FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Heather McFarland or Linn LeBlanc 321-455-7011
June 26, 2006
Astronaut Scholarship Foundation Selects New Board
Kennedy Space Center, FL — The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation is proud to announce the members of its Board of Directors and Board of Trustees for 2006 – 2007.
Leading the Board of Directors, for the second year, is Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden, serving as Chairman. Assisting him as Vice Chairman is the equally accomplished Shuttle astronaut, Robert Crippen. These men paved the way for space exploration and are now leading the future of technology by providing scholarships for America's best and brightest students. Joining them are Michael Neukamm as Treasurer/Secretary and Linn LeBlanc as Executive Director.
Other board members include Mercury astronaut and founders Scott Carpenter, Mercury and Shuttle astronaut John Glenn, and Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo astronaut Wally Schirra; Gemini and Apollo astronauts Richard Gordon and James Lovell; Apollo astronauts Walt Cunningham and Charlie Duke; Skylab and Shuttle astronaut Owen Garriott; Shuttle astronauts Dan Brandenstein and Rick Hauck; astronaut scholar alumni Lisa Beeson and Larry Bradley; and Dr. Harvey Miller, who also chairs the Scholarship Committee.
The Board of Trustees includes some of the nation's most well-known and talented astronauts and celebrities. Heading the Board is Laura Shepard-Churchley, the daughter of Mercury and Apollo astronaut Alan Shepard. Serving alongside her are LeVar Burton, Gene Cernan, Suzi Cooper, Walter Cronkite, Bill Dana, Tom Hanks, Henri Landwirth, James L. Long, Edgar Mitchell, Harrison Schmitt, Mrs. Bobbie Slayton and Gen. Thomas Stafford.
Board members will serve until May of 2007 when new elections will take place.
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1984 by the six surviving members of America's original Mercury astronauts. Its goal is to aid the United States in retaining its world leadership in science and technology by providing scholarships for college students who exhibit motivation, imagination, and exceptional performance in the science or engineering field of their major. ASF funds eighteen $10,000 scholarships annually and has awarded $2.3 million to 211 students nationwide. For more information log on to www.AstronautScholarship.org.