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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Tom Uribes Feb. 4, 2003 (559) 278-2795 or 250-8459
Flyover and Gun
Salutes Planned for Col. Husband
California Air Guard, U.S. Marines, ROTC
Groups Join The California State University, Fresno community will pay tribute to its fallen alumnus, Air Force Col. Rick Husband, in the Peace Garden on campus at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 5. The public is invited to the tribute in memory of the former Bulldog, who was the commander of the ill-fated Columbia space shuttle, and his six-member crew lost Saturday morning. The 144th Fighter Wing of the California Air Guard of Fresno will provide a two-ship flyover and the U.S. Marines Corps will perform a gun-salute. Fresno State’s Joint Air Force and Army ROTC will present the colors and the University Police Department will provide an Honor Guard. The public is invited to the event and encouraged to wear red. Parking will be free in Lots C and V on Shaw Avenue. Visitors may enter at the main entrance on Maple Avenue or at the east entrance of Woodrow Avenue. University President John D. Welty, who on Saturday called Husband a “true American hero,” will preside over the event that will include several speakers and music. The National Anthem will be performed by the Fresno State Men’s Quartet, student musicians from the university’s Music Department. Fresno State employee Kathy Washington will sing “Amazing Grace.” Dr. Peter Smits, vice president of advancement at Fresno State, will be among the speakers. Smits attended the launch of the Columbia on Jan. 16 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at the invitation of Col Husband. Other speakers scheduled to make brief remarks are Ryan Jacobsen, student body president; Dr. Karl Longley, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science; Mark Astone, Alumni Association vice president; and Lt. Col. James Harper, commander of the Fresno State Air Force ROTC. Husband earned his master’s degree through Engineering’s Edward Air Force Base extension program in 1990 and he was member of the Air Force ROTC during his undergraduate years at Texas Tech. Dr. Ed EmanuEl, Fresno State Theater Arts professor, will recite two verses of the hymn, “Eternal Father Strong to Save” accompanied by Dr. Deiter Wulfhorst, cellist, and Dr. Susan Doering, violinist, from the Fresno State music faculty. Associated Students President Ryan Jacobsen asks that red be worn as a tribute to Husband, who took a red Fresno State sweatshirt into space. “Much like yellow ribbons for missing solders, we would like a sea of red, the school’s color, as a sign of solidarity for our former student who took a Bulldog sweatshirt into space,” Jacobson said. “He said that was his way of acknowledging his alma mater and thanking Fresno State for contributing to his educational accomplishments. Wearing red can be the public’s way of symbolically showing support for him.” A display honoring the Fresno State alumnus -- photo of the astronaut and a sign-on board for those wishing to express their feelings – has been filled up its first two days. The display is located near the speaker’s platform of the Free Speech Area in the center of the campus, west of the USU Building, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. then is being moved inside the nearby USU Lobby in the evenings. The College of Engineering and Computer Science, which houses the Edwards Air Force Base extension program where Col. Husband earned his master’s degree, named its NASA-related Hovercraft project “The Spirit of Columbia” in honor of the seven astronauts who died Saturday. At the Smittcamp Alumni House at the east end of the campus, a memory book for the public to sign is also being planned and a new “Bulldog Walkway” is in the works to recognize alumni. The Fresno State Alumni Association Board of Directors is in the process of purchasing and placing the first tile in the walkway that will read: "HE TOUCHED THE FACE OF GOD In Memory of COL. RICK HUSBAND, MS '90; Commander NASA, Space Shuttle STS-107, Columbia February 1, 2003 Board of Directors, Fresno State Alumni Association"
COL. RICK HUSBAND MEMORIAL TRIBUTE Peace Garden — California State University, Fresno February 5, 2003 PROGRAM
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