<p>Astronaut Who Piloted Space Shuttle Endeavour Returns To Hometown To Speak At Chamber Banquet (Joe F. Edwards Jr., 80)</p>
<p>A man who went from Lineville to space is returning home Tuesday.</p>
<p>Joe F. Edwards Jr., who piloted Space Shuttle Endeavour to dock with the Russian space station Mir in 1998, will speak at Tuesday's Clay County Chamber of Commerce banquet. </p>
<p>Edwards, who graduated from Lineville High School in 1976, also will speak to groups of school children during the day, according to the Chamber's executive director, Mary Patchunka-Smith.</p>
<p>Edwards completed his undergraduate degree at the United States Naval Academy. He also holds degrees in aerospace engineering, systems engineering, engineering flight test and industrial management. He was involved in test-piloting F-14 fighter jets for the Navy in the 1980s. He has flown 5,000 hours in 50 types of airplanes, and has performed 650 aircraft-carrier landings and dozens of combat missions, according to his NASA biography.</p>
<p>The banquet begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Lineville High School Cafeteria.</p>
<p>The chamber still has tickets available for $20 for members and $15 for non-members.</p>
<p>For more information, contact the Clay County Chamber of Commerce at 396-2828.</p>
<p>About Andy Johns
Andy Johns is the mobile reporter for The Star. He is a graduate of Berry College in Rome, Ga.</p>
<p>Copyright (c) 2007, The Anniston Star, Ala. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email <a href="mailto:tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com">tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com</a>, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.</p>
<p>Copyright 2007 The Anniston Star (Alabama)
October 1, 2007 Monday</p>