FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2007
CONTACT: Pat Cardin
(706) 543-0763
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CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF AVIATION IN GEORGIA
Fundraiser for Ben T. Epps Memorial will be held October 20
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Athens, GA - (October 1, 2007) - The Athens Committee for the Celebration of the Centennial of Flight in Georgia will hold a fundraising banquet Saturday, October 20 at 7 p.m. in the Magnolia Ballroom at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center and Hotel located at 1197 S. Lumpkin Street. The fundraiser is the culminating event of a statewide celebration commemorating 100 years since Georgia's first flight. Banquet tickets are $100 (tax deductible). For tickets call 706/543-0763. The deadline to reserve tickets is Oct. 10.
The keynote speaker is Maj. Gen. Patrick J. Halloran (USAF, Ret.), one of the original pilots to fly the U2 and SR71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft and former squadron commander of the Blackbird Squadron. The first Ben T. Epps Trophies for Aerospace Innovation will be presented at the banquet.
A replica of the Epps Monoplane, built by Harris Lowery, will be on display in the Georgia Center's Hill Atrium Oct. 19, 20 and 21. The airplane has a wing span of 28 feet, is 26 feet long, eight feet in height and weighs 200 lbs.
Money raised from the banquet will go towards a life-size bronze statue to pay tribute to Ben T. Epps Sr., who designed, built and, in October 1907, flew the first airplane in the State of Georgia. The statue will be placed in a prominent location in downtown Athens.
A self-taught aviator, aircraft designer, and builder, Epps built the 1907 Monoplane in his bicycle shop at 120 E. Washington Street in Athens. He opened Epps Flying Field in 1917, creating Georgia's first airport. It was renamed Athens-Ben Epps Airport in 1987.
The Athens Committee for the Celebration of the Centennial of Flight in Georgia committee was formed in April 2006 to find a way to honor the legacy of Ben T. Epps Sr. as the father of aviation in Georgia. Governor Sonny Perdue has proclaimed 2007 as "The Year of Aviation in Georgia."
For more information contact Pat Cardin at 706/543-0763.
The Georgia Center, celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2007, is a unit of the University of Georgia's Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach. The Center provides innovative lifelong learning opportunities through its continuing education programs. On UGA's campus, the Georgia Center includes a full-service hotel with 200 rooms and suites, restaurants, ballroom, conference rooms, auditoriums, a fitness center, and computer labs — all under one roof. For more information, go to www.georgiacenter.uga.edu.
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University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center & Hotel.
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URL:
http://www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/press/2007/Oct/01/100107aviation.phtml |
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