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History-Makers: GE Aviation Propulsion Hall of Fame Inducts Eight New Members

May 20, 2019 | by Cole Massie
The GE Aviation Propulsion Hall of Fame has welcomed its newest round of inductees. Each inductee has made their own unique and lasting impact on GE Aviation’s 100-year history and the aviation industry at large.

This year, eight new inductees joined the GE Aviation Propulsion Hall of Fame’s ranks: David Calhoun, Pierre Fabre, Daniel Heintzelman, Michael Idelchik, William Lear, Jeanne Rosario, Roger Seager, and Richard Stanley. These eight inductees bring the Hall of Fame to 146 total members.

Whether inductees were career-long GE Aviation employees, trusted business partners and customers, or other industry stalwarts, each played a critical role in helping to re-imagine flight. Among this year’s special group was the founder of Lear Jet Corporation, the company that introduced the first mass-produced business jet; the former leader of CFM International, the world's leading supplier of jet engines for single-aisle aircraft; and a former GE Aviation vice president of engineering, the first woman to earn the role.

Established in 1982, the Propulsion Hall of Fame was the idea of late GE Aviation CEO Brian Rowe. He explained the Hall of Fame’s purpose in his AIAA-published autobiography, “The Power to Fly.”
“I felt it would be a good idea to honor the people who help make GE Aircraft Engines what it was and has since grown to be—not only the engineers, but the finance and business people as well as the airplane designers who learned to use our engines. As a result, my staff and I created our Propulsion Hall of Fame, which is formally housed at the GE Aircraft Engines’ Evendale facility. The inaugural induction was made in the early 1980s, and the ritual continues to this day.”

With centuries of combined experience in the aviation industry, you might expect these inductees to have plenty of advice for those embarking on careers of their own.

From left to right: Daniel Heintzelman, Michael Idelchik, Roger Seager, Shanda Lear-Baylor (accepting on behalf of her late father, William Lear), David Calhoun, Jeanne Rosario, Pierre Fabre, Richard Stanley, GE Aviation President and CEO David Joyce.



Here are thoughts from several members of this year’s Hall of Fame class:

David Calhoun

“As long as we remain committed to safety in everything we do, everything we innovate, and everything we produce and service, the sky is the limit.”

Jeanne Rosario

“Take on new challenges and persevere. Trust your instincts, do what is right, and be kind.”

Roger Seager

“This is a great industry. Keep learning, be inquisitive (there are no stupid questions!), walk in your customer’s shoes, and, most important, have some fun.”

Pierre Fabre

“To be able to help people go places in a safe and responsible way will continue to be one of the most

exciting challenges in the years to come. To achieve that, technology will be key, but people will make the difference.”

Michael Idelchik

“Be a learner. See things through to completion.”

Richard Stanley

“Always endeavor to master physics and the engineering fundamentals… They can solve any problem.”

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GE Aerospace is a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, as well as integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft.