AIAC PAYS TRIBUTE TO CAPTAIN JAMES A. LOVELL JR.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY - August 8, 2025 - American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC) and its aerospace affiliates, Bradford Space, SuperAlloy Manufacturing Solutions, and Champlain Cable Corporation, Partners of The Explorers Club, pay solemn tribute to Captain James Arthur Lovell Jr., the legendary NASA astronaut, naval aviator, and one of America's greatest space exploration heroes, who passed away on August 9, 2025, at the age of 97. Captain Lovell was among the most celebrated and admired members of the Explorers Club, the prestigious private membership organization dedicated to exploration and aerospace advancement.
A towering figure in human spaceflight and space exploration, Captain Lovell's career spanned more than six decades of service to his country and humanity's quest to explore the cosmos. Born in 1928 in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1952 and earned his naval aviator wings before becoming a test pilot and eventually one of NASA's most celebrated astronauts.
Captain Lovell's Distinguished Legacy
Captain Lovell's distinguished career included four historic spaceflights that helped define the early era of human space exploration: Gemini 7 (1965), Gemini 12 (1966), Apollo 8 (1968), and Apollo 13 (1970). His pioneering contributions to space exploration—including being one of only three humans to fly to the Moon twice and one of the first to leave Earth's orbit—fundamentally shaped NASA's approach to lunar missions and established protocols for crisis management that continue to guide space operations today. His heroic leadership during the Apollo 13 crisis transformed what could have been NASA's greatest tragedy into one of its most inspiring triumphs of human ingenuity, teamwork, and determination under extreme adversity.
His legendary calm under pressure, technical expertise, and leadership during the Apollo 13 mission became the gold standard for crisis management in high-stakes environments. His co-authored book "Lost Moon" and the subsequent film "Apollo 13" educated millions about the realities of space exploration and the extraordinary dedication of those who risk their lives to advance human knowledge.
Among his many honors, Captain Lovell was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, and the National Aviation Hall of Fame. He was a distinguished Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a Member and Medalist of the Explorers Club.
AIAC affiliate Champlain Cable Corporation played a vital role in the very space missions that defined Jim Lovell’s remarkable career. In the 1960s, Champlain Cable Corporation supplied the critically important, high-performance wire and cable for the Apollo space missions, including the historic Apollo 8 mission that saw Captain Lovell become one of the first three humans to orbit the Moon. The company's specialized aerospace wiring, developed through cutting-edge cross-linked polymer technologies, was essential to the success of the Mercury, Saturn, and Apollo programs that transformed America's space exploration capabilities.
Additionally, AIAC affiliate Lenape Forged Products Inc. has been a distinguished supplier to America's space program, providing precision forgings for booster rocket components that have supported countless launches since the 1980s, including critical components for the Delta family of rockets that continue to carry payloads into orbit today. AIAC companies support NASA, SpaceX, Blue Origin, the European Space Agency, and their Tier 1 suppliers with precision components, assemblies and technologies for rockets, capsules, space stations, and satellites.
L. M. Levie, Chairman of American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC) who serves as Member of the Explorers Club Board of Trustees, Member of its Legacy Society, and as its Poet Laureate, issued the following statement today upon learning of Captain Lovell's passing:
"I am profoundly saddened to learn of the passing of Jim Lovell. As one of the most consequential figures in space exploration history, Jim’s influence extended far beyond his four remarkable spaceflights into the very essence of what it means to be an explorer, leader, and servant of humanity's highest aspirations.
Through my service on The Explorers Club Board of Trustees, I have directly observed how Jim’s legacy continues to inspire new generations of explorers, astronauts, and adventurers. His unique combination of technical mastery, unflappable composure, and genuine humility established the gold standard for leadership in extreme environments and high-stakes exploration.
Jim’s remarkable ability to navigate the most perilous situations in human spaceflight—from the 14-day endurance test of Gemini 7 to the life-threatening crisis of Apollo 13—demonstrated his rare combination of technical brilliance, moral courage, and inspirational leadership. As commander of Apollo 13 and veteran of Apollo 8's historic first lunar orbit, he showed how sound judgment and unwavering determination could overcome seemingly impossible odds.
Our company takes special pride in knowing that Champlain Cable Corporation's innovative wire and cable technologies were aboard the very spacecraft that carried Jim and his crew on their historic Gemini and Apollo missions. The reliability and performance of our aerospace components contributed to the success of missions that expanded the boundaries of human achievement and inspired millions to reach for the stars.
I particularly laud the profound impact of his example on an entire generation of astronauts, test pilots, engineers, and explorers, including Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and countless others who have carried forward humanity's quest to explore the unknown. His influence on space exploration through his direct service and inspirational leadership represents an unparalleled legacy in modern exploration.
Jim’s commitment to using his experience in service of education, exploration, and human advancement embodied the highest ideals of The Explorers Club and the explorer-leader tradition. His measured approach to risk, his belief in the power of teamwork and preparation, and his dedication to sharing the lessons of exploration will continue to influence explorers and adventurers for generations.
On behalf of American Industrial Acquisition Corporation, our affiliated companies worldwide, and my fellow members of The Explorers Club Board of Trustees, I extend our deepest condolences to Jim’s wife, Marilyn, their four children, Barbara, James, Susan, and Jeffrey, to his eleven grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren during this difficult time. The world has lost not only a space exploration pioneer but a principled leader whose dedication to excellence, courage, and service helped expand the boundaries of human achievement and inspired millions to reach for the stars."
In honor of Captain Lovell's legacy, L. M. Levie, Chairman of AIAC and Member of the Explorers Club Board of Trustees, Member of its Legacy Society, and as its Poet Laureate, composed the following poetic tribute, which he presented to the Explorers Club.
AIAC affiliate Champlain Cable Corporation played a vital role in the very space missions that defined Jim Lovell’s remarkable career. In the 1960s, Champlain Cable Corporation supplied the critically important, high-performance wire and cable for the Apollo space missions, including the historic Apollo 8 mission that saw Captain Lovell become one of the first three humans to orbit the Moon. The company's specialized aerospace wiring, developed through cutting-edge cross-linked polymer technologies, was essential to the success of the Mercury, Saturn, and Apollo programs that transformed America's space exploration capabilities.
Additionally, AIAC affiliate Lenape Forged Products Inc. has been a distinguished supplier to America's space program, providing precision forgings for booster rocket components that have supported countless launches since the 1980s, including critical components for the Delta family of rockets that continue to carry payloads into orbit today. AIAC companies support NASA, SpaceX, Blue Origin, the European Space Agency, and their Tier 1 suppliers with precision components, assemblies and technologies for rockets, capsules, space stations, and satellites.
AIAC Chairman Levie issued the following statement today upon learning of Captain Lovell's passing:
"I am profoundly saddened to learn of the passing of Jim Lovell. As one of the most consequential figures in space exploration history, Jim’s influence extended far beyond his four remarkable spaceflights into the very essence of what it means to be an explorer, leader, and servant of humanity's highest aspirations.
Through my service on The Explorers Club Board of Trustees, I have directly observed how Jim’s legacy continues to inspire new generations of explorers, astronauts, and adventurers. His unique combination of technical mastery, unflappable composure, and genuine humility established the gold standard for leadership in extreme environments and high-stakes exploration.
Jim’s remarkable ability to navigate the most perilous situations in human spaceflight—from the 14-day endurance test of Gemini 7 to the life-threatening crisis of Apollo 13—demonstrated his rare combination of technical brilliance, moral courage, and inspirational leadership. As commander of Apollo 13 and veteran of Apollo 8's historic first lunar orbit, he showed how sound judgment and unwavering determination could overcome seemingly impossible odds.
Our company takes special pride in knowing that Champlain Cable Corporation's innovative wire and cable technologies were aboard the same spacecraft that carried Jim and his crew on their historic Gemini and Apollo missions. The reliability and performance of our aerospace components contributed to the success of missions that expanded the boundaries of human achievement and inspired millions to reach for the stars.
I particularly laud the profound impact of his example on an entire generation of astronauts, test pilots, engineers, and explorers, including Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and countless others who have carried forward humanity's quest to explore the unknown. His influence on space exploration through his direct service and inspirational leadership represents an unparalleled legacy in modern exploration.
Jim’s commitment to using his experience in service of education, exploration, and human advancement embodied the highest ideals of The Explorers Club and the explorer-leader tradition. His measured approach to risk, his belief in the power of teamwork and preparation, and his dedication to sharing the lessons of exploration will continue to influence explorers and adventurers for generations.
On behalf of American Industrial Acquisition Corporation, our affiliated companies worldwide, and my fellow members of The Explorers Club Board of Trustees, I extend our deepest condolences to Jim’s wife, Marilyn, their four children, Barbara, James, Susan, and Jeffrey, to his eleven grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren during this difficult time. The world has lost not only a space exploration pioneer but a principled leader whose dedication to excellence, courage, and service helped expand the boundaries of human achievement and inspired millions to reach for the stars.
For further information, please see:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvG-wXJnqds
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/science/space/james-a-lovell-jr-dead.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/video/remembering-nasa-pioneer-jim-lovell-244612165767
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cl7y8zq5xpno
About Captain James A. Lovell Jr.
Captain James Arthur Lovell Jr. was a preeminent astronaut whose contributions to human spaceflight transformed our understanding of what was possible in space exploration and established the foundation for all lunar missions that followed. Throughout his distinguished career, Captain Lovell developed innovative approaches to spacecraft navigation, crew leadership, and crisis management that helped establish the protocols and procedures that guide space exploration today. His groundbreaking work on long-duration spaceflight during Gemini 7 provided the essential data that proved humans could survive the journey to the Moon and back.
Born on March 25, 1928, in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Captain Lovell graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1952 with a Bachelor of Science degree. His military career began as a naval aviator, where he flew combat missions during the Korean War before becoming a test pilot at the Naval Air Test Center in Maryland. His exceptional skills as a pilot and leader led to his selection as one of NASA's "New Nine" astronauts in Group 2 in September 1962.
As a scholar-practitioner of space exploration, Captain Lovell brought theoretical knowledge to practical spaceflight challenges. His analytical approach to navigation and mission planning provided generations of astronauts, engineers, and mission controllers with tools to navigate the complex challenges of human spaceflight and lunar exploration.
Captain Lovell's four historic spaceflights each broke new ground in human space exploration:
Gemini 7 (December 4-18, 1965): Serving as command pilot alongside Frank Borman, Lovell completed a 14-day endurance mission that proved humans could survive in space long enough to complete a lunar mission. The flight included the first space rendezvous with Gemini 6A and established critical data on long-duration spaceflight effects.
Gemini 12 (November 11-15, 1966): As command pilot with Buzz Aldrin, Lovell completed the final and most successful Gemini mission, demonstrating that spacewalks could be conducted safely and effectively, a crucial capability for lunar surface operations.
Apollo 8 (December 21-25, 1968): As Command Module Pilot with Frank Borman and William Anders, Lovell became one of the first three humans to leave Earth's orbit, orbit the Moon, and return safely. The mission's famous Christmas Eve reading from Genesis, broadcast to Earth from lunar orbit, remains one of the most memorable moments in space exploration history.
Apollo 13 (April 11-17, 1970): As Mission Commander with Fred Haise and Jack Swigert, Lovell led the crew through one of the most harrowing survival stories in space exploration history. When an oxygen tank explosion crippled the spacecraft 200,000 miles from Earth, Lovell's calm leadership, technical expertise, and innovative problem-solving helped guide the crew safely home in a dramatic rescue that captivated the world.
Captain Lovell authored numerous influential works, including the bestselling book "Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13" (co-authored with Jeffrey Kluger), which became the basis for the Academy Award-winning film "Apollo 13." He was a distinguished Fellow of numerous aerospace and exploration organizations and served on various advisory boards for NASA and aerospace companies.
His numerous honors included the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal (with multiple clusters), and induction into the International Space Hall of Fame, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, and the National Aviation Hall of Fame. He was a distinguished member of The Explorers Club, the National Geographic Society, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Naval Institute.
Captain Lovell is survived by his wife of 71 years, Marilyn, and their four children: Barbara, James, Susan, and Jeffrey. His legacy lives on through the thousands of aerospace professionals he inspired and the continuing human exploration of space that he helped make possible.
For further information, please see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Lovell
About American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC) is a diversified industrial group with manufacturing and distribution sites in 24 countries in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia-New Zealand. AIAC has acquired and grown non-core subsidiaries and divisions of Boeing, Siemens, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Johnson Controls, Merck, Pfizer, Astellas, Visteon, Carlyle, Ahlstrom, Tolko, Groupe Suez, Groupe Rexel, and many other leading multinational corporations.
AIAC companies serve companies and governmental entities worldwide in all major sectors, including aviation, space, defense, automotive, truck, rail, marine, petrochemical, solar, nuclear, food, confectionary, beverage, civil engineering and infrastructure, commercial construction, mining, dredging, disaster relief, education, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. In addition, AIAC companies are exclusive, authorized distributors of leading branded industrial and consumer products and serve as critical suppliers for the construction of major airports, schools, hospitals, performing arts and sports centers, offices and hotels throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. AIAC is a leading manufacturer of building, street, and highway signage in Europe, signage and illumination structures in North America, and a distributor of electrical products throughout France.
Of note, AIAC purchased Boeing Canada in 2005 and has produced over 10,000 unique components for every Boeing jet plane ever since, reliably serving Boeing from manufacturing facilities in North America. A leader in ultra-high precision jet engine component manufacturing, AIAC companies produce 2,200 fan blades for each jet engine produced by GE, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, and Honeywell.
AIAC companies actively support exploration into outer space, manufacturing critical components for launching and propelling spacecraft and satellites. AIAC customers in this sector include NASA, the European Space Agency, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Boeing. research. AIAC affiliate, Champlain Cable Corporation, supported the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space missions with high performance wire and cable. AIAC companies also lead in the design and manufacture of undersea umbilical cables for worldwide oceanographic research.
AIAC companies produce the critical automotive wire and cable for Tesla, GM, Ford, Chrysler-Fiat, Toyota, and Nissan. In connection with its kraft paper manufacturing interests in Canada and the US, AIAC controls and sustainably manages 22 million acres of Manitoba, Canada forestland, an area equivalent in size to the nation of Hungary.
AIAC affiliate, Metallwarenfabrik Gemmingen GmbH, located in Germany, designs, manufactures and distributes high performance, emergency portable power generators utilized in global conflict zones and during natural disasters.
For further information, please see:
About AIAC Philanthropy
AIAC and the AIAC Foundation support a wide range of nonprofit, nonsectarian, bipartisan organizations which promote international conflict resolution, disaster relief, economic development, environmental sustainability, exploration, and the performing arts.
The exploration-focused nonprofit organizations which they actively support include the Explorers Club, the National Geographic Society, the Royal Geographical Society, the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Space Society, and the United States Space Foundation.
AIAC's other beneficiaries include the Appeal of the Nobel Peace Laureates Foundation Inc., the Asia Society, the Atlantic Council, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - Gates Philanthropy Partners, the Bretton Woods Committee, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Carter Center, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Foreign Policy Association, the Institut Française des Relations Internationales, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Crisis Group, the International Rescue Committee, the Japan Society, the JFK School of Government of Harvard University, the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), the Sierra Club, the Trilateral Commission, and the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute.
For further information, please see:
https://www.aiac.com/our-values
About The Explorers Club
Founded in 1904, The Explorers Club is a prestigious international multidisciplinary professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research and the ideal that it is vital to preserve the instinct to explore. Based at its historic headquarters in New York City, the Club has served as a meeting point and unifying force for explorers and scientists worldwide for over a century.
The Club's membership includes many of history's most renowned explorers and scientists, from polar explorers Robert Peary and Roald Amundsen to oceanic pioneers Jacques Cousteau and Robert Ballard, from aviation legends Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart to space pioneers like Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Jim Lovell himself. The Club continues to support cutting-edge exploration in every realm—from the deepest ocean trenches to the highest peaks, from archaeological discoveries to space missions.
The Explorers Club is renowned for its rigorous standards of membership, requiring nominees to have made significant contributions to exploration or the sciences that advance our understanding of the world. The Club's Board of Trustees, Legacy Society, and various committees work to preserve the Club's mission while fostering new generations of explorers through grants, expeditions, and educational programs.
The Club's famous annual dinner, featuring exotic cuisine and presentations by leading explorers, has become legendary in New York society. More importantly, The Explorers Club continues to fund and support expeditions that push the boundaries of human knowledge, from climate research in Antarctica to biodiversity studies in remote rainforests to preparations for future Mars missions.
AIAC Chairman L. M. Levie serves as Member of its Board of Trustees and as Poet Laureate and Member of its Legacy Society. As Poet Laureate, Mr. Levie contributes to the Club's cultural mission by capturing the spirit of exploration through verse, honoring both historical achievements and contemporary discoveries that continue to expand the frontiers of human knowledge and experience.
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Media Contact:
Isabel Carro-Toro, Vice President
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
+34 689 295 827 (Spain)
+1 787 244 3175 (USA)
icarro-toro@aiac.com
The Explorers Club
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