AIAC AT THE CENTENNIAL GALA FOR THE EXPLORERS CLUB WASHINGTON GROUP
Washington, D.C. – December 7, 2024 American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC) and its affiliates hosted its friends and colleagues at the Centennial Anniversary Celebration of the founding of the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Explorers Club on December 7, 2024. The formal, black-tie, full military dress uniform and ball gown gala was held in the Warne Grand Ballroom of the Cosmos Club, the traditional home for the Chapter’s events.
At the event, AIAC Chairman and Explorers Club Trustee, Reciprocity Committee Chairman, Legacy Society Member, and unofficial club poet laureate, L. M. Levie, hosted the following distinguished individuals at his table:
Hon. John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and Chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution.
Jane Sullivan Roberts, Esq., Managing Partner, Washington D.C., Macrae; previously, Partner, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman’s Global Technology Group; Systems Engineer, Bell Laboratories.
Dr. Diana Villiers Negroponte, Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service; Global Fellow, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Lindsay C. Howard, Senior Foreign Policy Advisor for Michael R. Bloomberg; former Senior Policy Advisor for Dr. Henry Kissinger; Senior Advisor, Office of the Secretary of the U.S. State Department and the White House Legal Advisor for National Security.
Dennis Flannery, CEO, Stonehill Advisors, Former Senior Officer and Senior Advisor of the World Bank, U.S. Treasury, InterAmerican Bank, Citicorp, First Boston, and Lehman Brothers Kuhn Loeb.
Cindy Flannery, Campaign Director and Strategist, April McClain Delaney for Congress.
Clay Mowry, Chief Executive Officer, American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics; President, International Astronautical Association; Founder/CEO, Satellite Industry Association; former Senior Vice President at Blue Origin, Voyager Space, and Arianespace.
Kristin Heim Mowry, Esq., Partner, Mowry & Grimson, former Multinational Trade Policy Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce and in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
A formal champagne and wine reception was held in the Long Gallery, located on the second floor of the Cosmos Club, after which guests were escorted to the baroque Warne Ballroom. Dr. William Bowerman, President of the Explorers Club Washington Group, served as Master of Ceremonies. He began by recognizing dignitaries in the ball room, including Chief Justice Roberts, Dr. Kirk Johnson, Director of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Mr. Levie, Trustee of the Explorers Club, and the Chapter’s Directors and Medalists.
Mr. Bowerman then presented a video history of the club, which included a recital of Mr. Levie’s poetic homage, A Tribute to the Explorers Club, accompanied by a photo montage of explorers actively engaged in expeditions. Here is a link to the video:
https://www.explorersclubdc.org/2024/12/celebrating-100-years-of-ecwg-video/
The poem by Mr. Levie is found below:
Following a three-course dinner, Dr. Bowerman introduced Dr. Johnson, the world-renowned paleontologist and explorer, who enthusiastically described his personal journey of discovery from fascinated schoolboy to his present professional role as head of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. In this position, Dr. Johnson oversees the world’s largest natural history collection, containing over 146 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, specimens of human remains, and human cultural artifacts. The museum he heads is also home to about 185 professional natural history scientists—the largest group of scientists dedicated to the study of natural and cultural history in the world.
Dr. Johnson jovially began his talk, admitting he felt profoundly nervous, because his boss, Chief Justice John Roberts, Chancellor of the Smithsonian, was looking on, to which the Chief Justice nodded and grinned.
Following the presentation by Dr. Kirk, an award was then conferred by Dr. Bowerman and Dinner Director Greg Williams on Dr. Kirk.
AIAC and its affiliates, Bradford Space, Arnprior Aerospace, SuperAlloy Manufacturing Solutions, Canadian Kraft Paper Industries, Champlain Cable, and Umbilicals International are corporate partners of the Explorers Club.
AIAC Chairman L. M. Levie commented, “My guests and I were thrilled to join in this momentous and joyous celebration. This is a landmark year for our club, as we commemorate both the 120th anniversary of the Explorers Club as well as the 100th anniversary of its Washington Chapter. Kirk Johnson's riveting presentation exceeded all expectations. His enthusiasm was palpable and infectious. Kirk is genuinely the living embodiment of Indiana Jones. Moreover, one of my guests wisely observed that it is a rare pleasure to attend a Washington D.C. event where politics is not discussed.”
AIAC and its affiliates, Bradford Space, Arnprior Aerospace, SuperAlloy Manufacturing Solutions, Canadian Kraft Paper Industries, Champlain Cable, and Umbilicals International are corporate partners of the Explorers Club.
About American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC) is a diversified industrial group with manufacturing and distribution sites in 24 countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. AIAC has acquired and grown non-core subsidiaries and divisions of Boeing, Siemens, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Johnson Controls, Merck, Pfizer, Astellas, Visteon, Carlyle, Ahlstrom, Tolko, Groupe Suez, Groupe Rexel, and many other leading multinational corporations.
AIAC companies serve companies and governmental entities worldwide in all major sectors, including aviation, space, defense, automotive, truck, rail, marine, petrochemical, solar, nuclear, food, confectionary, beverage, civil engineering and infrastructure, commercial construction, mining, dredging, disaster relief, education, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. AIAC companies manufacture materials, components, assemblies, packaging, equipment, and finished products. In addition, AIAC companies are exclusive, authorized distributors of leading branded industrial and consumer products throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. AIAC is a leading manufacturer of building, street, and highway signage in Europe, signage and illumination structures in North America, and a distributor of electrical products throughout France.
Of note, AIAC purchased Boeing Canada in 2005 and has produced over 10,000 unique components for every Boeing jet plane ever since, reliably serving Boeing from manufacturing facilities in North America. A leader in ultra-high precision jet engine component manufacturing, AIAC companies produce 2,200 fan blades and blisks for each jet engine produced by GE, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, and Honeywell. AIAC companies produce the critical automotive wire and cable for Tesla, GM, Ford, Chrysler- Fiat, Toyota, and Nissan. In connection with its kraft paper manufacturing interests in Canada and the US, AIAC controls and sustainably manages 22 million acres of Manitoba, Canada forestland, an area equivalent in size to the nation of Hungary.
AIAC companies actively support exploration into outer space, manufacturing critical components for launching and propelling spacecraft and satellites. AIAC customers in this sector include NASA, the European Space Agency, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Boeing. AIAC companies also lead in the design and manufacture of undersea umbilical cables for worldwide oceanographic research.
Another AIAC affiliate, located in Germany, designs, manufactures and distributes high performance emergency portable power generators required during natural disasters, including extreme climate events worldwide. Clients include government agencies and the International Red Cross.
For further information, please see:
About AIAC Philanthropy
AIAC and the AIAC Foundation support a wide range of nonprofit, nonsectarian, bipartisan organizations which promote international conflict resolution, disaster relief, economic development, environmental sustainability, and exploration. The exploration-focused nonprofit organizations which they actively support include the Explorers Club, the National Geographic Society, the Royal Geographical Society, the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Space Society, and the United States Space Foundation.
In recent months, AIAC Companies have proudly served as a corporate sponsor of Hubert Sagniere’s historic circumnavigation of the earth in a single-engine plane (www.flightaroundtheglobe.com).
AIAC’s other beneficiaries include the Appeal of the Nobel Peace Laureates Foundation Inc., the Asia Society, the Atlantic Council, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - Gates Philanthropy Partners, the Bretton Woods Committee, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Carter Center, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Economic Club of New York, the Foreign Policy Association, the Institut Française des Relations Internationales, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Crisis Group, the International Rescue Committee, the Japan Society, the JFK School of Government of Harvard University, the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), the Sierra Club, and the Trilateral Commission.
For further information, see:
https://www.aiac.com/our-values
About the Explorers Club
The Explorers Club is a world-renowned international organization dedicated to promoting scientific exploration and field research across land, sea, air, and space. Founded in 1904 in New York City, the club was created to unite explorers, scientists, and adventurers involved in expeditions to uncharted territories, providing a platform for the exchange of knowledge and collaboration on significant discoveries. Its mission is to advance the cause of exploration, encourage scientific research, and inspire the next generation of explorers.
The club was born from the vision of a group of prominent adventurers and scientists, including Henry Collins Walsh, Adolphus Greely, and Carl Lumboltz, who sought a place where those pushing the limits of human endurance and curiosity could gather. Early on, the club became a meeting ground for individuals who were mapping the world’s unknown regions, from the polar ice caps to the deepest jungles. Over time, the Explorers Club attracted some of the greatest explorers and scientific minds in history.
Famous members of the club include many iconic figures who have made their mark on history. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States and an avid explorer of the Amazon and Africa, was an honorary member. Aviator Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, was a pioneering member, as was Walter Cronkite, the legendary news anchor who chronicled many of the 20th century’s great scientific achievements. Astronauts John Glen and Neil Armstrong, the first to walked on the moon, were also members.
Other notable members include Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to summit Mount Everest, Charles Lindbergh, who made the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight, and Thor Heyerdahl, known for the Kon-Tiki expedition across the Pacific. The club’s roster also includes oceanographer Sylvia Earle, and deep-sea explorer Robert Ballard, who discovered the wreck of the Titanic. It is also known for embracing the next generation of explorers, such as modern-day space pioneers and conservationists.
The club’s headquarters, located at 46 East 70th Street in Manhattan, is a historic landmark filled with artifacts, maps, and memorabilia from expeditions around the globe. The building serves as a meeting place for members, and it regularly hosts lectures, special events, and its famed annual dinner, which attracts the world's leading explorers and scientists. The Explorers Club Flag, first introduced in 1918, is awarded to expeditions of scientific merit, and has been carried to the highest mountains, the deepest oceans, the North and South Poles, and even to the moon.
Today, the Explorers Club continues to support and sponsor expeditions in fields ranging from archaeology and anthropology to oceanography and space exploration. The club provides grants and fellowships to emerging explorers, while also educating the public about the importance of conservation and exploration. Its motto, "To the Field," captures its enduring commitment to advancing human knowledge through exploration and scientific discovery.
With its distinguished history and its continued role in shaping the future of exploration, the Explorers Club remains one of the most influential organizations in the world for those seeking to uncover the unknown.
The Explorers Club continues to attract an elite group of modern-day pioneers, entrepreneurs, and scientists who push the boundaries of exploration and discovery. Among its current distinguished members are some of the most influential figures in various fields. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, and Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, represent the new frontier of space exploration. Buzz Aldrin, the second person to walk on the moon, remains an active symbol of human space exploration. Jane Goodall, the renowned primatologist and conservationist, champions the cause of wildlife and environmental preservation through her membership. Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Galactic, embodies the spirit of adventure and innovation in both space tourism and exploration. Ray Dalio, the billionaire investor and philanthropist, and D.E. Shaw, the influential hedge fund manager, are both dedicated to supporting global scientific initiatives.
The Explorers Club also includes royalty among its ranks. Prince Albert II of Monaco, a passionate advocate for environmental protection, and the King of Bhutan, known for his environmental and conservation efforts, are both members. Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, who was recently made an honorary member of the club, is a supporter of exploration and scientific research, further cementing the club's global influence. The late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a noted aviator and conservationist, was a long-time member.
For further information, please see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Explorers_Club
About the Explorers Club Washington Group
The Explorers Club Washington Group (ECWG) is the largest local chapter of The Explorers Club, founded in New York City in 1904 as a multi-disciplinary not-for-profit professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration and the ideal that it is vital to preserve the instinct to explore. One must be a member of The Explorers Club to belong to ECWG.
The Explorers Club’s mission is the encouragement of scientific exploration of land, sea, air, and space. Our members hail from all corners of the globe and are among the most accomplished in all facets of exploration and the field sciences.
The ECWG encourages explorers of the future with its Exploration and Field Research Grants. These are made each year to graduate students who are enrolled in a college or university in Washington, D.C., Virginia, West Virginia, or Maryland, and who are under the supervision of a qualified scientist or educator. The activity may occur anywhere in the world, but must be for scientific purposes, in accordance with The Explorers Club’s stated objective, “to broaden our knowledge of the universe.”
For further information, please see:
https://www.explorersclubdc.org/about-2/
About Dr. Kirk Johnson
Dr. Kirk Johnson is the Sant Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History where he oversees the world’s largest natural history collection. The museum hosts more than 6 million visitors each year. In 2017, its scientists published over 760 scientific research papers and named 300 new species. In 2019, the museum opened its largest renovation, the David H. Koch Hall of Fossils-Deep Time. This exhibition interprets the history of life on Earth and address its relevance to the future of humanity.
Before his arrival at the Smithsonian in 2012, Johnson was a paleontologist at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science who led expeditions in 18 states and 11 countries. His research focuses on fossil plants and the extinction of the dinosaurs. In 2011, he led an ice age excavation near Snowmass Village in Colorado that recovered parts of more than 50 mastodon skeletons. He is known for his scientific articles, popular books, museum exhibitions, documentaries and collaborations with artists.
Johnson’s recent documentaries include the three-part NOVA series Making North America (2015) and The Great Yellowstone Thaw (2017), which aired on PBS channels. He is currently working on a documentary about the ancient climate of the Arctic and Antarctic. His latest book, Cruisin’ the Fossil Coastline, The Travels of an Artist and a Scientist along the Shores of the Prehistoric Pacific explores the deep history of the West Coast from California to Alaska.
Johnson is originally from Bellevue, Washington, has a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College, a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate in geology and paleobotany from Yale University. He completed postdoctoral research at the University of South Australia, worked as a marine geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey and served as a Crosby lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
For further information, please see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirk_Johnson_(scientist)
About the Cosmos Club
The Cosmos Club is a private social club in Washington, D.C., renowned for its distinguished membership of individuals who have made significant contributions to science, literature, public service, and the arts. Founded in 1878 by John Wesley Powell, a geologist, Civil War veteran, and explorer best known for leading the first expedition through the Grand Canyon, the club was established as a haven for those devoted to the advancement of knowledge and discovery. Powell’s passion for exploration and intellectual pursuits set the tone for the club’s mission.
The Cosmos Club is sited in the historic Townsend House—a grand Beaux-Arts mansion on Embassy Row, which exudes refinement with its elegant woodwork, marble accents, and opulent chandeliers.
Cosmos Club members include 3 US presidents, 2 vice presidents, 4 US Supreme Court justices, artists, writers, businessmen, government officials, journalists, scientists, and university presidents, 36 Nobel Prize winners, 61 Pulitzer Prize winners, and 55 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients.
With a strong dedication to tradition and excellence, the Cosmos Club remains a vibrant community dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and culture.
For further information, please see:
