Gala 2000 Highlights Aviation Safety

Embry-Riddle hosted Gala 2000: A Celebration of Distinguished Service on Sept. 13 at the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. At the event, the university bestowed the Embry-Riddle Pinnacle Award for outstanding contributions by a company, organization, and individual in an area of aviation and aerospace. The area of focus was safety education.

Awards were presented to E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., the Flight Safety Foundation, and Frank S. Del Gandio, manager of the recommendation and analysis division in the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Accident Investigation. The advisory board of Embry-Riddle's Center for Aerospace Safety Education selected the awardees. At each Gala, the Pinnacle Award will be given for contributions in a specific area

The establishment of a Pinnacle Scholarship Endowment Fund to attract talented students to careers in safety also was announced. S. Harry Robertson, Embry-Riddle trustee and chairman of Robertson Aviation, donated $100,000 to the fund. In addition to Robertson's support, the fund has received other leadership gifts from corporations and individuals.

President George Ebbs also introduced the creation of four new degree programs at Embry-Riddle: the bachelor of science in safety science, the master of science in safety science, the bachelor of science in air traffic management, and the bachelor of science in applied meteorology.

Approximately 300 guests attended the event, including U.S. congressmen and leaders in industry, the armed services, government organizations, aviation associations, and academia. The featured speaker was U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater.