Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson will address the Wichita Aero Club at its monthly luncheon at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 10, at the Wichita Airport Hilton.
In a recent talk in front of the Wichita State University Alumni Association, Parkinson, a WSU alum, noted that he was confident that, when the current recession ends, Wichita will be poised for a rapid recovery led by the Air Capital’s planemakers responding to pent-up demand for their products. He’ll have a chance to elaborate on his plans and the Legislature’s responses at the club’s event.
“We really appreciate the governor’s willingness to address the Wichita Aero Club. He will definitely draw an interested and engaged audience to the luncheon,” noted Dave Franson, Wichita Aero Club executive director. “As a Wichita native and a long-time public servant in Kansas, he’s very much aware of the fact that the health of the aviation industry has a direct and weighty impact on the state’s economy. He’s also well aware of the investment the industry has made in the future through its support and commitment to initiatives like the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at WSU and the new National Center for Aviation Training at Jabara. Those are both programs that could be adversely impacted if the state doesn’t figure out something to preserve their funding through this recession. I’m looking forward to his comments because I’m sure they will be interesting and provocative.”
An outspoken supporter of his state’s aviation industry, Parkinson is a native of Wichita, where he attended Heights High School and WSU before earning his law degree at Kansas University. He has served in both the Kansas House and the State Senate. He joined then-Governor Kathleen Sebelius as Lieutenant Governor in 2006 and became Kansas’ 45th governor April 28, 2009, when she was named Secretary of Health and Human Services in Washington.
The Wichita Aero Club was founded in October 2008 to foster and promote interest in aviation, provide a forum focused on the industry’s issues and achievements and bring together those with a passion for flight.
For more information: WichitaAeroClub.org or 316-641-5962.
