CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History (WVDACH) is pleased to announce a new exhibit celebrating what would have been the 100th birthday of Brigadier General Charles “Chuck” Yeager in 2023 and the upcoming 77th anniversary of him breaking the sound barrier. The exhibit will be officially unveiled in the Great Hall of the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex, in Charleston on Sunday, Feb. 11, at 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be provided.
The exhibit includes items on loan from the Marshall University Special Collections Department’s Brigadier General Charles “Chuck” Yeager Collection. Artifacts on display include the “Golden Plate” awarded to America’s Captains of Achievement, a medallion from the Aviation Hall of Fame, the original Pitot Static Tube from the Bell X-1 when Yeager broke the sound barrier and more.
Yeager was born on Feb. 13, 1923, in Myra, West Virginia, and is a graduate of Hamlin High School. He made world history on Oct. 14, 1947, when he became the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound. During his nine-year assignment as the nation’s leading test pilot, he also became the first man to fly more than twice the speed of sound in level flight. Brig. General Yeager passed away on Dec. 7, 2020, at the age of 97.
The exhibit will remain on display throughout the month of February. Culture Center hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For additional information, please contact Charles Morris, WVDACH director of museums, at (304) 558-0220 or Charles.W.Morris@wv.gov.