SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The San Diego Air & Space Museum will hold an induction ceremony for its Air & Space Hall of Fame 2019 class Saturday, which includes Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos.
In addition to Bezos, the 2019 class includes former Lockheed Martin Corporation Chairman Vance Coffman, MedAire founder Joan Sullivan Garrett, Apollo 12 command module pilot Dick Gordon, D-Day Pathfinder pilot Lt. Col. David Hamilton, Boeing Company aerodynamicist and aerospace engineer Robert Liebeck and Robert Gilliland, the first man to fly the SR-71 Blackbird.
The museum launched the International Air & Space Hall of Fame in 1963 to honor pilots, inventors, engineers, space explorers and more who have made important contributions in the fields of Earth and space flight. Past inductees include air and space luminaries like Charles Lindbergh, Neil Armstrong, Chuck Yeager and Ellen Ochoa.
"We're especially pleased to honor this exemplary class of 2019 because these men and women are amongst the most talented figures in air and space history," museum President and CEO Jim Kidrick said. "Aviation and space exploration, as embodied by the honorees in the International Air & Space Hall of Fame, directly represents the human pioneering and exploring spirit."
Proceeds from the induction ceremony will benefit the museum's programs to educate young people about flight and space exploration. Biographies of each inductee can be found at sandiegoairandspace.org. The museum will close early, at 3 p.m., to prepare for the ceremony, which is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.
