Wright Memorial Dinner

The Annual Wright Memorial Dinner

The Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy is administered and presented by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) at the Aero Club of Washington’s Annual Wright Memorial Dinner in December of each year.

The Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy is awarded to a living American for “significant public service of enduring value to aviation in the United States.”

The 77th Annual Wright Memorial Dinner was held on Thursday, December 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. and honored the 2025 Wright Trophy recipient, Joan Sullivan Garrett, Founder & Chairman of MedAire.

The Aero Club of Washington also presented it’s 2025 Person of the Year at the Wright Memorial Dinner, recognizing the NTSB and Federal, State, and Local DCA Crash First Responders.

The nomination period is now open for the 2026 Wright Memorial Trophy.  The Aero Club will review all nominations received and forward one nomination to the NAA for final consideration.  Nominations are due to the Aero Club by April 24, 2026.

2026 Wright Trophy Nomination Guidelines
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Past Recipients

1949 Charles A. Lindbergh
1950 Grover C. Loening
1951 Dr. Jerome Hunsaker
1952 Gen. James Doolittle, USAF
1953 Carl Hinshaw
1954 Dr. Theodore von Karman
1955 Dr. Hugh L. Dryden
1956 Dr. Edward P. Warner
1957 Senator Stuart Symington
1958 Dr. John Francis Victory
1959 William P. MacCracken, Jr.
1960 Frederick C. Crawford
1961 Senator A. S. Mike Monroney
1962 John Stack
1963 Donald W. Douglas, Sr.
1964 Henry F. Guggenheim
1965 Jerome Lederer
1966 Juan T. Trippe
1967 Igor I. Sikorksy
1968 Senator Warren C. Magnuson
1969 William M. Allen
1970 C. R. Smith
1971 Senator Howard W. Cannon
1972 John H. Shaffer
1973 Senator Barry M. Goldwater
1974 Dr. Richard T. Whitcomb

1975 Clarence “Kelly” Johnson
1976 William A. Patterson
1977 Lt. Gen. Ira C. Eaker, USAF (Ret.)
1978 Senator Jennings Randolph
1979 T. A. Wilson
1980 Olive Ann Beech
1981 Dwayne L. Wallace
1982 Dr. Willis M. Hawkins
1983 J. Leland Atwood
1984 David S. Lewis
1985 Harry B. Combs
1986 Joseph F. Sutter
1987 Allen E. Paulson
1988 Sam B. Williams
1989 Thomas Jones
1990 Edwin I. Colodny
1991 Benjamin A. Cosgrove
1992 Senator Jake Garn
1993 Gerhard Neumann
1994 A. L. Ueltschi
1995 Russell W. Meyer, Jr.
1996 Frederick W. Smith
1997 Charles H. Kaman
1998 Edward W. Stimpson
1999 Delford M. Smith
2000 Herbert D. Kelleher

2001 Neil A. Armstrong
2002 Paul H. Poberezny
2003 Senator John Glenn
2004 Robert Crandall
2005 Edward “Pete” Aldridge
2006 Norman Y. Mineta
2007 Eugene Cernan
2008 Norman Augustine
2009 Steven F. Udvar-Hazy
2010 Harrison Ford
2011 Thomas Patten Stafford
2012 Robert Stevens
2013 Marion C. Blakey
2014 Robert A. “Bob” Hoover
2015 Burt Rutan
2016 Colleen Barrett
2017 Gen. J.R. “Jack” Dailey
2018 General Lloyd “Fig” Newton
2019 Major General Michael Collins
2020 Major General Charles Bolden
2021 No Award
2022 Colonel Eileen M. Collins
2023 Capt. Robert L. Crippen
2024 Ben Baldanza
2025 Joan Sullivan Garrett

Aero Club of Washington

Aero Club of Washington

P.O. Box 7618, Washington, DC 20044
(703) 386-4330
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