Sociable Stamp Society

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Monday, May 09, 2005

Hell's Alley

Astronaut To Speak At Dedication
On Sunday May 15, at 3 p.m., air mail enthusiasts, historians, and philatelists will gather at the American Philatelic Center in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, to honor the pioneer air mail pilots who carried the mail from 1919–1927. The flight through the Allegheny Mountains was considered to be the most dangerous leg of the route that connected New York and Chicago. This stretch became known as Hell’s Alley. Thirty-four brave pilots lost their lives flying the mail during that time.

Former Astronaut Col. Henry “Hank” Hartsfield will be the featured speaker during the dedication ceremony. Hartsfield served in the U.S. Air Force from 1955–1977 and has logged more than 7,400 hours of flying time with more than 483 hours in space. While with NASA, he was a member of support crew for Apollo 16, and the Skylab 2, 3, and 4 missions.

The official dedication begins at 2 p.m. with a musical presentation, followed by a memorial ceremony at 3 p.m. The American Philatelic Center will be open to the public earlier that day, noon to 5 p.m., with tours of the renovated match factory, a registered historic landmark that now serves as home of the nation’s largest stamp collecting organization, the American Philatelic Society, and the world’s most accessible public stamp library, the American Philatelic Research Library.

the lanai guy | 9:32 AM | 1 comments |