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wreath will be presented by Air Force ROTC members who are mechanical
engineering students at California State University, Fresno at noon
Friday, Feb. 1, to memorialize the fifth anniversary of the shuttle
Columbia tragedy that killed alumnus Col. Rick Husband and his six
crewmates.
Col. Husband earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering through
the College of Engineering's Edwards Air Force Base extension program in
1990. He was member of the Air Force ROTC during his undergraduate years
at Texas Tech.
The 20-minute memorial ceremony at the Col. Rick Husband Memorial Plaque
in the lobby of the Engineering East Building is one of two events on
campus marking the occasion.
The first is at 7 a.m. in Engineering East Building Room 120.
Engineering students, faculty, AFROTC cadets and others will gather with
Engineering Dean Michael Jenkins to view NASA’s memorial observance in
Cape Canaveral, Fla. It is hosted by Jenkins and the college’s
Engineering Pathways Program. Fresno State President John D. Welty is
attending the Cape Canaveral ceremony. (See note below).
The public is invited to both campus events. The Engineering East
Building is at 2220 E. San Ramon Ave. with access from Barstow Avenue
and Jackson Drive. Parking is available in Lots L, M and O on Barstow
Avenue.
At the noon ceremony, Chris Rosander, a Fresno State mechanical
engineering graduate in 2002, will represent Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno.
Rosander will discuss his experiences as a rocket scientist for Boeing
(then-McDonnell Douglas), including shuttle work and working with
Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and shuttle astronauts.
On the night of the Columbia accident, Rosander was an engineering
expert for local news media explaining technical aspects of the disaster
and the shuttle. He became Costa’s district director in Fresno in June.
Phillip Downing and Brandon Ames, mechanical engineering students who
are members of the AFROTC Detachment 35, will place the wreath at the
memorial inside the Engineering Building.
Provost Jeri Echeverria will preside over the ceremony. Jenkins and Lt.
Col. Samuel Vandiver, the AFROTC commander, will make remarks.
The AFROTC color guard will present colors to open the ceremony. The
National Anthem will be sung by Timothy Howard, a senior music major
from Modesto. After the wreath presentation and a moment of silence,
“Taps” will be played by Scott Dean, a senior music major from Clovis.
(NOTE: The national NASA observance in Cape Canaveral at 7 a.m. PST will
be aired on NASA Television – seen on Dish Network Satellite Channel 213
or the Web link:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.
To view agenda for the memorial service,
click here. (pdf)
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