TEXAS AVIATION HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES

CLASS OF 2003 INDUCTEES

 The Texas Aviation Hall of Fame honors Texans who have made outstanding contributions to the development, growth, or preservation of aviation.  The Class of 2003 inductees are:  Gordon M. Bethune, Chairman and CEO Continental Airlines, Inc.; Archie G. Donahue, a World War II fighter pilot with 215 combat missions and 14 aerial victories; Deborah Jean Rihn-Harvey, the longest standing member of the U.S. Unlimited Aerobatic Team, currently in her 21^st season; Dr. Leo Windecker, developer of the world’s first FAA certified all-composite airplane, the Windecker Eagle; and John W. Young, the first person to fly six times in space, working aboard missions from Gemini III in 1965, to the first Spacelab flight in 1983.  In 1972, Young flew to the moon on Apollo XVI.  All inductees are scheduled to appear at the ceremony.

 With the addition of these individuals, the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame honors 44 outstanding men and women who have made significant contributions to aviation.  A partial list of previous inductees includes Dr. “Red” Duke, founder of Hermann Life Flight, Mr. Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airlines, Brigadier General David Lee (Tex) Hill, commander of the Panda Bear Squadron of the Flying Tigers, astronauts Alan Bean and Gene Cernan, Bessie Coleman, the first woman to earn an International Aviation License and the world's first licensed black aviator, Mr. Howard Hughes, aircraft designer and aviation pioneer, and the thirteen Texans of Doolittle’s Tokyo Raiders.