AKRON, Ohio, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Things were a little different today at Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake Airship Hangar as Hudson High School Chemistry Teacher Matthew Harrelson assumed command of the iconic dirigible as his Grand Prize for winning Goodyear's "Name the Blimp" contest. Harrelson, a Uniontown, Ohio resident, submitted the name -- Spirit of Innovation -- which was officially selected the winner of the contest based upon a nationwide vote by the American public and a panel of Goodyear judges.
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Harrelson returned with his wife and two daughters to the Goodyear Airship Hangar where on June 21st, he and his family had front row seats to the gala Christening event that featured the unveiling of the name he submitted. Matthew, his wife and two daughters directed the blimp's travels for the day, which included a flight over their house; his children's schools; one-hour sightseeing flights for his extended family and friends; and a special night- time excursion for himself and his wife to fly some encouraging messages over a Hudson High School football game and see the local sights.
"The Name the Blimp Contest marked the first time in the 81-year history of Goodyear's airship program that we invited the public to help us name one of our blimps, and the only time we've turned over control of the flight schedule to anyone outside of the company," said Scott Baughman, Director of North American Airship Operations, Goodyear. "We couldn't be happier with the name Matthew submitted for our newest blimp, and judging from the looks on their faces, they really enjoyed having the Blimp for the day."
The Harrelson family's first hour-long blimp flight took them from Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake Blimp hangar to many important locations and people in their lives including: their home in Uniontown; the Greenwood Early Learning Center where their youngest daughter Kendra attends preschool; and over the children's babysitter's house. The Harrelsons then sent up a variety of friends and family on a series of four, one-hour sightseeing flights before once again taking to the air. On their second flight of the day, the Harrelsons flew over Hudson Middle School and Hudson High School. There the Harrelsons had the blimp display inspirational messages for the Hudson Explorer Football team during the game against Solon High School before leaving to take in the sights of Akron at night.
"The kids have been so excited about flying in the blimp. They've been telling all their friends, their teachers ... basically anyone who will listen," said Harrelson. "We see the Goodyear Blimp from time to time, but not many people can say they've actually flown in it. Now my family and I can all say that we had it for a whole day. What a great time!"
According to Harrelson, who submitted the winning name on April 11th, he suggested Spirit of Innovation because, as a chemistry teacher and Akron-area resident, he was familiar with Goodyear and the company's history of innovation. "Living near Goodyear, everyone hears when they come out with another high-tech product, and having seen Charles Goodyear in the National Inventors Hall of Fame, it was easy to connect Goodyear and innovation ... and then 'Spirit' just seemed to make the name flow better," said Harrelson.
The Goodyear Airship Program
Goodyear's blimp program began in 1925, when the Company built its first helium-filled public relations airship, the Pilgrim. In 1928, then-Chairman P.W. Litchfield began the tradition of naming its North American-based blimps after winners of the America's Cup yacht race. The tradition continued over most of the program's 80-year history, with just a few exceptions. A list of winners from past America's Cup races whose names Goodyear selected for its airship fleet includes: Stars & Stripes, Columbia, Ranger, Rainbow, Enterprise, Resolute, Reliance, Defender, Vigilant, Volunteer, Mayflower, Puritan, and America. Within the past 40 years, Goodyear has selected other non-Cup winner names to grace the sides of its blimps. Those names included Europa, Spirit of Akron, Spirit of Goodyear and Eagle.
Contest Details
Goodyear launched its newest blimp on March 27th without an official name. Instead, on April 10th the company unveiled the new blimp bearing the world's largest blank nametag, and launched a nationwide contest to search for a name. Between April 11th and April 30th, the contest enjoyed a groundswell of participation from around the country, with unique name suggestions coming from residents in each of the 48 eligible states and the District of Columbia.
From the more than 21,000 unique names submitted, a panel of judges selected ten finalist names based on their ability to reflect the storied history of the Goodyear airship, its long tradition of public service, the grace and majesty of air flight, and Goodyear's history of innovation and progress. Between May 7th and May 31st, America and a panel of Goodyear representatives voted, with Spirit of Innovation ultimately receiving the most votes. Those submitting the other nine finalist names, each received a new set of Goodyear tires. The names were: American Dream, Freedom, Liberty, Patriot, Patriot of Peace, Pride of America, Spirit of Endurance, Spirit of Ingenuity, Spirit of Innovation, The Spirit of Peace.
About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
Goodyear is the world's largest tire company. The company manufactures tires, engineered rubber products and chemicals in more than 90 facilities in 28 countries around the world. Goodyear employs about 80,000 people worldwide. For more information on Goodyear's tires, go to http://www.goodyeartires.com/.
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