The Lone Star Flight Museum Celebrates Aviation the Class of 2024.
(HOUSTON, Texas) April 5, 2024 – The Lone Star Flight Museum (LSFM) is set to host the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame (TAHOF) Induction Ceremony & Luncheon on Friday, April 19 at 11:30 a.m. This year’s event is presented by Southwest Airlines.
The TAHOF Class of 2024 includes Colleen C. Barrett, R Walter Cunningham (posthumously), Wally Funk and Heather Wilson. This ceremony and luncheon will be held at the Lone Star Flight Museum located at 11551 Aerospace Avenue at Houston’s Ellington Airport.
Established through a resolution by the 74th Texas Legislature and signed by then Gov. George W. Bush to honor and recognize Texans and Texas companies or organizations that have made significant and lasting contributions to the advancement of aviation. In 1997, the first class including Lloyd Bentsen, President George H.W. Bush, Beryl Erickson and Joe Kilgore were inducted. This year, the Hall of Fame will add to its current 93 members with the announcement of the class of 2024.
Members are included in four categories: Trailblazers & Explorers, Wartime Aviators, Leaders, and Entrepreneurs & Innovators. The 2024 Texas Aviation Hall of Fame inductees join an impressive list of members including Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and George W. Bush, the Doolittle Raiders, Tuskegee Airmen, Bessie Coleman, Eileen Collins, Gene Cernan, Gene Kranz and many more.
Lieutenant General Douglas H. Owens (ret) and President & CEO of the museum, said, “We are looking forward to honoring these four deserving individuals who have helped shape and advance the aviation and aerospace industries. From an airline industry innovator and respected NASA astronaut to aviation trailblazer and accomplished U.S. Air Force leader, the class of 2024 is well deserving of their induction into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame.” Owens added, “Our presenting sponsor Southwest Airlines and all the underwriters make this ceremony possible. We are thrilled to have their support, and I along with the entire museum staff and board of directors are excited to recognize the inductees on April 19.”
Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Officer Bob Jordan commented, “On behalf of the entire Southwest Family, it is an honor to recognize and congratulate these four trailblazing leaders in aviation—and especially our very own President Emeritus Colleen Barrett for her profound impact on aviation, corporate culture, the state of Texas, and beyond.” Jordan added, “Through partnering with the Lone Star Flight Museum, we hope to inspire the next generation of innovative aviation leaders.”
2024 INDUCTEES INCLUDE:
Colleen C. Barrett
As the first female President & Chief Operating Officer of a major commercial airline, Colleen Barrett’s story is as heartwarming as it is trail-blazing. With more than 50 years of service at Southwest Airlines, Barrett led with equal parts kindness and cunning throughout her career. She served as President of Southwest from 2001 to 2008. Her People-First culture became a corporate business model worldwide and contributed to the longstanding success of Southwest. She joins the late Herb Kelleher, Colleen’s career-long mentor and Founder of Southwest, in the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame.
- Walter Cunningham
Selected in the third group of NASA astronauts in 1963, R. Walter was assigned to the Apollo 7 mission as lunar module pilot. He and his crew mates Walter Schirra and Donn launched on October 11, 1968. The eleven-day mission met all its objectives, and their efforts to test the new and redesigned systems provided NASA the much needed confidence to proceed with Apollo 8 two months later that would orbit the moon. Following the Apollo 7 mission, Walter was assigned to Astronaut Office’s Skylab division until he left NASA in 1971.
Wally Funk
Wally Funk was born to fly. She joined the women’s flying club at Stephens College at 16 and earned her pilot’s license at age 17. Holding numerous aviation certificates and ratings, Wally became an accomplished flight instructor and in 1968 earned her Airline Transport Pilot rating. She became the first female Federal Aviation Administration flight inspector, and in 1974, the first female National Transportation and Safety Board Investigator. Wally was part of the First Lady Astronaut Trainees (FLATs) program in 1961, known as the “Mercury 13.” And on July 20, 2021, aboard the Blue Origin NS-16, Wally became the oldest person to fly in space at that time at the age of 82.
Heather Wilson
In a family of aviators, Heather Wilson was destined to soar. A graduate of the Air Force Academy in the third class to admit women, Wilson earned her master’s and doctoral degrees from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. Following Air Force tours in Europe, she joined the National Security Council under President George H. W. Bush, served as a member of Congress for ten years and then as President of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Wilson was named Secretary of the U.S. Air Force in 2017 and was responsible for 685,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian forces. In 2019, Dr. Wilson was named President of The University of Texas at El Paso.
Underwriters for the 2024 induction ceremony and luncheon include:
- Award Sponsor:Friend of Lone Star Flight Museum, The Patricia Jayne Keefer Foundation, The Joan and Herb Kelleher Charitable Foundation;
- Gold Sponsors:CenterPoint Energy, Robin & Marshall Cloyd, Patrice & Ed Noel, Scott Rozzell;
- Silver Sponsors:Linda & Barry Hunsaker, Jane & Charles Szalkowski;
- VIP Sponsors: Blue Origin, Members of the Women in Aviation Advisory Board.
About the Lone Star Flight Museum
The Lone Star Flight Museum (LSFM) is a 501c3 aviation museum and STEM learning center with a mission to celebrate flight and achievements in Texas aviation as well as educate and engage our youth through science, technology, engineering and math. In addition to the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, the 130,000 square foot museum is home to a flying collection of rare and historic commercial, general aviation and military aircraft. Guests can experience the wonder of flight in a warbird ride and get hands-on in the high-tech Aviation Learning Center and Flight Academy. Multiple public and STEM-focused education programs create an unforgettable museum experience for visitors of all ages. Located at Ellington Airport, just 20 minutes from downtown Houston, LSFM is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday Noon – 5 p.m. Tickets start at $12 with senior and military discounts. Memberships are also available. For details, visit lonestarflight.org or call 346-708-2517. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.