Maj. Gen. Harris scheduled as keynote speaker at AEDC Fellows Banquet

  • Published
  • By Claude Morse
  • AEDC/PA
TULLAHOMA, TENN. --  Maj. Gen. David A. Harris, commander of the Air Force Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California, is scheduled as the keynote speaker for the 2017 AEDC Fellows Banquet and induction ceremony June 23 at the Arnold Lakeside Center, Arnold Air Force Base.

General Harris directs a $31 billion enterprise of more than 18,000 military, civilian and contractor personnel across 31 locations within the AFTC. The Test Center provides developmental test and evaluation of experimental and research manned and unmanned air, space and cyber systems for military services, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), NASA and international partners, in addition to operation of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School.

Five current and former AEDC employees will be inducted as Fellows during the banquet.

The new AEDC Fellows are: Brent Bates of Tullahoma, currently employed by QuantiTech at AEDC; and the late Dr. E. Eugene “Gene” Callens Jr., formerly of Tullahoma who was employed by the Arnold Research Organization (ARO) and Calspan Corp. They are being honored as AEDC Technical Fellows.

Pete French, of Manchester, retired from AEDC, worked for ARO and Sverdrup; and Annette McCullough Painter, of Manchester, employed by current AEDC Test Operations and Sustainment contractor National Aerospace Solutions, LLC have been selected to be honored as AEDC Craftsman Fellows.

David W. Minto, recently retired Technical Director of the AEDC 704th Test Group at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, has been selected as an AEDC Lifetime Achievement Fellow.

The AEDC Fellows Program began in 1989 as the Complex’s highest award. Since then 91 individuals have been inducted as AEDC Fellows. The program is run by the Arnold Community Council Fellows Committee which is headed up by former AEDC Commander and AEDC Lifetime Achievement Fellow Retired Maj. Gen. Mike Wiedemer.

For information on the program or attending the banquet, email contact@arnoldcommunitycouncil.org or call Fellows Committee member AEDC Lifetime Achievement Fellow Claude Morse at (931) 247-5151.