Gala honoree touts Radcliff roots

By BOB WHITE

Neal Cardin

Lynn Shipp Pendergrass delivers the keynote speech Saturday night to a packed house at the Shining Star Gala event at the Hardin County Challenger Learning Center in Radcliff.

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Neal Cardin

Lynn Shipp Pendergrass, front, joins others as they applaud the staff of the Challenger Learning Center during the Shining Star Gala on Saturday night at the Center. Pendergrass was the keynote speaker at the fundraising event.

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bwhite@thenewsenteprise.com

RADCLIFF — General Electric global marketing Vice President Lynn Shipp Pendergrass believes her youth spent among Radcliff’s “diverse and wholesome” community was key to becoming a successful businesswoman with one of the world’s most well-known companies. Pendergrass, a 1978 North Hardin High School grad who now lives in Louisville, was honored as part of Challenger Learning Center’s Shining Star Gala Saturday in Radcliff. The formal affair is an annual event for the center, which is among several learning centers across the nation using space exploration as a way to develop and nurture math and science skills in today’s youth. For Pendergrass, who launched her GE career 21 years ago in the engineering department, math and science skills are important. “It certainly is close to my heart,” Pendergrass said. As important as left-brained thinking, Pendergrass believes is the value of being raised in a diverse community such as Radcliff and all of northern Hardin County. She said being raised in a community of people from varied ethnic backgrounds helped her succeed in the business world. Pendergrass said she wasn’t one to be trapped in a paradigm. “I wasn't afraid to take risks and do unusual things,” she said. “I'd take jobs no one else wanted at times and that helped me in the end.” Taking on different tasks and succeeding where others didn’t want to try were things that helped her further her career with the $14 billion company. Pendergrass said, like herself, Challenger Learning Center also values new thought and taking risks to achieve great things. She described Challenger Learning Center is one of Radcliff's many jewels. The center is one of numerous learning centers of the same name and mission scattered around the nation. The centers were initiated by the families of the Challenger space shuttle crew who died during its last flight in January 1986. Students, youth groups and corporate teams visiting the center learn about space exploration during simulated space shuttle missions — all the while developing math and science skills. More information on the center is available at ww.challenger.radcliff.org. Group visits may be scheduled by calling (270) 351-STAR (7827). Bob White can be reached at (270) 505-1750.