian missions in South America.

Presenting will be 2009 Enshrinee and former astronaut, Eileen Collins.
Accepting will be former Mercury 13 member and pilot, Rhea Woltman.

    • Keith Ferris – The “Dean of American Aviation Art” and inventor of camouflage and high visibility aircraft paint systems.

Presenting will be 2007 Enshrinee, historian and author, Walter Boyne.
Accepting will be Keith Ferris.

    • The late Lt. Gen. Elwood R. “Pete” Quesada, USAF – pioneering pilot, military tactician, and first Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Presenting will be U.S. Congressman Sam Graves, 6th District, Missouri
Accepting will be Dr. Richard Hallion, Aerospace Historian

    • The late Richard T. Whitcomb – Award-winning NASA aerodynamicist with three major breakthroughs to his credit.

Presenting will be Roy Harris, former Director, NASA Langley Research Center, VA
Accepting will be David Whitcomb, nephew of Richard T. Whitcomb.

Upon their induction this weekend, the names of Cobb, Ferris, Quesada and Whitcomb will join those of the 211 legends of flight previously so honored by the National Aviation Hall of Fame, including the very first two enshrinees, Orville and Wilbur Wright.

“How fitting that the Birthplace of Aviation – Dayton, Ohio – and the Hall of Fame again play host to a ‘who’s who’ of aviation’s past and present to celebrate alongside so many of us who benefit from our enshrinees’ achievements today” said Ron Kaplan, NAHF Enshrinement Director. He noted additional NAHF Enshrinees attending Saturday’s event include former astronaut Joe Engle, Tuskegee Airman Charles E. McGee, aviation safety expert S. Harry Robertson, and record-setting explorer, Dick Rutan.

The program includes the presentation of the 2012 A. Scott Crossfield Aerospace Educator of the Year Ward to Kokomo, Indiana elementary school teacher James E. McCarter, Jr., who will be presented a $5,000 check by former astronaut Robert L. “Hoot” Gibson and Justin Farley, grandson of the late Enshrinee Scott Crossfield.

“We are delighted to publicly honor four very special legends of flight into the Hall. Their sacrifice, vision, and contributions to air and space are exemplary,” Kaplan said, adding, “Each one has devoted their unique life’s calling to our collective safety, well-being, and freedom. The National Aviation Hall of Fame looks forward to spotlighting their inspirational legacies, adding them to the others we use to launch the imaginations of future innovators and pioneers.”

The NAHF is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in Dayton in 1962 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1964. Its mission is to honor America’s outstanding air and space pioneers, which it does through a 17,000 square-foot public Learning Center featuring free admission to the public, interactive exhibits, youth education programs, its annual enshrinement ceremony, national merit awards, and other public outreach programs.

Reservations for the NAHF’s 50th Anniversary Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony are no longer available, however there are other ways to support the year-round mission of the NAHF Learning Center by visiting the NAHF website at www.nationalaviation.org.

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Media Contact:

Ron Kaplan
Enshrinement Director
TEL: (937) 256-0944 x16
[email protected]

Editor’s note:

Downloadable photos of the Enshrinee Class of 2012 are available emailing Ron Kaplan or calling (937) 256-0944 x16.