Help Get Charles E. Taylor On The Smithsonian’s Wall of Honor
I put this in the news section of the July/August issue of D.O.M. magazine (which will be mailing soon), but felt it was important to get the word out on my blog as well.
The Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum will be setting aside a space at its Steven F. Udvar-Hazy center for a Wall of Honor. This memorial will have names on an airfoil-shaped wall along with aviation heroes like the Wright brothers, Jimmy Doolittle, Neil Armstrong, Alan Shepard, Amelia Lockhart, John Glenn and Jim Lovell.
Ken MacTiernan, president of the Aircraft Maintenance Technicians Association (AMTA), has announced that AMTA is leading an effort to raise funds to have Charles E. Talyor’s name placed on the wall.
The cost for having a name inscribed varies and the AMTA will purchase the largest size lettering that raised funds will provide. The following rates are what the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum is charging for varying size placements.
- $100 Air & Space Friend (3/16” letters)
- $500 Air & Space Sponsor (1/2” letters)
- $1000 Air & Space Leader (5/8” letters)
- $5000 Air & Space Benefactor (3/4” letters)
- $10,000 Air & Space Patron (1” letters)
The deadline for submitting the application to the museum is July 31, 2012. As of today, the AMTA has raised almost $2,000 for the project. You can help raise more funds to ensure a larger lettered inscription is dedicated. There is no minimum or maximum amount of money for making a donation. No donation is too small. MacTiernan will keep track and post names of donors on AMTA’s Facebook page “Friends of Charles E. Taylor.” To make a donation you can use the PayPal link on the AMTA web site, www.amtausa.com, or send a check made payable to the Aircraft Maintenance Technicians Association or AMTA. Either form of donation MacTiernan asks that donors please note that the donation is to be placed towards the “Wall of Honor” donation. If sending a check you may mail it to:
Aircraft Maintenance Technicians Association
11772 Carmel Creek Road #107
San Diego, CA 92130
Once funds are collected the AMTA will make payment to the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum prior to the July 31 deadline. Any excess money raised will help fund AMTA’s continuing effort to donate bronze busts of Taylor to institutions around the world to help raise awareness of Taylor and the contributions he made to aviation.
UPDATE 7/19/2012:
Ken MacTiernan announces that as of July 17, $7,402 has been raised for this effort. That means that just under $2,600 is needed for a Patron level engraving!