Barbara Barrett, American businesswoman, attorney and diplomat currently serving as Secretary of the United State Air Force, and Tammie Jo Shults, retired Southwest Airlines pilot and one of the first female fighter pilots in the U.S. Navy, to be inducted at this year’s International Air & Space Hall of Fame Celebration during a special virtual gala on Thursday, December 10, the San Diego Air & Space Museum announced today.
The Virtual Gala begins at precisely 6 p.m. (Pacific Time) on Dec. 10 and registration is open to the public at sandiegoairandspace.org/celebration. Proceeds from the International Air & Space Hall of Fame celebration benefit the Museum’s COVID19 Recovery Fund and Youth Education Programs.
“We’re especially pleased to honor these two groundbreaking and truly remarkable women aviation influencers as the distinguished Class of 2020 into the Hall of Fame,” said Jim Kidrick, President & CEO of the San Diego Air & Space Museum. “Aviation and space exploration, as embodied by the honorees in the International Air & Space Hall of Fame, directly represents the human pioneering and exploring spirit. December 10 is THE day of the year everyone remembers for the rest of their lives.”
Tammie Jo Shults joined KUSI’s Jason Austell on Good Morning San Diego to share her story and discuss the honor of being inducted to the Air & Space Hall of Fame.
Meet the inductees:
Barbara Barrett
American business woman, attorney, and diplomat serving as the current Secretary of the United States Air Force. She is an instrument-rated pilot and cattle and bison rancher. As the 25th Secretary of the Air Force, Barrett leads the affairs of the Department of the Air Force, comprising the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. She also is the former chair of the Aerospace Corporation and a member on the boards of California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, RAND Corporation, Smithsonian Institution, Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, and the Lasker Foundation.
Tammie Jo Shults
Retired pilot for Southwest Airlines. Among the first female fighter pilots in the U.S. Navy. Praised for her quick thinking and calm demeanor under pressure during an emergency landing that saved 149 passengers at Philadelphia International Airport. While in the United States Navy in 1985, served as an instructor pilot flying the F/A 18 Hornet and EA-6B Prowler, eventually achieving the rank of lieutenant commander.