Purdue News

April 30, 2002 Rare Amelia Earhart memorabilia lands at Purdue Purdue University will enlarge its longstanding association with Amelia Earhart Thursday (5/2) by becoming the largest, most comprehensive repository of materials relating to her life, career and mysterious disappearance. The details will be announced at noon in Hangar One at the Purdue Airport, West Lafayette, Ind. Journalists are invited to attend, but must call (765) 494-2079 to RSVP. The event honors the gift of almost 500 of Earhart's personal papers and memorabilia, many never seen publicly. B-roll video will be available by satellite feed at 3 p.m. Central Time or 4 p.m. Eastern Time that afternoon. The Purdue News Service also will issue a news release featuring the rare collection items, as well as an interview with Sally Chapman Putnam, Earhart's step-granddaughter. Earhart, whose Purdue-purchased plane disappeared over the Pacific Ocean on her around-the-world flight in 1937, served as a woman's counselor and visiting instructor at Purdue from 1935 to 1937. The announcement of the new Earhart acquisitions also will launch Purdue's "Countdown to 100 Years of Flight" celebration, which acknowledges the anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first manned, powered flight and the university's ongoing role in aviation and aerospace history. Satellite Information Time: 4 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern, 3:00 3:30 p.m. Central Coordinates SBS 6 Transponder 8 U/L 14196.500 MHZ Horizontal D/L 11896.500 /Vertical Allocated Bandwidth (Mhz) 36.000 Trouble reports call: 1-800-321-3959 or (765) 423-7326 CONTACT: Jesica Webb, Purdue News Service, (765) 494-2079, jwebb@purdue.edu.