Gabby Gifford and Mark Kelly

Delta Gamma Lecture

Gabrielle “Gabby” Giffords was a Congresswoman elected from Arizona’s 8th District. She served from 2007 until her resignation in January of 2012 following an attempted assassination at a supermarket in Tucson in January of 2011.

Mark Kelly is a retired American astronaut, U.S. Navy Captain and the husband of former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. He was a U.S. Navy fighter pilot and has flown 39 combat missions over Iraq and Kuwait during the first Gulf War. Kelly has spent over 50 days in orbit and was the commander of Space Shuttle Endeavour in May of 2011 on its final flight.

Kelly and Giffords wrote a book about Giffords’ struggle to survive and ultimately conquer her injuries entitled GABBY: A Story of Courage and Hope. The inspirational memoir has topped multiple best-seller lists, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon. They are the first couple to be honored as Glamour magazine’s “Couple of the Year.”