The Lake Washington Schools Foundation (LWSF) has announced that former Space Shuttle Astronaut George “Pinky” Nelson will deliver the keynote address at its fourth annual fundraising luncheon, “A Legacy for Learning,” on Wednesday, May 13 at Juanita High School, 10601 NE 132nd St., Kirkland. Registration begins at 11 a.m. and lunch will be served at noon. The lunch is complimentary, but a donation of $150 will be requested to support the LWSF, which in turn, provides grants for educational programs and materials that are not covered by regular funding.

As an astronaut, Nelson orbited the planet 274 times. He was the first astronaut to repair a satellite in orbit and flew on three Space Shuttle launches, including the missions immediately before and after the Challenger disaster. After leaving the astronaut corps, he joined NASA’s task force that oversaw the repair missions for the Hubble Space Telescope.

Nelson left NASA in 1989 and now directs the Science, Mathematics and Technology Education program at Western Washington University in Bellingham. He has led the work of the North Cascades and Olympics Science Partnership, a joint effort between WWU, local community colleges and 28 school districts to improve the way science is taught in Washington schools.

Nelson will be officially inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame on May 2.

“It’s a special honor because the voting is done by our peers, the astronauts who have already been inducted,” he said. “We are being recognized not only for our work in space, but just as much for the things we did on the ground to support the program. It’s very gratifying.”

For more information, contact Carolyn Vaché, Legacy for Learning Luncheon chair, at dvache@verizon.net.