Though LeTourneau University students have been attending classes at the Paul and Betty Abbott Aviation Center since August, it was officially dedicated Thursday.
Several hundred people turned out for the service, including county officials and the couple for whom the center is named.
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Kevin Green/News-Journal Photo | Paul Abbott speaks Thursday during the dedication of LeTourneau University's Paul and Betty Abbott Aviation Center at the East Texas Regional Airport.
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The facility is at the East Texas Regional Airport, and about 275 of LeTourneau's 1,300 students take one or more classes there. A bus provides transportation between the aviation center and the main campus on Mobberly Avenue, said Fred Ritchey, dean of the School of Aeronautical Science.
"We've had a few logistical snags, but overall it's working very well," Ritchey said. "Students who are majoring in aeronautical fields really have a passion for spending as much time at the airport as they can."
The students still sleep, eat meals and attend chapel on the main campus, and most of them take at least one class there, he said.
"We want to provide an opportunity for our aviation students to have more access to their professors and the planes, but at the same time, we don't want them to lose out on a sense of being part of the larger LeTourneau community," Ritchey said.
Steve Hederstedt, a junior from Kansas, said he's really enjoyed being out at the airport for most of his classes.
"I love it," Hederstedt said. "With all of us out here together, we're developing a strong sense of camaraderie and team work."
Hederstedt said he still feels like he's part of the campus life, but the opportunity to spend most of his day at the airport enhances his immersion in the world of aviation.
Paul Abbott, a LeTourneau graduate and owner of Covington Aircraft Engines of Oklahoma, said such a facility is long overdue for the university's aviation students.
"I pray that every student who passes through these doors leaves with not only a better understanding of aviation, but a deeper faith in Christ," Abbott said.
The ceremony also included the presentation of the Loening Trophy to LeTourneau. The trophy is presented annually to the outstanding all-around collegiate aviation program in the nation. It is the first time LeTourneau has won it.
"This is a beautiful place, and it's one of the best things that could have happened for both the university and this part of the county," Gregg County Pct. 4 Commissioner John Mathis said.
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About the Paul and Betty Abbott Aviation Center
- Contains 55,000 square feet, including 14,000 square feet of lab space and a 10,000-square-foot hangar.
- Contains four large classrooms, offices for all aviation faculty and staff, and an admissions office.
- The facility was built in 2006 and acquired and renovated by LeTourneau University in 2008.
- Students majoring in flight, air traffic control, mission aviation and aviation maintenance attend classes at the center.
Source: LeTourneau University
