Published in Midwest Flyer – April/May 2018 issue
WASHINGTON, DC – The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) will hold its 56th Annual Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. on September 28, 2018.
“Our mission is to honor aerospace legends to inspire future leaders. This significant venue will make the 2018 enshrinement the most prominent to date and help us achieve our mission,” says NAHF Chairman Michael Quiello. “Our event has always been widely recognized as the Oscar Night of Aviation, but this will be beyond anything our enshrinees, sponsors and members have ever seen before. The NAHF has reached the next level.”
The NAHF Class of 2018 is a highly distinguished group representing a broad range of enduring contributions to both the advancement of flight and the manned exploration of space:
General Ronald R. Fogleman, USAF (Ret.), is a United States Air Force Academy graduate, decorated Vietnam veteran (logging 80 missions as a misty forward air controller), command pilot and parachutist, 15th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, and the author of the current “Air Force Core Values.”
Colonel Walter Cunningham, USMC (Ret.), is a decorated Korean War veteran, fighter pilot, physicist, Apollo 7 Lunar Module pilot, SKYLAB chief, entrepreneur, author of “The All-American Boys,” and a radio-show host.
General John R. (Jack) Dailey, USMC (Ret.), is a decorated Vietnam veteran, who served as the Former Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and Chief of Staff from 1990 to 1992, Associate Deputy Administrator of NASA, and is currently the Director of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
(The late) William H. (Bill) Dana was a 40-year veteran of NASA, test pilot and aeronautical engineer. He was also the project pilot for the X-15, and pilot astronaut for the X-20, among several other aircraft.
Chairman Michael Quiello says, “The Washington D.C. area is very easy to travel to and has outstanding accommodations and venues. Our induction ceremony will certainly attract senior industry leaders in both the private and government sectors. As a national organization, it is an honor and privilege to be inducting the Class of 2018 in our nation’s capital.”
This year’s enshrinement venue, the National Building Museum (formerly known as the Pension Building), was built in 1887 to house the disbursement of pensions to Civil War veterans and widows, and is an early example of Renaissance Revival architecture. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969, the museum was designated as a national historic landmark in 1985. Its column-lined interior has held numerous presidential inaugural balls and even has the Seal of the President of the United States set in the floor.
“We are also proud to announce that the Class of 2019 will be inducted at the Wings Over the Rockies Museum in Denver, Colorado,” said NAHF President David Brixey. “We have yet to take our brand to the western U.S. and feel that Denver’s aerospace-rich environment is ideal for us to share our mission in another exciting market.”
Executive Director Amy Spowart adds, “Our goal is that by 2020, our Learning Center, which is visited by over a quarter of a million visitors a year and is co-located with the National Museum of the United States Air Force, will have been completely renovated and revitalized with updated content, improved state-of-the art interactives and sponsored galleries. This would make Dayton the ideal location for a magnificent homecoming enshrinement event and a grand unveiling of our new Learning Center.”
Founded in Dayton, Ohio and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1964, the non-profit NAHF is co-located with the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson AFB. Its 17,000 square-foot public learning center offers interactive exhibits and attracts over 250,000 visitors a year. NAHF programming includes an annual Wings of Women youth education event and other collaborations that support the mission of the 501(c)(3): Honoring Aerospace Legends to Inspire Future Leaders.
Sponsorship information and individual seats will be available soon at www.nationalaviation.org, or call 937-256-0944, ext. 11 for more information.
