You are cordially invited to attend the 7th Annual Luncheon of the Cradle of Aviation Museum’s Long Island Air & Space Hall of Fame presented by Curtiss-Wright Corporation.

Honoring the Induction Class of 2015, Francis Stanley "Gabby" Gabreski, Harry F. Guggenheim and Kevin R. Kregel.

Tickets $75.00 per person or $700.00 for a table of 10. Proceeds generated from the luncheon support the museum’s education and preservation programs. Please call Reservations at 516-572-4066, Monday through Friday from 10:00AM-4:00PM to reserve your seat.

Francis Stanley "Gabby" Gabreski – January 28, 1919 – January 31, 2002, was the top American fighter ace in Europe during World War II, a jet fighter ace in Korea, and a career officer in the United States Air Force with more than 26 years service, retiring with the rank of colonel. Although best known for his credited destruction of 34½ aircraft in aerial combat and being one of only seven U.S. combat pilots to become an ace in two wars, Gabreski was also one of the Air Force's most accomplished leaders. A long time Dix Hills resident, Gabreski was Commander of the Suffolk County AFB in the 1960s, an executive at Grumman Aerospace in the 1970s and the president of the LIRR in the 1980s.

Harry F. Guggenheim – August 23, 1890 – January 22, 1971, was an American businessman, diplomat, publisher, philanthropist, aviator, and horseman. In March 1917, in anticipation of US involvement in the war, Guggenheim purchased a Curtis Flying Boat and took instructions. By May he had formed a naval aviation unit, training at Mahasset Bay, Long Island. In September of 1917, he was commissioned Lt. J. G., USNRF and was sent to France. He also served in England and Italy until the Armistice, when he left the Navy with the rank of Lt. Commander. In 1924, his parents established the Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Foundation and he was made a director and later president. He sponsored Robert H. Goddard's private research into liquid fuel rocketry and space flight. He provided funds for the establishment of the first Guggenheim School of Aeronautics at New York University in 1925. This fund, totaling $3 million, included an equipment loan for operating the first regularly
scheduled commercial airline in the United States. It also provided for the establishment of the first weather reporting exclusively for passenger airplanes. A long time resident of Sands Point, Guggenheim was also a lifelong friend of Charles Lindbergh, sponsoring his 1927 and 1928 national and South American tours to promote aviation.

Kevin R. Kregel – Born September 16, 1956. Grew up in Amityville, New York and graduated from Amityville Memorial High School in 1974. Kregel graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1978, and earned his pilot wings in August 1979 at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona. From 1980 to 1983 he was assigned to F111 aircraft at RAF Lakenheath. While serving as an exchange officer flying A-6E aircraft with the U.S. Navy at NAS Whidbey Island, Seattle, and aboard the USS Kitty Hawk, Kregel made 66 carrier landings during a cruise of the Western Pacific. Kregel resigned from active duty in 1990 in order to work for NASA. He has logged over 5,000 flight hours in 30 different aircraft. In April 1990, Kregel was employed by NASA as an aerospace engineer and instructor pilot. Selected by NASA in March 1992, Kregel reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1992. A veteran of four space flights, Kregel has logged 52 days, 17 hours, 20 minutes and 5 seconds in space. He was the pilot on STS-70 (July 13-22, 1995) and STS-78 (June 20 to July 7, 1996), and was the spacecraft commander on STS-87 (November 19 to December 5, 1997) and STS-99 (February 11-22, 2000). Kregel resigned from NASA in December 2003 in order to pursue private interests.

Each year the Long Island Air & Space Hall of Fame will honor those
individuals who have played a major role in advancing aeronautical and technological achievement. Your support of this new exhibit and program will assist the museum in our efforts to educate school children throughout the region on the role that Long Island has played and will continue to play in aerospace history.

Curtiss-Wright Corporation’s history dates back to the dawn of aviation. Curtiss-Wright was created through the merger of companies originally founded by Orville and Wilbur Wright, and Glenn Curtiss, aviation pioneers whose technological innovations in flying in the early 1900s paved the way for the establishment of commercial aviation as a viable mode of transportation and the air superiority that remains the backbone of America’s defenses a century later. Today, Curtiss-Wright is a global innovative company that delivers highly engineered, critical function products and services to the commercial, industrial, defense and energy markets. Building on the heritage of Glenn Curtiss and the Wright brothers, Curtiss-Wright has a long tradition of providing reliable solutions through trusted customer relationships. The company employs approximately 9,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit www.curtisswright.com.