Cheryl Stearns honored again
In October 1972, when Cheryl Stearns was 17, she took her first step out of an airplane, solo. Tandem jumping, the novice jumper’s safety valve, hadn’t even been introduced. Had it been, there’s a good chance the world wouldn’t know this master of the sky. Stearns, now 55 and one of the stars at the National Skydiving Museum’s celebration of legendary diver Joe Kittinger this weekend at Skydive DeLand, holds more than 30 world records, including the first woman on the U.S. Army’s Golden Knights parachute team.
Stearns credits the hard work that led to that first step out of a plane with locking her into the sport as a lifetime passion. “You could pick up an Army surplus parachute for $25,” she said, “and I paid for my jumps with the 25 cents an hour I made from baby-sitting.” Hooked on a love for the sky, she took an interest in aviation too, and served as a pilot in the Army before her retirement. She flys commercial airliners today and has logged over 21,000 hours total in flight.
On Saturday night, after a day of accuracy jumping — essentially landing on a spot the size of a coin — Stearns was inducted into the National Skydiving Museum with nine other greats, including Kittinger, who jumped from space 50 years ago.The 81-year-old was the guest of honor and a magnet for autograph seekers who wanted the signature of the man who still holds the record for highest dive (102,800 feet) and longest and fastest free fall (four and half minutes, 614 mph).
Stearns is no slouch. In addition to her Golden Knights fame, she holds records for women that include 352 jumps within 24 hours and more than 18,300 jumps in her lifetime. On Saturday, with the accuracy of a sharp shooter, Stearns floated down to Earth on her last jump with a perfect .00 score. Her jump before that was a .02 and she called the mistake before even touching the pad.
Posted on August 16, 2010 · Filed Under Press Release · Tagged: ·
Commissioner Charles H. Bronson to be Grand Marshal
Charles H. Bronson, a fifth-generation Floridian, serves as Florida’s 10th Agriculture Commissioner. Managing the largest state Department of Agriculture in the country with more than 3,700 employees, Bronson’s priorities include overseeing the state’s vast agriculture industry and helping promote its products, safeguarding the state’s food supply, protecting consumers from unfair and deceptive trade practices, and managing about one million acres of state forests. Initially appointed to the position in May 2001 to fill the unexpired term of the outgoing Commissioner, Bronson was elected to the post in a statewide election in November 2002, and re-elected in November 2006. In addition to heading Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Bronson serves on the Florida Cabinet – a body that includes Florida’s three statewide elected officials, as well as the Governor, and oversees state land-buying programs, clemency issues and directs the operations of several state agencies. Bronson is a former member of the Governor’s Council on Efficient Government and is a past President of the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture.
Posted on July 2, 2010 · Filed Under Press Release · Tagged: ·
