DAYTON, Ohio (July 19, 2009)--Late actor Jimmy Stewart has been inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Ohio along with astronaut Edward White, who gave his life as part of man's race to the moon.

Before Stewart starred in "It's a Wonderful Life" he was a private pilot who enlisted in the Army. He flew combat missions as a World War II bomber pilot.

White made America's first spacewalk in 1965.

He died in 1967, when a fire swept through his Apollo I spacecraft during a pre-launch test.

Lunar pioneer Neil Armstrong says White was committed to superiority in the conquest of space.

Hundreds of people attended the induction ceremony Saturday night in Dayton.

The other inductees are shuttle pilot Eileen Collins and Cessna Aircraft Co. boss Russell Meyer Jr.