NEWS RELEASE, March 24, 20012001 News Abstracts
THE EXPLORERS CLUB ANNUAL DINNER
FEATURES NEIL ARMSTRONG
Salute to "Great Explorations of the 20th Century," Mar. 24
NEW YORK, N.Y. (February 18, 2001) - Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon, is coming to New York on Mar. 24 to help the 3,000-member Explorers Club honor the "Great Explorations of the 20th Century."
The 97th annual Explorers Club Annual Dinner (ECAD) at the Waldorf-Astoria (Park Avenue and 50th Street), will honor NASA Administrator Dan Goldin with the Club's Corporate Award for promoting exploration and scientific research.
Other speakers will include: Arctic explorer, Sir Wally Herbert; Caroline Alexander, author of "The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition" (Knopf, 1998); mountaineer Conrad Anker, who discovered the body of Everest climber George Mallory; Dr. William Stone, caver, diver and explorer; and co-recipient of the prestigious Explorers Medal, Don Walsh, Ph. D., who piloted the bathyscaphe "Trieste" in 1960 to a depth of 35,800 feet in the Marianas Trench.
The other co-recipient of the prestigious Explorers Medal is Col. Joe Kittinger, the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean by balloon (1984), and still holder of the world parachute jump record (102,800 feet set in 1960).
In addition, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, author of "2001: A Space Odyssey," will address the estimated 1,500 dinner guests live via satellite from his home in Sri Lanka. George Plimpton will serve as master of ceremonies.
Another ECAD tradition will be a live conservation-themed presentation, with species from the animal kingdom, by Club Director Jim Fowler, renowned naturalist, lecturer, and a frequent guest of the NBC Today Show.
The "Great Explorations of the 20th Century" dinner includes an endearing Explorers Club tradition eagerly awaited by members: the offering of exotic hors d'oeuvres that this year will include non-endangered alligators, grasshoppers, fried tarantulas, sautéed scorpions, and, in keeping with the underwater exploration theme, side orders of kelp.
The ECAD also includes exhibits of expedition gear and adventure travel companies, and a silent auction of one-of-a-kind trips, expedition artifacts, signed photos, maps and photographs of interest to explorers.
“A new millennium of exploration awaits us now that we officially entered the 21st century this year,” says Club President Faanya Rose. “The dinner will feature noted explorers known for probing the final frontiers of exploration between the depths of the oceans and the outer reaches of space.”
The dinner, held in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf, is open to Explorers Club members and their guests. Tickets are $245 per member and $275 for guests. Patron tickets are $425 to $600 and are available through Marisa Collazo, ECAD events coordinator, 212 628 8383; fax 212 288 4449; events@explorers.org. Chairman of the dinner is Stephen D. Nagiewicz, executive director of the Club; executivedirector@explorers.org.
The Explorers Club is a multidisciplinary, professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration, and the ideal that it is vital to preserve the instinct to explore. Established in 1904 by a group of celebrated explorers including Admiral Robert E. Peary, it has 3,000 members worldwide and it is headquartered at 46 east 70th Street, New York, NY 10021. Tel. 212 628-8383. More information is available at www.explorers.org.
Editor's note: The black tie Explorers Club annual dinner is a sold-out fund-raiser. Media are invited to cover the pre-dinner cocktail reception and speaker presentations through prior arrangement with Jeff Blumenfeld, chairman, The Explorers Club Public Affairs Committee. Tel. 203 855 9400; blumassoc@aol.com.
Contact:
Capt. Stephen D. Nagiewicz
The Explorers Club Executive director
212 628 8383; www.explorers.org
Jeff Blumenfeld, chairman
Explorers Club Public Affairs Committee
203 855 9400; blumassoc@aol.com