Historians to speak at Space Center

DOWNEY - Local historians and authors Larry Latimer and Gerald Blackburn will speak and sign books at a meet-and-greet event May 30 at the Columbia Memorial Space Center.Blackburn and the Aerospace Legacy Foundation compiled material for "Downey's Aerospace History: 1947-1999," released last June by Arcadia Publishing. Blackburn was an engineer and project manager with North American Aviation and Boeing, and spent 35 years at the Downey site. In his book, Blackburn uses photos and images from private and public archives to tell the story of the former NASA site. Latimer and the Downey Historical Society authored "Downey," a collection of vintage images chronicling this city's early days. The event begins at 1 p.m. Admission to the Space Center is $5. Copies of both books will be available for purchase and signing at the Space Center.

********** Published: May 21, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 5