Apollo 13 Astronaut Fred Haise will be the featured keynote speaker at 2015 Florida Chautauqua Assembly themed “From the River to the Rocket: A Journey into the World of Transportation.” The former astronaut will address an anticipated crowd of over 800 at Walton High School on Friday, January 23, at 8:30 a.m.
The Florida Chautauqua Assembly is an historic 4-day educational program for families featuring famous keynote speakers, educational breakout sessions, performance teas, evening diner performances and exhibits relating to an annual theme. The event is held throughout DeFuniak Springs, Florida, mostly on the grounds of the Florida Chautauqua which originally lasted from 185 to 1927. The Asembly was revived in 196 and has continued to grow ever since. The featured keynote presentations are now held at Walton High School to accommodate the large crowds now attending the Assemblies and to enable juniors and seniors to join Assembly guests in the Chautauqua learning experience at no charge to the students or Walton County School District.
Fred Haise, portrayed by actor Bill Paxton in the blockbuster Ron Howard film, Apollo 13, served as the lunar module pilot during the ill-fated 1970 space mission. He retired as president of Northrop Grumman Technical Services (GTS), a wholly owned subsidiary company of The Northrop Grumman Corporation.
Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, Haise graduated with honors in aeronautical engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 1959. After completing his U.S. Navy flight training in 1954, he served as a U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot in VMF-533 and VMF-114. He had further assignments as a tactics and all-weather flight instructor at NAS Kingsville in advanced training units 100 and 102. In 1961, he was recalled into the U.S. Air Force with the Ohio ANG 164th TAC Fighter Squadron. He completed postgraduate courses in the USAF Aerospace Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in 1964 and the Harvard Business School PMD Program in 1972. He has logged 9,100 hours of flying time in over 80 types of aircraft.
Florida Chautauqua Assembly | January 23-25, 2015
DeFuniak Springs, FL
The official 2015 Florida Chautauqua Assembly is a 4-day educational program for families themed "From the River to the Rocket: A Journey into the World of Transportation." This year's historic event is comprised of a featured keynote presentation by Apollo 13 Astronaut Fred Haise, educational breakout sessions, performance teas, evening dinner performances and exhibits relating to an annual theme. Those who wish to "opt out" of their Saturday sessions can board a motor coach for an exciting excursion to the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola for a behind-the-scene tour, lunch and Imax Theater presentation. Virtually all Assembly sessions and events will relate to the history of transportation. Passports (money saving book of tickets) are $150 each and include breakfasts, lunches, performance teas, parlour readings, dinners and all sessions/events. For those who wish to take a day off from traditional sessions, an excursion to the National Navy Aviation Museum in Pensacola is now being planned by event organizers. Excursion is included in Passport package for those wishing to purchase the "Excursion Passport."
This historic event is held annually in DeFuniak Springs, Florida at various locations throughout the historic community.
Read more, see the schedule and purchase tickets to sessions.