There’s always a local angle, and sure enough, when the Living Legends of Aviation awards were presented at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, the Denver area had a nice presence.
How nice? Frank Southworth proudly shares news that his son-in-law, Cherry Hills Village pilot Jeff Puckett, received the 2010 Harrison Ford Aviation Legacy Award; Linden Blue, a former at-large member of the Denver City Council, was a presenter; and Emily Howell-Warner, the first woman to become a commercial airline pilot, was there to be introduced with such other Living Legends of Aviation as astronaut Buzz Aldrin and actor/pilots John Travolta, Kurt Russell and Tom Cruise.
Puckett owns the Centennial Airport-based USAERO, and operates the helicopter ministry Prayer One. He also is a partner in the family oil-and-gas business and runs the Diamond Aircraft distributorship for the western U.S.
Both he and Harrison Ford are active in the Young Eagles program formed to get kids interested in the wonder of flight.
The awards ceremony is billed as the Academy Awards of the aviation industry, and begins with a red-carpet entry.
Puckett’s wife, Nancy, and son Chase, a senior at the University of Colorado and a certified skydiver, walked alongside such stars as Morgan Freeman, Goldie Hawn and Kelly Preston; so, too, did his parents, Bob and Liz Puckett; brother-in-law Scott Southworth; and in-laws Frank and Doris Southworth.
Coming right up
Music by the Nacho Men and the opportunity to score vacation packages in live and silent auctions are part of Project Safeguard’s Valentine Fling being held Saturday at the Marriott Denver Tech Center. KOSI personalities Murphy Huston and Denise Plante emcee the 6:30 p.m. event; tickets are $55 through or $70 at the door. . . . Also on Saturday, the 17th floor of the D&F Clocktower opens for Moonlight and Martinis, a Valentine-themed fundraiser benefiting Denver Gives. The $40 admission (303-991-1231) includes open bar, music by DJonDEMAND and food from Chipotle and the Johnson and Wales University culinary arts department. Founded in 2008 by a group of young professionals, Denver Gives provides no-cost help to small, local nonprofit organizations that are struggling to survive. Learn more by visiting . . . . Gov. Bill Ritter and mayors Ed Tauer (Aurora) and John Hickenlooper (Denver) are honorary chairmen for Hearts of All Ages, an “out of this world” benefit for the University of Colorado Hospital Cancer Center. The family-oriented fun, emceed by meterologist Ed Greene, begins at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum and includes souvenir photos with Thunder, mascot of the Denver Broncos, live music and face-painting for the young and young-at- heart. Chairpersons are Peter and Marilyn Coors, Ernie Blake and Sharon Magness Blake and Steve and Shannon Bangert. Call 720-848-7802.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@ ; also, /davidson and GetItWrite on Twitter
