Remembering the past and looking to the future were twin themes of “Evening with Senator and Mrs. John Glenn” April 13 at the River’s Edge Catering and Conference Center on the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, honoring the former astronaut and senator for his service to America.
The event, which celebrated the 100th Anniversary of Naval Aviation, was a fundraiser for the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum Association’s Capital Campaign Phase II, which will help design and furnish the displays inside the new museum when it is built.
PRNAMA Board of Directors President retired Rear Adm. L.F. “Gus” Eggert emphasized the certainty of “when,” noting that the long-planned and now-funded structure “will open in the next year or two. You were all part of making it happen.” He added that the current museum is “the best tourist attraction in Southern Maryland.”
Glen Ives, a former commanding officer of NAS Patuxent River, was master of ceremonies for the evening, and said the museum was “founded almost 40 years ago to showcase the story of naval aviation.” Pax River, he continued, “has fueled the whole spectrum of research, development, test and evaluation.”
Military, civilian government and contractor staff are “all unified under one command, wholly dedicated to supporting our armed forces by providing the best equipment so they can accomplish their mission successfully and safely.”
Sen. Glenn told the large crowd at the banquet that naval aviation’s history has been one of evolving and modernizing, with a “willingness to be forward deployed and a willingness to be on the cutting edge.”
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