Employees Who Work for Equality Receive Awards

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (2/7/00) -- Three Aerospace employees were among those recognized at Los Angeles Air Force Base Jan. 14 for their commitment to making Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of equality a reality.

Receiving Spirit of the Dream awards were employees Debra Baldridge, administrative secretary in the Space Based Surveillance Division; Vera Campbell, administrative secretary in the Space Science

Applications Laboratory; and Brian Lucky, senior member of the technical staff in the Space Architecture Department. Four employees of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) were also honored.

Air Force Brig. Gen. Mary Saunders, commander of the Defense Supply Center in Columbus, Ohio, was the guest speaker at the ceremony commemorating King's life and achievements.

Co-sponsored by SMC and the Aerospace Black Caucus, the awards recognize community involvement and accomplishments in furthering the educational and professional development of others.

Debra Baldridge

Debra Baldridge was recognized for demonstrating a commitment to aiding minority groups through involvement in the Aerospace Black Caucus, the Aerospace Diversity Action Committee and the Aerospace Women's Committee (AWC). She was elected AWC first vice president in 1998 and served as co-assistant for the Federal Women's Program luncheon during last year's observance of Women's Week.

Baldridge has served on the committee for the Robert H. Herndon Engineering and Science Seminar and supported the 1999 African-American History Week program. She is a member of the AWC mentor program, which meets monthly to assist women who have recently joined Aerospace. And she is beginning her ninth year as secretary at the church her father founded.

Vera Campbell

Vera Campbell is active in a variety of Aerospace activities. She is a mentor to nonexempt, newly hired employees; she writes nominations for the corporation's annual Women of the Year awards; and she is the lead person on the brochure and invitation committee for this year's observance of African-American History Week at Aerospace.

Campbell is a strong supporter of the United Negro College Fund and participates in the annual Lou Rawls Telethon, an event that raises millions of dollars for the nation's oldest minority, higher-education assistance organization.

She works to battle heart disease, the number-one killer of African-Americans, by serving as a team captain in the South Bay American Heart Walk.

Brian Lucky

Brian Lucky, who holds advanced engineering degrees, works with local university students majoring in engineering and scientific fields through his affiliation with the Los Angeles Council of Black Professional Engineers. He has served as the council's vice president of programs and recording secretary.

He volunteers with the Free Arts Program for Abused Children, which benefits children in group homes and foster-care centers. Lucky works with the children to help them create simple art projects in a fun and nurturing environment.

At Aerospace he has co-chaired the Robert H. Herndon Engineering and Science Seminar for two years. He also has supported recruiting efforts aimed at engineering students by participating in career fairs and conducting on-campus interviews.