12-14-2006
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, first lady Maria Shriver, inducted Earhart and 10 other individuals into the hall of fame on Wednesday, Dec. 6 in a red carpet ceremony that took place in Sacramento.
Earhart, who moved to California sometime around 1920, obtained the urge to fly after attending a stunt-flying exhibition with her father in Long Beach. A short time later, she took her first flight lessons at Kinner Field near Long Beach. Earhart never looked back.
Members of Earhart’s family were on hand for the ceremony and received a Spirit of California sliver medal plated with gold and adorned with green ribbon. The medal was designed by internationally-acclaimed artist Robert Graham, known for his Quetzalcoatl statue in San Jose’s Plaza de Cesar Chavez.
The California Hall of Fame is the brainchild of Shriver, who called the event “an extraordinary night for California.”
Additional inductees included Clint Eastwood, Cesar Chavez, Sally Ride, Billie Jean King and Ronald Regan, among others.