AIAC Chairman Reflects on Explorer Hamish Harding at Memorial Service
Hamish Harding at a 2023 dinner celebration of the Board of Trustees of the Explorers Club and their guests.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 16, 2023 New York, NY AIAC Chairman L. M. Levie, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Explorers Club, joined with members, officers, directors, and trustees in paying somber tribute to Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, at a memorial service held at the Explorers Club historic headquarters in New York. Harding and Nargeolet perished aboard the Titan submersible on June 19, near the site of the sunken Titanic. In lieu of personal recollections, at the service Mr. Levie recited the following elegy which he composed for his friend and fellow Trustee, Hamish Harding:
The Explorers Club commissioned the casting of a brass maritime bell, engraved with the names of Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet. During the memorial service, each club member who delivered a eulogy, toasted the deceased, hurled a shot glass into the fireplace, rang the bell, and signed a memorial book. Following the memorial service, Mr. Levie presented a copy of his poem to Linda Harding, and to her two sons, Rory and Giles, who attended the service honoring their father.
About AIAC
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 Corporation manufacturing 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 wire and cable, electrical devices, lighting products, plumbing supplies, construction equipment, indoor and outdoor cooking appliances and fixtures, electronics, cameras, and watches throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
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 Canada, the US, and Mexico. A leader in ultra high precision jet engine component manufacturing, AIAC companies also 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 Honda. In connection with its paper manufacturing interests, AIAC controls and sustainably manages 22 million acres of Manitoba, Canada forestland, an area equivalent in size to the nation of Hungary.
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, and environmental sustainability. These nonprofit organizations include the following: 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 Explorers Club, 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, among others.
For more information, see:
https://www.aiac.com/our-values
About Hamish Harding
Hamish Harding accomplished remarkable feats across various domains. In the 1990s, he excelled in the information technology industry and later founded the private investment company Action Group in 1999, followed by the establishment of Action Aviation in 2002.
Harding made significant contributions to Antarctic exploration by introducing the first regular business jet service to the region and embarking on multiple journeys to the South Pole. He led a team that achieved a Guinness World Record for the fastest circumnavigation of the Earth via the North and South Poles in July 2019. In March 2021, he set two Guinness World Records by diving to the deepest point of the Mariana Trench, the Challenger Deep, and later ventured into space as part of the Blue Origin NS-21 mission in June 2022. Additionally, his aviation company, Action Aviation, played a crucial role in transporting eight wild cheetahs from Namibia to India for a conservation project.
About Paul-Henri Nargeolet
Widely considered to be the leading authority on the Titanic wreck site, Paul-Henri Nargeolet completed over 35 dives, and supervised the recovery of over 5,000 artifacts. In 2010, he served as expedition leader on the most technologically advanced dive to the Titanic, spearheading the first comprehensive survey map of the Ship. He later served as part of the record breaking Five Deeps expedition team. Nargeolet was a former Commander of the French Navy, where his duties included Captain of Underwater Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group, Deep Diver, and submersible pilot. An active member of the Explorers Club since 2001, Nargeolet presented on his work at the Clubs annual Sea Stories event as recently as 2021, and his work on the world’s most legendary shipwreck will forever remain foundational to the story of the Titanic.
About the Explorers Club
The Explorers Club is an American-based, international, multidisciplinary professional society with the goal of promoting scientific exploration and field study. The club was founded in New York City in 1904 and has served as a meeting point for explorers and scientists worldwide. Members have been the first to explore the North Pole, South Pole, Mount Everest, the Mariana Trench, and to walk on the Moon. The club's notable current members or honorees include Buzz Aldrin, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Prince Albert of Monaco, James Cameron, Ray Dalio, Richard Branson, Wendy Schmidt, and Jane Goodall. In years past, prominent members have included President Teddy Roosevelt, Sir Edmund Hillary, Amelia Earhart, Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Walter Cronkite, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
For more information, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Explorers_Club
Media Contact:
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American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
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