AGS Programs AGS Fliers' and Explorers' Globe Globe Signers AGS Corporate Sponsors March 2004 Globe Signing Pictures AGS Media Center Travel Program Special Events Awards Program AGS Collection The AGS Fliers' and Explorers' Globe is Proudly Sponsored by: Marsh Delta Airlines

Fliers' and Explorers' Globe Corporate Sponsorship         The American Geographical Society is pleased to announce a new corporate sponsorship by Marsh (www.marsh.com), the world's leading risk and insurance services firm. Marsh, in partnership with Delta Air Lines (www.delta.com), will sponsor a series of ceremonies featuring the AGS Fliers' & Explorers' Globe to honor the American Geographical Society and its longstanding role in exploration. The first globe-signing ceremony was held in New York on March 31, 2004 (see pictures), and the second convened in Atlanta on May 25, 2004. Last year, Marsh and the United States Aircraft Insurance Group (www.usaig.com), one of the world’s leading aviation insurers, sponsored a physical restoration of the globe at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center.         The invitation-only Atlanta ceremony convened at the Atlanta History Center. Attendees and globesigners included: New Signers/Explorers... Bryan Allen, who, in 1979, became the first person to fly a human-powered aircraft, the Gossamer Albatross, 22 miles across the English Channel. Dr. Sylvia Earle, who, in 1979, walked unassisted on the sea floor at a record depth of 1,250 feet below the surface. Edith Ronne and Jennie Darlington, who, in 1947, became the first women to winter-over in Antarctica. Prior Signers/Explorers... Neil Armstrong, who, in 1969, as a member of the Apollo II mission, became the first person tos et foor on the moon's surface. Keith Greenaway, who, in 1946, navigated the first U.S. military flight over the North Pole. George Lowe, who, in 1953, was a member of the British Everest Expedition, the first team to reach the summit of Mt. Everest.         The invitation-only New York ceremony convened in The Powerhouse at the Museum of Natural History in New York. Attendees and globesigners included: Prior Signers/Explorers... Mr. Brian Jones, who, in 1999 with Bertrand Piccard, carried out the first non-stop Round the World flight in a balloon, Breitling Orbiter 3 Mr. Don Walsh, oceanographer, who with Jacques Piccard dived deeper than any other humans in history when they descended to the bottom of the Marianas Trench in 1960. New Signers/Explorers... Mr. William Anderson, commander of the submarine NAUTILUS, first vessel to cross the North Pole by water (in 1958) Ms. Ann Bancroft, first woman to reach both the North Pole (1986 by dog sled) and South Pole (1993 on skis) Ms. Liv Arnesen, who, with Ann Bancroft, was one of the first women to ski and sail across the Antarctic Landmass (2001), and Ms. Junko Tabei, first woman to successfully climb Mt. Everest (in 1975).         Risk and reward is a unifying theme underlying Marsh’s corporate sponsorship of AGS. The AGS Fliers’ & Explorers’ Globe symbolizes the universal principle that no great accomplishment comes without risk. Marsh (www.marsh.com) helps companies and individuals manage such risks through insurance, risk consulting, employee benefits services, and alternative risk products. Clients, in turn, can venture forward with the confidence that comes through prepared risk management. With 400 offices and 35,000 employees in 100 countries, Marsh helps countless companies and individuals forge new frontiers of business and personal accomplishment. Marsh wants its clients and the public to experience the AGS Fliers' & Explorers' Globe as an extraordinary artifact of history and as a symbol of risk and reward.         Delta Air Lines (www.delta.com) is pleased to provide additional support to Marsh and the AGS for the 2004 Fliers' and Explorers' Globe signing events in honor of the contributions by the AGS to society. Delta and its partners, world leaders in air transportation for passengers and freight, operate 7,664 flights each day to 497 cities in 84 countries. Delta proudly marks its 75th anniversary of passenger air travel in 2004.         The American Geographical Society was founded 153 years ago to support scientific exploration of the Earth, and we remain true to that goal. We have been America’s oldest and often its loudest advocate for Arctic, Antarctic, oceanic, and Andean exploration. We acquired the signatures on this globe, not as autograph seekers, but through sponsoring, funding, endorsing, publishing, or honoring the accomplishments of risk-takers who pushed the boundaries of geography and aviation. The AGS will welcome support from other corporate sponsors for the AGS Fliers’ & Explorers’ Globe and other initiatives in support of AGS and its geographic mission. For more information regarding corporate sponsorships or globesigning ceremonies, please contact Mary Lynne Bird, Executive Director, American Geographical Society at (212)422-5456; mlbird@amergeog.org ; or 120 Wall St, Suite 100, New York, NY 10005

All material on this page is Copyright 2004, The American Geographical Society, and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of the Society.