Honoring and preserving the legacy of those who pioneered and advanced our nation’s aviation and aerospace programs in Nevada
WELCOME THE 2019 CLASS OF ENSHRINEES
| Silent Heroes// | Anthony “Tony” Bevacqua// | Martin “Marty” Knutson// | Francis Gary Powers |
LINK TO 2019 EVENT PHOTOS
The tenth annual Nevada Aerospace Hall of Fame Enshrinement Banquet and Ceremony, with Chris “CJ” Hays the emcee, indeed was the Oscars of Nevada Aviation. Held at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas the Friday evening of November 15, 2019, the NVAHOF enshrined retired USAF Lt/Col Tony Bevacqua, who piloted both the U-2 and the SR-71 and was the youngest pilot ever to check out in the U-2. Also enshrined posthumously were CIA U-2 pilots Francis Gary Powers and Marty Knutson along with 14 who perished in a C-54 crash on Mt. Charleston, Nevada in 1955 while en route to Watertown, now known as Area 51, for the second flight of the CIA’s U-2 reconnaissance plane. Attending were past enshrinees Col Gail Peck (2013) and CMSG Dick Sinclair (2018).
Attending the four-day chain of NVAHOF events starting November 14 were family members and friends supporting Bevacqua, Powers, and Knutson. The NVAHOF was honored by the presence of two sons of U-2 pilots who’d paid the ulitimate sacrifice in their service to our country — Jim Rose, son of Wilburn Rose who died in a U-2 crash at Area 51 and Francis Gary Powers, Jr., whose dad was shot down in a U-2 overflying Russia and later killed in a helicopter crash in California. The family members of two of the 14 who perished in the C-54 crash also attended, along with several past and active pilots from Laughlin AFB, Texas, Beale AFB, California, Edwards AFB, California, and Nellis AFB, Nevada. Major General Pat Halloran, who flew with Bevacqua in both the U-2 and the SR-71, attended also.
Several from the Central Intelligence Agency, as they have for almost all NVAHOF enshrinement events, attended the four-day events in support of the NVAHOF, who has nearly every year recognized one or more former employees of the Agency. Dr. David Robarge, Chief Historian at the CIA, and James Dorrell – Vice President Tactical Systems at the Lockheed Skunk Works in Palmdale, California both spoke at the banquet. CIA’s Pierre Brown, the owner of the Hagar Watch Company, honored both Enshrinee Tony Bevacqua and the NVAHOF Director, TD Barnes, with its limited-edition U-2 Dragonlady watch along with a CIA coin and Dragonlady patch.
The Gold Coast Hotel and Casino provided NVAHOF with a hospitality suite for four days. The Lockheed Skunkworks, Lane Swainston’s Swainston’s Consulting Group, BomberPatches.com, along with various individual attendees donated to the non-profit NVAHOF. The Rampart Hotel comped many of the attendees in its fabulous buffet, and Ceasar’s Entertainment comped ten attendees at the world-renowned BLT Steak House at Bally’s.
The Warfare Center at Nellis hosted NVAHOF Director TD Barnes, MGen Pat Halloran, Lt Col Tony Bevacqua, Lockheed’s James Dorrell, CIA’s Dr. Robarge, and wives in the Distinguished Visitors chalet. Aviation Nation provided NVAHOF with a tent on the flight line of the Nellis AFB air show where UK author, Chris Pocock and Col Gail Peck did book signings, and NVAHOF Communications Director Connie May and others conducted PR for NVAHOF.
On Sunday, the 64th anniversary of the C-54 crash, a large number of NVAHOF staff, attendees, and CIA personnel joined the Silent Heroes of the Cold War Committee at the Silent Heroes Monument at the Spring Mountain Visitor’s Center. Committee chairman Steve Ririe did a great job of recounting the crash. Two families of those who perished were present for all the events and were joined by Cheryl Moore, JoAnne Campbell, and Dr. David Robarge from the CIA for an emotional remembrance on Sunday, the 64th anniversary of the 1955 crash. The families learned that various CIA representatives had attended all the development events starting with the groundbreaking, a cold day where the CIA store provided 18 jackets to those attending. The family members learned that the CIA still cared enough that Dr. Robarge and others had often visited the monument on their own.
Also, on Saturday night at the hospitality suite, UK U-2 author Chris Pocock presented an most interesting video about the U-2 Black Cats, and on Sunday, Francis Gary Powers, Jr., spoke to a standing-room-only crowd at the National Atomic Testing Museum about his dad’s shootdown over Russia.
Kudos go to all who contributed the photos in this gallery — Dave Budd and Joe Kates with https://www.photorecon.net/, Angella Raisian with F-22 Systems Engineering, LMAero – Edwards Air Force Base, Ret MSGT Jimmy Stewart, NVAHOF Communications Director and SW Airlines employee Connie May, Jim Barfield, and others.LINK TO 2019 EVENT PHOTOS
NVAHOF is a non-profit organization under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 and received tax exempt status from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
NVAHOF membership is open to any individual or organization, public or private, interested in preserving the history of aerospace in Nevada.
NVAHOF is a non-profit organization under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 and received tax exempt status from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
NVAHOF Amazon charity link: httpss://smile.amazon.com/ch/26-4731650
Join our past donors in our making it possible to continue our mission of educating the public regarding the history of aviation in Nevada, the contribution of Nevada citizens to the development of global aviation and to preserve the legacy of those men and women who pioneered and advanced our nation’s aerospace programs within the State of Nevada.
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