Tarn Script A - 2011
<Bob Tarn remarks>
We have a VERY special professional society award to present this evening
and tonight we have with us the National President of the American Institute
of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Dr. Mark J. Lewis, who would like to
make this presentation.
In addition to serving as National President of the AIAA, Dr. Mark Lewis is
currently the Willis Young, Jr. Professor at the University of Maryland and
Chair of their Aerospace Engineering department. Prior to this position, Dr.
Lewis served as Chief Scientist of the US Air Force, and is one of our
country’s foremost experts in the field of Hypersonics.
Dr. Lewis…
Dr. Lewis’ Remarks:
William S. Cohen began as a member of the Institute of Aeronautical
Sciences and also belonged to the American Rocket Society before both
organizations merged to create the AIAA. He graduated from Auburn in
1940 and went to work for Douglas Aircraft. After 6-8 months he took leave
to join the Navy, and served 2 years in WWII. After the war he returned to
Douglas for a 45-year career with the company in Santa Monica and then
Huntington Beach, retiring in 1991 as Manager of Research & Development.
During that 45-year career he worked on aircraft (A26, DC6, DC7, etc.),
missiles (Nike test at White Sands), and space vehicles. He is an Associate
Fellow of the AIAA.
Would William S. Cohen please come up to receive this award for 70 years
of continuous membership in the AIAA.
<presentation to William S. Cohen>
<William S. Cohen and Dr. Mark Lewis leave the stage>
<Bob Tarn Moon Joke>
The urge to explore and expand our human environs is instinctive in us,
leading to discovery throughout the ages. Thanks to that instinctive desire,
we have established a human presence in space and are poised to push our
human presence even further.
I have faith in that spirit of discovery, that watching the next MOON
WALKERS or first MARS WALKERS will occur in my lifetime, AND that
many of you and the engineering talent that will succeed you will be a part
of it.
Speaking of that future talent, one afternoon a couple of weeks ago, I went
to USC to pick up some tickets for next Saturday’s SC-BYU Vollyball
match and decided to take a sentimental stroll through the campus. I was
over by Vivian Hall when I happened to overhear two students discussing
their upcoming Spring Break vacation plans to go to Florida.
There was a beautiful full Moon rising in the East…. <GESTURE
UPWARDS> and one of the students said to the other, “You know, NASA
is working on new space transportation systems that will be returning people
to the Moon and then traveling to Mars, and companies are working on
future space tourism. Wouldn’t it be “sweet” if we could go to the Moon for
Spring Break?”
I thought to myself, “YES!!” That’s the spirit I’m talking about! This is
evidence of that human desire, that innate force which compels us outward,
that ensures our future human presence in space. And these two young presumably engineering students - will undoubtedly be a part of that
journey.
Then one of them asked the other “Which do you think is further from here?
The Moon or Florida?” … To which the other student asked “Are you
kidding? Can you SEE Florida from here?”
<LAUGHTER>
Now I hope those were not Engineering students.
<Tarn recognition of Buzz Aldrin remarks>
Dr. Buzz Aldrin hardly needs an introduction with this audience tonight.
Korean War F-86 Pilot, PhD from MIT, Gemini and Apollo Astronaut,
retired US Air Force Colonel, and today a Space Advocate, Fellow in the
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and True American
Hero, Astronaut Buzz Aldrin captured his place in human history by piloting
the first manned moon landing and setting foot on the moon in 1969.
It is impressive that 111 million US viewers watched Superbowl 45 a few
weeks ago, and a cool 60 million or so are expected to view the Academy
Awards tomorrow night, but on July 20, 1969, 600 million pairs of eyes
were fixed on the Landing of Eagle onto the surface of the moon with
Astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong onboard.
Surely that number included all of us here tonight … at least all of us who
are old enough to have watched it….
<twitter>
And the remainder of us….you youngsters out there…would likely be
interested in the fact that Dr. Buzz Aldrin has 782 THOUSAND followers
on Twitter, where he is “TheRealBuzz”. Indeed, you are probably already in
that number.
I met Buzz Aldrin for the first time around 1973 in Culver City, where he
was visiting with his longtime friend and my family’s friend and neighbor,
Howard E. Pohlenz. Howard Pohlenz is a retired Systems Engineering
Manager who began his career with the Hughes Tool Company, Hughes
Aircraft Division, which became Hughes Helicopters, and then McDonnell
Douglas before he retired. Howard was also an active member in the
Society of American Helicopter Engineers, today known as the American
Helicopter Society International.
Now who would be better to introduce Dr. Buzz Aldrin to us tonight than
someone who knows him very very well. So I’d like to ask my friend
Howard E. Pohlenz to come up and join me at the lecturn.
Howard …
<HOWARD POHLENZ remarks>