Astronaut Mark Kelly to visit Cradle
Astronaut Mark E. Kelly will attend a fundraiser at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City on Nov. 2. Credit: NASA
The Cradle of Aviation Museum has hosted lots of astronauts, but the spaceman who will appear at the Garden City facility Nov. 2 holds a special place in the hearts of many across the country.
Mark Kelly, the husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) -- wounded in an assassination attempt in January -- and commander of the last space shuttle flight, completed July 21, will appear at the Cradle's annual fundraiser the day after he officially retires from NASA and as a captain in the U.S. Navy.
"He was a fairly quick response," said museum executive director Andrew Parton. "At the time we were asking him, a lot depended on the health of his wife. But she has been progressing, and assuming there are no problems, he will be here."
"There's an outside possibility" Giffords will come too, Parton said. "But I wouldn't get anyone's hopes up."
Kelly will be appearing along with Martin Benante, chief executive of New Jersey-based Curtiss-Wright Corp., which has a unit in East Farmingdale, and David Sterling, chief executive of Sterling and Sterling Inc., insurance brokers in Woodbury. Tickets are $275 for individuals, $2,075 for a table.
[This article was changed to reflect the correct date of Mark Kelly's visit to the Cradle of Aviation.]
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