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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Air Force Association Honors Lifetime Achievement
Arlington, VA, October 8, 2003 – The Air Force Association (AFA) recently
presented first-ever Lifetime Achievement Awards to five air and space pioneers
during its Annual National Convention in Washington, D.C. The award presentation
was part of AFA’s celebration of “Up From Kitty Hawk” – the 100th Anniversary of
Powered Flight.”
Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the black-tie event attended by 1,200
guests at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, were John R. Alison, John H. Glenn, Jr.,
Jeanne M. Holm, Charles E. McGee and Bernard A. Schriever. AFA’s Lifetime
Achievement Award recognizes not a single achievement, but a lifetime of work in the
advancement of aerospace.
“AFA awards highlight the excellent aerospace contributions made by many talented
and dedicated Air Force people and AFA members working in support of national defense,
John J. Politi, AFA Chairman of the Board said.
Often called “the All-American Airman,” retired Air Force Maj Gen. John R. Alison
entered the U.S. Air corps in 1936 and went on to carve a brilliant career in the
military and industry. General Alison held key positions in government and industry,
serving as Assistant Secretary of Commerce and President of the Air Force Association.
Active in aerospace industry, Alison currently resides in Washington, D.C.
A combat and test-pilot, Senator John Glenn retired from the Marine Corps in 1965
and became a successful business executive and United States senator. His two famous
space missions are the February 20, 1962 first US manned orbital mission and his
return to space 36 years later aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. Glenn chairs the
Board of Director for the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy
located at Ohio State University.
A role model for many women, retired Air Force Maj Gen. Jeanne Holm played a
significant role in eliminating restrictions on women serving in all ranks –
expanding career and duty assignments, opening ROTC and service academies to women,
and changing policies on the status of women in the armed forces. Holm retired in
1975 and pursued a career that included serving in two presidential administrations.
A native of Portland, Ore., Holm lives in Edgewater, Md. She is the author of “Women
in the Military: An Unfinished Revolution.”
An inspirational speaker and veteran of three wars—World War II, Korea and
Vietnam—Charles McGee, a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel is an aerospace pioneer and
Tuskegee Airman. Retiring from the Air Force in 1973 with 6,300 hours flying time in
fighters, McGee went on to a successful and distinguished civilian business career.
He also served as President of the Tuskegee Airmen, Incorporated. A native of
Cleveland, Ohio, McGee is a graduate of the University of Illinois and resides in
Bethesda, Md.
The architect of the Air Force’s ballistic missile and military space program,
retired Air Force Gen. Bernard Schriever was born in Bremen, Germany and came to
America in 1917. He and his military industrial team conceived, engineered, produced
and deployed the Atlas, Thor, Titan and Minuteman ballistic missile systems. He
revolutionized not only warfare, but also space exploration. After retiring in 1965,
Schriever went on to a successful civilian career spending much of his time on
special commissions. He lives in Washington, D.C.
The Air Force Association is an independent nonprofit, civilian organization
promoting public understanding of aerospace power and the pivotal role it plays in
the security of the nation. AFA has more than 250 chapters nationwide and overseas,
and more than 136,000 members.
The complete list of 2003 AFA national award recipients is available online at
http://www.afa.org/AboutUS/nawards.asp.
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Contact: Queenie Byars, National Aerospace Awards, The Air Force
Association, 1501 Lee Hwy, Arlington, VA 22209, (703) 247-5800, Ext.4725 email:
qbyars@afa.org.
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