2023 Gala Honoree – Lourie DeBoer
Lourie A. DeBoer A native of Sacramento, California, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Lourie DeBoer graduated from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1995 and was commissioned as a U.S. Army Warrant Officer in 1997. Designated an Army Aviator in 1998, she reported to A Company, 3-158th Aviation […]
2023 Gala Honoree – Elizabeth Somerville
CAPT Elizabeth M. Somerville Captain Elizabeth Somerville attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering and receiving her commission through the NROTC program. Following flight training in Pensacola, Florida, CAPT Somerville earned her Wings of Gold as a Naval Flight Officer in October […]
2023 Gala Honoree – Sarah Abbott
CDR Sarah E. Abbott Commander Sarah “Killface” Abbott is a 2003 graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering (Astronautics). Following commissioning, she attended Stanford University where she worked as a Research Assistant in the GPS Laboratory and earned a M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2005. CDR Abbott was […]
2023 Gala Honoree – Erin Miller
Erin Miller Erin Miller is the proud granddaughter of Elaine Danforth Harmon, a Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) member during WWII. Her grandmother’s last request was to be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC). After she died in April 2015, this request was denied by the US Army which runs ANC. Erin led […]
2023 Gala Honoree – Ellen Ochoa
Ellen Ochoa Ellen Ochoa’s 30-year career at NASA culminated in serving as Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center from 2013 to 2018, leading the human space flight enterprise for the nation. She became the first Latina to go to space when she served on a nine-day mission aboard the shuttle Discovery in 1993. She has […]
2023 Gala Honoree – Vicky Benzing
Vicky Benzing Vicky Benzing’s love for flying began as a child in Watsonville when she flew with her uncle in his plane. She discovered a passion for skydiving in college and shortly after informed her parents she wanted to be a pilot. She then began learning to fly in a family friend’s 1940 Taylorcraft. Vicky […]
2023 Gala Honoree – Tammie Jo Shults
Known for being one of the first female fighter pilots to serve in the United States Navy, following active duty she became a pilot for Southwest Airlines. She retired from Southwest Airlines in 2020. Tammie started her career as a naval aviator as a flight instructor in T-2 Buckeye. She then trained and […]
2023 Gala Honoree – Eileen M. Collins
Eileen M. Collins is a former astronaut and a retired U.S. Air Force colonel. She retired from the Air Force in Jan 2005 and from Nasa in May 2006 after a 28-year distinguished career. A former military instructor and test pilot, Collins was the first female pilot and first female commander of a space shuttle. […]
Rhea Seddon
In February 2020, the Palm Springs Air Museum honored Rhea Seddon for her outstanding achievements in space as a NASA Mission Specialist. Her portrait was added to the Museum’s “Wall of Fame.” Margaret Rhea Seddon had been awarded her doctor of medicine (MD) degree in 1973. She did her internship at the Baptist Memorial […]
Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran
Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran was born into poverty in the Florida Panhandle. At a young age, she became determined to make something of herself and to do great things and that she did. Becoming a beautician was her initial route to a better life. The next step was to get her pilot’s license and with […]
Bessie Coleman
Bessie Coleman’s short life was one of determination and excellence. Her influence stretched way beyond what she could have imagined, inspiring young black children to strive to become whatever they dreamed that they could be. Born in 1892 of sharecroppers, Bessie always had the desire to amount to something. When one of her brothers […]