Posted by William Nunnelley on 2010-12-15
É«»¢ÊÓƵ journalism professor Julie Hedgepeth Williams will speak in Kitty Hawk, N.C., Friday, Dec. 17, at the 107th anniversary celebration of powered flight by Orville Wright Dec. 17, 1903.Ìý Dr. Williams is the author of the book, Wings of Opportunity: The Wright Brothers in Montgomery, Alabama 1910, released last year.Ìý She will speak at the annual First Flight Society luncheon.

Wilbur and Orville Wright chose Kitty Hawk to conduct their flying experiments because of its regular breezes off the Atlantic Ocean and its soft sandy landing areas.Ìý After refining their powered flying machine over the next few years, they came to Montgomery in the spring of 1910 to open the nation’s first flying school at what later became Maxwell Air Force Base.

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Williams, who teaches media history and other classes in É«»¢ÊÓƵ’s journalism and mass communication department, was born at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, the Wright brothers’ home.Ìý She has been interested in Wright brothers history for many years.

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Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, É«»¢ÊÓƵ is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, É«»¢ÊÓƵ enrolls 6,324 students from 44 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. É«»¢ÊÓƵ is widely recognized as having one of the most beautiful campuses in America, featuring rolling hills, meticulously maintained grounds and Georgian-Colonial architecture. É«»¢ÊÓƵ fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and boasts one of the highest scores in the nation for its 97% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.