Prof. Hal & Dr. Bettye Walker Announce Cape Town Space Society 1st Year Anniversary
Press Conference and Progress Made Wed. March 18 @ 1:30 PM
Cape Town, SA — Hildreth (Hal) Walker, Jr., the First man to Successfully fire the Laser to the moon during the Apollo 11 Moon Landing, and his wife Dr. Bettye Walker, Cape Town Space Society Founder, have announced a Press Conference will be held to present an update on the progress on the first anniversary of the Cape Town SpaceSociety (CTSS): Wednesday, March 18, 2020, Buren High School, 26 Poole St. Brooklyn, Cape Town, 7405, South Africa. Time: 1:30-3:30 with Reception.
In February 2019, Hal and Bettye made history when they launched the first chapter of the National Space Society (NSS) and the Cape Town Space Society (CTSS] on the African Continent.The National Space Society (NSS) is an independent, nonpartisan, educational, grassroots, non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization.
In 1997, President Nelson Mandela invited Hildreth and Bettye to establish and implement science and technology programs in schools across South Africa. Mandela asked the Walkers to Promise: “Teach my children what you are teaching your children”. This promise was fulfilled the next year when the A-MAN, Inc. Science program was established in South Africa. Today there are 21 participating primary and secondary schools and thousands of students have completed the program.
Dr. Bettye Walker and Prof Hildreth Walker, members of the Downtown Los Angeles Rotary club and Bettye is a peace facilitator for Rotary District 5280. They were invited by Helène Visser to become major partners as they assisted in playing a major roll in the purchase of a specialized bronchoscope by the Rotary Club of Blouberg. The R3 million bronchoscope with a miniature radial ultrasound probe is the first such equipment in South Africa and the only one in Africa! Now, doctors at Tygerberg Children’s Hospital can “see” and diagnose lung diseases in children without invasive surgery.
Hal and Bettye raised funds with Rotary Clubs and took The CTSS students to Los Angeles to exhibit and present at the 67th International Space Development Conference, 2018. The students also presented at the Africa & International Use of Energy Conference (AIUE),2019. Sponsors and supporters are needed to promote having the students exhibit and present at the SPACE OPS 2020 Conference in Cape Town Convention Center.
The CTSS STEM program provides hands-on activities with laser beams, robotics, and computer labs at Donix Electronic Solutions in Montague Gardens, headed by Donovan Martin, CTSS officer.
About Prof. Hal Walker and Dr. Bettye Walker
Prof. Hal Walker led the manufacturing, testing and operation of the KORAD K-1500 ruby laser system which was his key role for the KORAD Laser System Corporation. During the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon Landing, KORAD was contracted by NASA and Walker conducted the Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment which was the first hand-placed experiment using an extra terrestrial instrument.
Walker’s accomplishment was discovered 25 years later. Walker’s Apollo 11 Lunar Laser Ranging Interplanetary Experiment was replicated in 1994, in an interactive exhibit located in the Hands-on Science section of Science in American Life at the National Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Walker was also honored in the exhibit’s permanent section, “The New Moon.”
In 1991, Professor Hal Walker and his wife Dr. Bettye Walker founded, the non-profit organization African-American Male Achievers Network (A-MAN), Inc. STEM International Science Center. A-MAN is dedicated to building the leaders and participants in science and technology for tomorrow. They share their legacy with the students and provide experiences that prepare them to attend higher academic institutions and begin fulfilling leadership and technological needs.
Dr. Bettye Davis Walker is an internationally renowned educational innovator, former University professor and researcher who has worked with students in Europe, West Africa and presently in South Africa. Dr. Walker is also a Rotarian and a member of the Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) Rotary Club. She has developed partnerships with Rotary clubs in Cape Town and Pretoria as well as coordinated the establishment of more than a dozen state-of- the-art Computer Literacy Labs in schools throughout South Africa.
Hal and Bettye Walker were honored with the Humanitarian Award and Trophy, received from The Caucus of Producers, Writers and Directors on May 29, 2019 in Los Angeles and Hal was recently honored by the Africa and International Use of Energy in Cape Town.
For additional information on A-MAN, visit their website at:http://www.aman.org
Media Contact: For RSVP, interviews, photos, Speaking Engagements, and information:
Edna Sims, ESP Public Relations
Tel: 310-770.8117 ~ esppr@mac.com
S.A. Tel: +27 (72) 865-1998