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| Roadrunner Jim Eastham and Pardew at the A-12
40th Anniversary, April, 2002 |
Lt. Col (Ret) and former U-2 and SR-71 pilot,
Tony Bevacqua with Connie and her son, Michael at the July, 2002 Joint
Chiefs Firepower Demonstration on the Nellis range |
Connie Pardew Meeting Gen Hal Hornburg, ACC
Commander at 2002 Nellis Capstone Fire Power Demonstration |
Connie Pardew With Roadrunners TD Barnes,
Roger Andersen and Dick Roussell at the Cold War Memorial dedication, Las
Vegas, Nev., October, 2002 |
Connie Pardew interviewing Former Apollo and
Shuttle astronaut, Vance Brand at the 2002 Reno Air Races |
Connie Pardew and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar
Goodman at 2003 Nellis AFB Air Show |
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| Clay Lacey, owner of Clay Lacey Aviation and
pilot, best known for aerial photography and choreography of numerous
movies including Top Gun, Right Stuff, Flight of the Intruder and Behind
Enemy Lines |
Connie and Gina in the Lockheed Electra
formerly owned by one of the founders of TWA. His daughter now owns it. |
Jeff Lee - Director of Media Productions
Aviation Nation. Hap Halloran, a decorated WWII veteran, and Connie' |
Gina in the Lockheed Electra . |
About the Author
Connie and Astronaut Neil Armstrong at Reno Air Races - 2004
Pardew of Reno, Nev. began writing in 1994 while working at the
local newspaper, focusing primarily on feature and human-interest stories. Her
aviation related material has been seen in various publications and websites
including Aerotech News, based in Lancaster, Calif., which caters primarily to
the Aerospace and Defense Industry. Pardew is the staff writer for the Aviation
Nation Foundation and her material has been published in the award winning
Aviation Nation Collector's magazine. "I feel privileged to be working with
the Aviation Nation team, which is responsible for sponsorships, marketing,
media, VIP hospitality and production of Aviation Nation-The Nellis Air Force
Base Las Vegas Air Show.
"To be part of something of this magnitude that honors our veterans and
shows the public America's Airpower is very close to my heart," Pardew
says.
"It is very important to me to honor our service men and women. Every time
I meet a veteran, I take the time to express my gratitude for the sacrifices
they![[Click to enlarge image]](images/sunsetsmall.jpg)
have made for us. Aviation Nation is the perfect opportunity for all of us
to shake the hand of a veteran and thank them." She's also a freelance
writer for Rolls-Royce North America and the National Aviation Heritage
Invitational project. Most of her writing focuses on the "people' side of
aviation. "The aviation community is filled with many dedicated and
interesting people and they all have a great story to tell," she says. 
Although she never served in the military, she is very appreciative of persons
past and present that serve their country, especially those who worked in secret
during the Cold War years. She feels it's important that their story be told.
Pardew was just a child when most of the Roadrunners were working behind the
scenes in obscurity, protecting our freedom. "Most people don't realize
what was going on during those times," she said. "Little did we know
that mysterious BlackBirds were nested in the Nevada desert and a group of
committed individuals were devoted to such a project. I feel very privileged to
know these individuals and am grateful for their service and dedication."
Connie dedicates a lot of her time interviewing and writing about those who
served during the Cold War. "Most of these individuals protected our
country without our knowledge-developing, testing and flying missions in secret.
It's vital that theirs and those of other veterans be told. We need to keep
their history alive."
There's been a lot written about the technical components of the program, thus,
she wants to show people what it was like to actually live through, and be part
of such an important part of our history.
Connie
treasures her friendships with those such as TD Barnes, Frank Murray, Roger
Andersen, Dick Roussell and Tony Bevacqua as well as people such as aerospace
archeologist and author Pete Merlin and Dreamland Resort Webmaster, Joerg Arnu.
Her daughter, Gina has have acquired some of the same interests. Gina is
probably the only 11-year-old girl that knows most of the dialogue to the movie,
"The Right Stuff" by heart. Michael is 18 and plans to join the armed
forces-either the Air Force or the Navy.
Pardew's full time occupation is with Southwest Airlines. She decided life was
too short to be fixed in a newspaper office and opted to change in mid-stream.
The flexibility of working at Southwest affords her the opportunity to freelance
and use her "off" time to travel to aviation related events.
