WA/DL Capt. H. Porter Ellis

Obituary & life story....

http://www.the-review.com/obituaries/2013/10/01/harold-porter-ellis  

 Harold Porter Ellis

Celebrating a life well lived and remembering a great man with a sense of humor like no other who left a footprint on the hearts of so many, we say farewell to a legend in our eyes. 

Porter passed away Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013, in Toledo, Ohio, the result of metastatic melanoma. He was on his way to his 60th high school reunion when his illness overcame him in Toledo after enjoying a few wonderful days visiting his sister, Mollie. 

Born Harold Porter Ellis on March 2, 1936, in Alliance, Ohio, Porter was the third child of seven born to May and Harold Ellis.

Porter graduated from Alliance High School in 1953, and attended Mount Union College for two years before attending the Naval Cadet Program and serving in the United States Navy for four years as an officer and helicopter pilot in Pensacola, Fla., and Quonset Point, R.I. Porter also served in the United States Army Reserves and retired from the same after 16 years of service. 

Porter married his high school sweetheart and love of his life, Saundra Smith, in 1958. After his discharge from the Navy, they moved to Long Beach, Calif., where he earned his bachelor's degree at California State University, Long Beach, in 1961. Porter then worked for Honeywell for five years as a technical writer until he was he was hired as a pilot by Western Airlines in 1966. This was a dream job to him, which he truly loved throughout his entire career. Western Airlines later merged with Delta Airlines, from which he retired in 1996. Porter and Sandy were very fortunate to have been able to travel the world as a benefit of the job he loved so much. They also traveled together to every state in the continental United States in their motor home. 

Porter and Sandy were married 55 years and were together for five years prior to that. They had three children, Deborah Anderson and Kathryn Moore, and son Michael Ellis, who was injured in a small plane accident in 1978 and preceded Porter in death in 1986. They have four wonderful grandchildren, Ryan and Lindsay Anderson, and Kelly and Jason Moore. 

Porter also leaves behind his sister, Mollie Palmer; brothers, Bill and Don Ellis; and son-in-law, Mike Anderson.  

He was predeceased by his parents; his sister, Madeleine Curtis; and brothers, Richard and Barry Ellis. 

Porter was a longtime member of the United Methodist Church of Thousand Oaks and a faithful volunteer for Senior Concerns. He was awarded the Senior Volunteer of the Year award for delivering Meals on Wheels for too many years to remember. 

Porter loved playing golf, mostly at Los Robles Golf Course in Thousand Oaks with his many friends, old and new. He loved to ski in Utah and learned to snowboard very well in his '70s. He was an avid runner since his early college days in Alliance, Ohio. 

Anyone who knew Porter knows he loved to laugh and make people laugh with his quick wit and contagious sense of humor. All who knew him have a story to tell with a smile on their face in remembrance.

Please join us in a celebration of Porter's life at a memorial service to be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, at United Methodist Church of Thousand Oaks at 1000 E. Janss Road.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Hospice of the Conejo Valley or Conejo Valley Senior Concerns in Porter's name. (10-1-13)

~ IN MEMORY ~

WA Capt. H. Porter Ellis  (Harold Porter Ellis)

March 2, 1936 ~ September 2013

 Harold Porter Ellis, born/raised in Alliance Ohio, was the son of the late Harold C. and Leila M. (Porter) Ellis.  Captain Ellis joined Western Airlines 05-02-1966 and retired with Delta Air Lines at the mandatory age 60 in 1996, based 030/LAX.

Survived by his wife Saundra personal condolences may be sent to the Ellis family at  

1167 Calle Pinata ,  Thousand Oaks   CA   91360-6121  ...
(805) 523-7879

Services for Captain Ellis to be held October 19th at 3 PM, at United Methodist Church located on the corner of Janss Rd at Windsor, Thousand Oaks CA.

To date I have not been able to locate an online obituary.  Should we receive more information, updates will be posted on our blogspot at

http://pcnflightwest.blogspot.com/ 

Thank you,
~ Carol

NWA Capt. James J. Zonlick

Captain James J. Zonlick

Pacific, Air West, Hughes Airwest, Republic, and Northwest

February 5, 1935 - September 26, 2013

Tampa, Florida

~ IN MEMORY ~

NWA Capt. James J. Zonlick

February 5, 1935 - September 26, 2013

Notification with the passing of NWA pilot James Joseph Zonlick, age 78.  From what I could find, I believe Captain Zonlick joined Pacific Air Lines 08-15-1967 and made the various carrier mergers with Northwest’s predecessors prior to his retirement.   Survived by his wife Patricia ‘Pat’, personal condolences may be sent to the family at

6101 Dory Way,  Tampa  FL 33615-3633  ....  (813) 855-5983  

To view/sign the online guestbook please visit the funeral home website at  http://www.blountcurrywest.com/

Memorial services for Captain Zonlick will be held in Tampa FL tomorrow September 30th.

Thank you,

~ Carol  

                                                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ZONLICK, James J., 78, of Tampa passed away Sept. 26, 2013. He is survived by his loving wife of 20 years, Patricia 'Pat' Zonlick; "Bonus" children, Debra Francis, Robyn Thomas, Bobby (Shelly) Francis, Gina (Clay) Crumbliss; grandchildren, Marisa & Marie Francis, Cody Thomas, and Rael Francis; and one great-grandchild, Gage Ausbon Thomas. Jim was a pilot for Northwest Airlines for 30 years and was an award winning professional photographer. Prior to that, Jim proudly served as a Sergeant and an aerial photographer for the United States Marine Corps. Jim loved the water and was master yachtsman of the 'Hunky Dory'. He was a past Commodore of the Tampa Bay Yacht Club. His friends fondly remember Jim as the 'Frog Prince'. He was a great storyteller and always had a twinkle in his eyes. A Memorial Service will be held at 2 pm on Monday, Sept. 30 at the Blount and Curry Funeral Home, West Chapel, 6802 Silvermill Drive, Tampa. Family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly suggests donations be made to the Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, UT (www.bestfriends.org) in memory of 'Jimmy Jet' aka Jim Zonlick. Online condolences can be made at: www.blountcurrywest.com

  .Published in the Tampa Bay Times on September 29, 2013 

NWA Capt. Joseph E. 'Joe' Kimm

~ IN MEMORY ~

Obituary for

NWA Capt. Joseph E. ‘Joe’ Kimm, age 102

August 18, 1911 ~ September 19, 2013

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/seattletimes/obituary.aspx?n=Joseph-Kimm&pid=167163938#fbLoggedOut 

Joseph E. Kimm

 

Our dad passed away quickly and peacefully on September 19th. He was 102. Dad was a true aviation pioneer, involved in aviation from the early days of commercial passenger air travel all the way into the jet age. At age 17 he talked his way into a job with Northwest Airways (later Northwest Airlines) as a flight steward, which turned out to be just the beginning of a storied 42-year career.

 

Hard work in that role included an early discovery for the need to have paper sacks on hand (his own first version of the "barf bag") and to develop an acute sense for when a passenger might need one, then (once used) for making a run for the doorway and pitching the results out into the open air. Seeing how much easier a pilot's job was by comparison and how much more money they made, he quickly worked at getting himself hired as a pilot by convincing the airline to loan him an airplane and getting one of the captains to teach him to fly.

 

Over the course of his airline career, he was involved in opening up two important air routes, one from Minneapolis to Seattle across the northern Rockies (with Amelia Earhart as passenger, publicizing both her recent book and their history-making flight), and also across previously uncharted territory from Edmonton, Canada to Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska.

 

Fascination with the P-12E motivated him to join the Army Air Corps Reserves, which later led to him being called into wartime active duty as one of the few dozen pilots forming the Special Missions Group (Brass Hat Squadron) during WWII. As an Army Air Force major, he flew various dignitaries around the world, including Senator Albert Hawkes, Mexican Air Force General Salinas, and (then) General Dwight Eisenhower.

 

Retiring at the mandatory age of 60, he brought his lifelong pursuit of learning and personal improvement into the next 42 years. He continued with his love of music, as well as new activities that included downhill skiing and golf, both of which he did into his mid-nineties. He also took up television repair in his post-retirement years and became an early enthusiast of personal computers. He began delivering Meals on Wheels later in life, an activity he finally set aside in his late nineties. Throughout, he remained an inspiration and role model to all who knew him or heard of his accomplishments.

 

He is predeceased by the love of his life, Helen Belle Boice Kimm. He is survived by his children Barbara Kimm (Mike Mulroy), Kip Nordstrom (Carl), Kerry Cotton (Mike), and Joe Kimm. Also his grandchildren, Chris, Kimm, Teresa, Kjerstin, Lisa, Aaron, Shane, Kelley, and Dakota and several great grandchildren.

 

There will be no memorial service but the family would love it if any donations could be made to Senior Services in his name because of his devotion to the Meals On Wheels program.

  .Published in The Seattle Times from September 26 to September 29, 2013

  

~ IN MEMORY ~

Minnesota Aviation Hall of Famer

NWA Capt. Joe Kimm, age 102

August 18, 1911 ~ September 19, 2013

From: RNPA News   Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 2:20 PM

Subject: RNPA News: Joe Kimm Has Flown West 

Just wanted you to know Joe Kimm died yesterday, September 19, 2013, just over one month after his 102nd birthday.

Joe signed on with NWA 7/1/1929, as a flight steward. Learned to fly, got his Limited Commercial License 11/15/1930, flew his first  Captain flight 5/20/1933.

Joe flew on aircraft from the Ford Tri-motor to the Boeing 707; was co-pilot on the Northern tier proving run between MSP and SEA with Hugh Ruschenberg in January, 1933, Amelia Earhart as passenger; served as System and Eastern Region Chief Pilot from 1949-1951; was a founding member of ALPA; served as a transport pilot in WW II; flew his last flight 8/17/1971, after 42 years with Northwest.

Joe was inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame in April, 2012. He wasn't able to attend personally, but was represented by his son, Joe, jr.; daughter Kerry Cotton; grand-daughter Kimm Viebrock (who set a a Skype conference call so that Joe was there virtually); and me.

Joe loved attending the RNPA reunions and talking to his friends and colleagues, but declined to travel the past few years. Though he tired easily in his last years he remained mentally strong. My daughter Kimm spent months recording a video history of her grandfather's life. We will put together a story for Contrails, the RNPA magazine, in the near future.

Joe Kimm spent a long time preflighting for his Flight West. August 18, 1911- September 19, 2013. R.I.P.

Clint Viebrock

---------------------------------

Arrangements are not yet known.

Thank you,
~ Carol 

Here is an article dated 2002 about Joe Kimm..   https://cf.alpa.org/internet/alp/2002/May-June_2002/may-june2002p24.html  

Read more and see 2011 video at http://www.komonews.com/news/local/128043918.html  

Capt. Joe Kimm
Quiet Birdman

Air Line Pilot, May/June 2002, p.24
By Susan Duxbury Capt. Joe Kimm’s career with Northwest Airlines spanned 41 years. Starting as a steward in 1929 on the Ford Trimotor, he ended his career in 1971 at the age of 60 flying Boeing 707s. He was just short of his 18th birthday when he began working for the airline, and the year before he retired, Northwest took possession of its first Boeing 747. Capt. Kimm continues to regret that he was not given the opportunity to check out in the B-747.
Ninety years have been physically good to Capt. Kimm, and his quick mind remains engaged in the matters of the world. At a recent Retired Northwest Pilots Association (RNPA) banquet in Vancouver, Capt. Kimm’s eloquent invocation addressed the fears and concerns of all present over the terrorism that had just shattered the United States. His continued involvement in aviation comes not only from his participation with the RNPA, but also as a member of the Quiet Birdmen, an organization of pilots that predates most airlines.

Amelia Earhart flew as a passenger on Northwest Airways' "proof" flight from the Twin Cities over the Rocky Mountains to Seattle, Wash., in January 1933. From left are Joe Kimm, copilot; Hugh Rueschenberg, captain; Earhart; and Mal Freeburg, system chief pilot.

At the age of 9, Capt. Kimm received a model airplane kit as a Christmas gift from his parents. When completed, the model hung from the ceiling of his classroom at school. Eighty-one years later, he recalled the model, an NC-4, as being covered in Japanese silk. The model airplane was a harbinger of Capt. Kimm’s future career.
A year later, Clarence Hinck, a local Minneapolis aviator, invited Al Kimm and his two sons, Joe and his older brother, Herb, to join him on a flight from the Robbinsdale Airport. They flew in an open-cockpit Curtis JN4 Jenny. "It was a thrill," Capt. Kimm remarks, "to be up in the clouds." Few people flew in those early days of aviation. Who could have imagined on that day in 1921 how many hours Capt. Kimm would log as a pilot in the future on ever newer, more sophisticated, and faster airplanes?
Joe spent his free hours as a teen carving model airplanes from discarded wooden Kraft Cheese boxes, carefully forming spars from quarter-inch green pine. He joined a model airplane club in his neighborhood, where he distinguished himself by winning the Minneapolis Journal’s 1928 model-airplane tournament at the age of 17.
Walter Bullock, a pilot for the newly formed Northwest Airways, was the club’s advisor. Bullock was notable as one of the nation’s pioneer aviators even before signing on with Northwest Airways, having made his first solo flight at the age of 17 and being the youngest pilot to be certified by the Aero Club of America. Bullock was a barnstormer and flew exhibitions over Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis. He carried the distinction of having taught the legendary Charlie "Speed" Hollman how to fly. Bullock would prove a worthy mentor for the young Joe Kimm.
After graduating from Minneapolis Central High School in January 1929, at 17, Joe hoped to continue his education by studying aeronautical engineering. But the Kimm family lacked the money to send him to college. Fresh from high school, Joe took a job at a candy and ice cream parlor, earning $12 a week.
As a sideline to his flying, Bullock had started a business out of the basement of his house assembling model airplane kits for sale. He invited Joe to come work for him. Joe readily accepted, agreeing to work for the same pay he earned at the ice cream shop. The work was physically less demanding, but of more importance—it was better suited to the young man’s aviation interests.
One day as the two worked side by side, Bullock made the suggestion: "If you can sell your folks on the idea, Northwest could use you as a steward on our Trimotor flights to Chicago." Joe’s parents, caught off guard by the sudden offer, demurred to each other before granting the permission their son so eagerly sought. In 1929, Joe signed on as a steward for the hometown airline and stepped across the threshold to an enduring aviation career.
Northwest Airways was barely 3 years old when Joe went to work for the company. Col. Louis Brittin, backed by Henry Ford and a consortium of Detroit businessmen, began the airline in 1926 after securing Air Mail Route 9 between Chicago and the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn. Speed Hollman and Dave Behncke were hired to fly the mail in rented airplanes—a Curtiss Oriole and a Thomas Morse, each powered by an OX-5.
Incorporated as a Michigan company, Northwest Airways established an operational base at Wold-Chamberlain Field in the Twin Cities. That same year, the company purchased four Stinson Detroiters and in 1927 began to carry passengers. The Stinson SB-1, a single-engine biplane with room for three passengers, flew between the Twin Cities and Chicago, making stops in La Crosse and Madison, Wis., and Milwaukee. The one-way fare from Minneapolis to Chicago was $40.
The airline expanded service into Canada in 1928 and became the first airline to establish an air–rail network. Connections were formed with the Rock Island, Great Northern, Northern Pacific, and Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroads. Northwest Airways also added an air route to Green Bay, Wis., by way of the Wisconsin towns of Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Neenah-Nebasga, and Appleton. In May 1929, passenger service was started to Rochester, Minn. Service to Elgin and Rockford, Ill., was added to the Northwest Airways route map in 1930, as were weekly flights to Sioux City and Iowa City, Iowa, and Omaha, Neb.
A group of Minnesota businessmen bought control of Northwest Airways in 1929, elected Richard C. Lilly of St. Paul as president, and moved the operation base from Wold-Chamberlain Field to the downtown St. Paul airport.
Northwest was an expanding regional airline when Joe joined it as a steward. He worked 130 hours a month, earning $78. His duties were to help fuel the airplane, sell tickets, board passengers, meet the mail truck, and load the mail and baggage onto the airplane.
Joe quickly realized he was in the wrong job. "I thought I was working harder than those in the cockpit," he says. "I wanted to fly the plane." He borrowed a WACO 10 biplane from the company, and Chad Smith, hired as chief pilot by Speed Hollman, led Joe to his first solo in 4½ hours of flight time, an effort generally requiring 10 hours to accomplish.
Shortly after Joe qualified for his transport license, the U.S. Department of Commerce Division of Aeronautics, forerunner of the FAA, passed a ruling requiring two pilots on aircraft weighing 12,500 pounds or more. The ruling was implemented with the Ford Trimotor in mind. If not for the good timing in acquiring his license, Joe would have been furloughed; instead, he moved from the back of the airplane to the right seat of the cockpit.
At that time, there was no debate over arming the flight crew of an airplane. Recently, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., Capt. Kimm was asked his opinion about pilots carrying guns on flights.
"From 1929 to 1932, I carried a .38 revolver Wyatt Earp style on each flight," Capt. Kimm replied. "Then from 1932 to 1942, the company policy changed, and copilots carried revolvers in their flight bag." Postal regulations required those responsible for carrying the mail to be armed.
Air navigation was a rudimentary affair in 1929. Numbered searchlight beacons were spaced every 10 miles along the course to mark an air route. Morse code flashed the number of the beacon to the airplane where the pilots would coordinate the number on a map to establish the aircraft’s position.. Flying in cloudy weather was restricted with a ¼-mile visibility required. Radio had not yet made its way into the cockpit of most airplanes before 1932. A pilot who ran into bad weather would seek a farmer’s field and circle to determine if it had adequate room and no obstacles (such as haystacks) to landing. Assured, the pilot would put the airplane down.
"Farmers were more than happy to see us," remarks Capt. Kimm, "and were glad to give us a ride to town, where we dropped the airmail off at the local train station and used Western Union to advise the home office in St. Paul of our whereabouts. We would remain in town until the weather cleared and the flight could resume. Rarely did we have passengers, but in case we did, they would continue by train."

Northwest Airlines, to celebrate its 30th birthday in 1956, flew the famous Ford Trimotor coast to coast, from New York City to Seattle, Wash. The crew of this nostalgic flight was, from left, Walt Kollath, mechanic; Capts. Deke Delong and Joe Kimm; and Coral Yule, cabin attendant.

Capt. Kimm had some memorable experiences during his years of flying with Northwest. One of these happened on April 12, 1932, a beautiful day with fair winds following. Flying as copilot, he was at the controls of a Ford Trimotor flying from St. Paul to Chicago with 12 passengers. Mal Freeburg was the captain. As the airplane passed over Wabasha, Minn., the pilots heard a large thump that came from the position of the No. 1 engine. Grabbing the controls and dipping the wings to see what was wrong, Capt. Freeburg discovered the left engine had broken loose from its mounting and was wedged in the landing gear struts. He faced a crucial decision of whether to dump the engine over the Mississippi River or to fly on and land at Wabasha Airport. The risk with the latter alternative was that neither pilot knew how the Trimotor would handle unbalanced by the displaced engine, or when the engine might break loose. Capt. Freeburg turned the airplane and flew it over the Mississippi River, where he banked to the left before whipping the controls back and forth to shake the engine loose.
The engine, rather than landing in the river as the pilots had planned, dropped on land 200 feet from a farmer building a chicken coop near the banks of the river. Capt. Freeburg then landed the Trimotor at Wabasha Airport. Within minutes, the airport received a phone call from the "chicken coop man" reporting he had found an airplane engine. A prized possession gracing Capt. Kimm’s home is an ashtray made from a piston salvaged from that engine. Capt. Freeburg received the first Congressional Medal of Honor given an airline pilot for skillfully handling the emergency, and Collier’s magazine published an article on the incident.
Mountains and severe winter weather provided obstacles to establishing a northern transcontinental route. Western regional airlines lobbied heavily against Col. Brittin’s desire to expand Northwest’s routes to Montana and on to Puget Sound. Brittin set out to prove the doubters wrong about a northern transcontinental flight by planning a "proof" flight between the Twin Cities and Seattle. He placed Croil Hunter in charge of publicizing the flight. Hunter, with keen instincts for the advantages of good press, invited a friend he had met during his days as a student at Yale to fly as a passenger on the flight. The friend, the media darling of the day, Amelia Earhart, had recently assured her place in aviation history by being the first woman to cross the Atlantic solo in an airplane.
On Jan. 28, 1933, with a brisk snowfall swirling around the St. Paul airport, Hugh Rueschenberg at the controls, with Joe Kimm as copilot, guided the Ford Trimotor down the runway for its takeoff on the historic proof flight. Accompanying Earhart in the back of the airplane were Col. Brittin and Hunter, whose wife joined him. Capt. Freeburg, the airline’s system chief pilot, and a mechanic, Heinie Wahlstrom, completed the passenger list.
The first leg, from Minneapolis to Bismarck, N.D., went without incident.. It was capped off with a reception at the North Dakota Governor’s mansion. The two pilots, Rueschenberg and Kimm, left the party early to study their charts and plot the course for the next day’s leg.
The second leg was from Bismarck to Billings, Mont., where the Billings Chamber of Commerce gave a reception for the members of the flight; in Helena the next day, the Governor of Montana hosted another banquet.
At the reception in Helena, a wealthy Montana sheep rancher introduced himself to the crew, claiming to know every pass, stream, and salt lick in the area like the back of his hand. He volunteered to go along and guide the pilots across the Continental Divide. The next day, with this self-appointed guide on board and another snow squall swirling about it, the airplane took off.
"With Rueschenberg at the controls, and following the rancher’s directions, the flight headed west," recalls Capt. Kimm. "Shortly, the rancher appeared in the cockpit and said we had to turn around immediately as we were in a blind canyon. A turn was impossible at that moment because of the snow squall we were in. Hugh continued on until a letup in the weather permitted enough visibility to make the reversal. Again directed by the rancher, the plane flew into another blind canyon. Rueschenberg, ever the gentleman, suggested to the rancher with polite firmness that he return to his seat in the cabin and enjoy the flight, that we would find our way okay."

Two horses were needed to turn the Hamilton around in Pembina, N.D., in the winter of 1936. Capt. Kimm was unable to turn the airplane on its skis in the heavy winds. Charlie Beauvette, the station manager, hitched up the two horses and towed the aircraft back to the ramp. Capt. Kimm took the picture with his Brownie box camera.

Concerned that weather presented too great an obstacle to continue on, the pilots turned the airplane back toward Missoula. As they made the turn, they discovered a "Y"-shaped break in the mountains northwest of Missoula and flew over the pass into the Clark Fork River Valley. From there, the route took them up the Clark Fork River and over Coeur d’Alene Lake before landing in Spokane, Wash., in the midst of yet another blinding snowstorm.
For 2 days, the flight party was snowbound in the Davenport Hotel in Spokane while Brittin and Hunter met with press and local civic leaders bringing the message of promised civic benefit if a northern route to the West Coast was established.
Hunter put Earhart up in a $75-a-day suite, where she met and was interviewed by the local press. Hunter hosted a private turkey dinner in Earhart’s suite for the members of the flight on their last night in the Davenport Hotel.
The next day, the weather improved; the flight took off and flew over the beautiful, but hazardous, Cascade Mountains before landing in Seattle. The proof flight had achieved its goal. The return trip to the Twin Cities took just 2 days.
Capt. Kimm has fond memories of Amelia Earhart. He describes her as "a competent woman and a fine passenger. She sat in the back without offering advice on the flying." Moreover, he expresses his opinion that her navigator erred and missed Howland Island, causing the mystery that intrigues us to this day.
Northwest, building on the success of its proof flight, invested heavily in establishing a route between Chicago and Seattle. The company began training pilots to fly the mountainous route and ordered new and faster airplanes to put in service between Chicago and Seattle. Thus President Franklin Roosevelt’s Executive Order on Feb. 9, 1934, canceling all existing air mail contracts, was a serious blow to the airline. The order resulted from charges of irregularities in granting air mail contracts that led to monopolies. The Army Air Corps was ordered to fly the mail.
Approximately 80 percent of North-west’s income came from its air mail contracts and only 20 percent from passenger service. The airline was forced to furlough one-third of its 150 employees; those who remained on the payroll were paid at half wages. Joe Kimm was furloughed.
At the urging of a friend, he applied to fly for the Illinois Air National Guard. A hernia, however, kept him from passing the flight physical, and instead he was accepted into the Guard not as a pilot, but as a driver, shuttling Guard pilots to and from the airfield.
Turning the air mail service over to the Army Air Corps proved a national debacle. Flying obsolete airplanes with pilots untrained to fly at the heights necessary for carrying the mail and in bad weather resulted in a series of fatal crashes. The Roosevelt Administration had no option but to return the airmail routes back into the hands of private carriers. Congress responded by passing the Black–McKeller Act of 1934 to address the original charges of irregularity that led to air mail contracts being concentrated in the hands of a few.
Under the Black–McKeller Act, many airlines were forced to reorganize, and in April 1934, Northwest Airways reincorporated as Northwest Airlines, Inc. Passenger revenue did not exceed mail revenue for the airline until 1941.
As routes expanded and flying hours increased, compensation became a contentious issue between the pilots and the owners of the airlines. Any pilot who flew for an airline before 1932 could neither forgive nor forget what E..L. Cord of Century Airlines tried to do to them.
Cord came to represent just how ruthless airline owners could be in dealing with pilots. In confronting his pilots over pay, Cord took full advantage of the Depression that followed the stock market crash of 1929, presenting his pilots an ultimatum—accept a cut in pay to $200 a month or resign. Cord had trouble finding applicants willing to take the place of those who would not accept the cut in pay, and ultimately he sold Century Airlines.
While Cord’s actions do not mark the birth of the Air Line Pilots Association, they encouraged membership in the new union. Six pilots representing three airlines met at the Troy Lane Hotel in Chicago in 1931 to discuss concerns that the airlines were collaborating to reduce pilots’ pay. This meeting was followed by another at the Morrison Hotel in Chicago the following July. There, 24 "Key Men" met to discuss the pilots’ diminished relationship with the airline owners in the midst of the deepening depression. Hostility to the pilots’ organizing efforts forced the Key Men to refer to themselves by alphabetical letters. Capt. Kimm’s early mentor, Walter Bullock, known as Mr. C, recruited pledges to the union at Northwest Airways; and because of his successful efforts to convince the pilots of the need for a union, Northwest ALPA became Council One.
Capt. Kimm is a charter member of ALPA. He was the 459th pilot to join the union.
"To be a member of ALPA in its early days," Capt. Kimm says, "was a hush-hush affair." Many national union leaders lost their jobs or were forced to frequently change domicile as retribution for their organizing activities.
The salary of a Northwest pilot in 1928 was $350 a month for five trips per week between Chicago and St. Paul. The Stinson J-4 used on this route flew at only 83 miles per hour, making for long days of flying. Hourly duty limitations did not exist, nor were pilots granted regular vacations. Northwest President Richard Lilly threatened to disband the airline if he had any labor trouble and bragged to the pilots that the airline was merely a plaything to him, that he had wealth and did not need the airline. The pilots assumed he was not about to fold the airline as it was making a 25 percent per year profit over the original investment. The union called Lilly’s bluff, and through continuous pressure from ALPA, the pilots negotiated a pay raise to as much as $775 per month for flying the Ford Trimotors.
Northwest Airlines signed its first contract with its pilots in 1936 and with it established a seniority list for its 45 pilots. Seniority dates were arbitrarily based on date of hire as a captain. Kimm’s date of hire as a captain was Jan. 1, 1935. He was assigned seniority number 13. Thirty-six years later, in 1971, Capt. Kimm retired as the No. 1 pilot on a list of approximately 2,000 Northwest pilots.
Pay continued to be an issue between the pilots and the airlines when in 1938 the pilots sought to be compensated by the miles they flew rather than an hourly wage the companies hoped to maintain. The issue was brought before a hearing of the National Labor Board and was settled in a ruling known as Decision 83, which laid out a formula based on a flat hourly wage augmented by an increase for the speed of the aircraft and a small mileage increment.
When the United States entered World War II, Capt. Kimm joined the Army Air Corps and was assigned to the 20th Ferrying Squadron, flying C-54s and B-24s. He held the rank of major and served for 3 years. The squadron bore the title of "The Brass Hat Squadron," because of its mission flying government and military leaders around during the war. Frenchie Williams, a squadron mate, was President Roosevelt’s pilot and flew the president to his historic meeting in Yalta. Major Kimm was pilot to the Chief of the Mexican Air Force, flying him to Sardinia, Gibraltar, and England. While flying over England, Major Kimm witnessed buzz bombs zooming in on London during the Blitz.
After World War II, Northwest began flying to Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, and Manila. Again compensation for pilots went through another evolution. Larger and faster planes led pilots to be paid by the gross weight and the speed of the aircraft. Larger equipment led to greater pay. ALPA, according to Capt. Kimm, through its leadership and dogged efforts, was able to keep pilots’ pay at a decent level as the demands of flying increased.
On his return to Northwest after the war, Capt. Kimm was assigned to ferry the airlines’ first four-engine, 50-passenger DC-4 to Minneapolis. He had flown the military version, the C-54, while on active duty. Capt. Kimm, along with John Woodhead, Bill Richmond, and J.J. Corrigan, were assigned as chief flight instructors for the DC-4.
Capt. Kimm also flew the Boeing Stratocruiser as part of his post-war assignments. The Stratocruiser, the commercial version of the B-29 bomber, was the most luxurious airplane in the airlines’ fleets. It could carry 83 passengers and boasted an upper and lower deck as well as a cocktail lounge.. In 1949, Northwest, using its Stratocruisers, became the first carrier in the United States to offer beverage service.
"Few airplanes in the history of piston-engine aircraft developed as many devoted fans as the Stratocruiser, and few were as costly to operate," wrote Kenneth Ruble in Flight to the Top. The same year the Stratocruiser joined the fleet, Northwest adopted the carrier’s signature red tail.
Also in 1949, Capt. Kimm became the system chief pilot for Northwest Airlines. This was added to his position as eastern regional chief pilot in Minneapolis. For the increased responsibilities, Capt. Kimm received an additional $25 in his paycheck. Besides supervising the regional chief pilots, one in Seattle and one in Tokyo, his responsibilities included hiring new pilots. While chief pilot, Capt. Kimm hired 50 new pilots, including the nephew of Clarence Hinck, who had given Capt. Kimm his first airplane ride in 1921..
After 2 years behind a desk, acknowledging his real love was flying, Capt. Kimm resigned the office position and returned to flight duty in July 1951. He moved to Seattle, where he flew DC-6s and DC-7s before entering the jet age by flying DC-8s and Boeing 707-320s.
In 1956, Northwest, to celebrate its 30th birthday, planned a nostalgic coast-to-coast flight of the famous Ford Trimotor. Capts. Kimm and Leon "Deke" Delong were tapped to serve as co-captains for the flight. Nine cabin attendants, dressed in native costumes representing the foreign cities that the airline served, added to the festive celebration. The entire entourage, including executive vice-president Malcolm Mackay, was featured on the popular national TV program "Arthur Godfrey Time." The producers had scheduled 15 minutes for the Northwest celebration. But Godfrey, an aviation enthusiast, pilot, and aircraft owner himself, kept the Northwest group on the air for an extended 45 minutes.
The Ford Trimotor took off from New York on its transcontinental flight and made stops at Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, Chicago, Madison, the Twin Cities, Rochester, Minn., Spokane and Yakima, Wash., Portland, Ore., and Seattle. At each stop, huge crowds gathered while reams of publicity followed in the local newspapers.

In March 2001, at the age of 90, Capt. Kimm, third from left, set the pace for a climb on the Great Wall of China. He was accompanied by fellow retired Northwest captains John Dittberner and Dino Oliva, left, and Neal Henderson, right.

Capt. Kimm was flying Boeing 707-320s in 1970 when Northwest added the Boeing 747 to its fleet. This 369-passenger airplane was the first of the widebody generation of airplanes. With the B-747’s cruising speed of 555 miles per hour and its load capabilities, it became the premier airliner of Northwest’s international service.
Donald Nyrop, president of the airline since 1954, would not allow Capt. Kimm to check out in this new generation of aircraft. This was in keeping with Nyrop’s reputation as a frugal administrator. Nyrop saw no cost benefit in allowing Capt. Kimm to check out in the B-747 with less than a year before mandatory retirement at the age of 60.
Annoyed at being excluded from the Boeing 747, at the age of 59, Capt. Kimm took up skiing in the mountains surrounding Seattle with the expectation he would use up his sick leave. In spite of frequent falls, he continued skiing without injury until his retirement on Aug. 8, 1971. He had spent 42 years in the air. In skiing, however, he picked an enduring activity to fill his time. Last year, at the age of 90, Capt. Kimm bought a new pair of parabolic skis and is still a regular on the ski slopes of the Pacific Northwest.
On a recent RNPA trip to China, Capt. Kimm’s physical condition was the envy of his fellow travelers. With hardly a rise in his pulse rate, he set the pace for the climb up the Great Wall of China, a physically demanding

Death of Linda Knapp Rupp, 69

~IN MEMORY~
Linda Knapp Rupp widow of the late Captain Robert J. “Pat” Rupp
Sept 21st, 2013

Linda Madeline Knapp Rupp passed away Saturday, September 21st, surrounded by loved ones in her home in Covington, LA. 

Age 69, Linda was born in Baton Rouge, LA to the late Roy Lee and Helen Ainsworth Knapp. Proceeded in death by her husband of almost 44 years, Captain Robert J. “Pat” Rupp.
She is survived by four daughters: Leesa R. Rupp, Teresa M. Rupp, Terri L. Viola (Dale) and Angela Rupp Harris (David); two sons, Clifford “Dave” Ott III (Fayla) and Patrick A. Rupp (Michelle); 17 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren and sister, Gayle Patrick “Pat” Knapp. She was preceded in death by siblings, Carol White, Glen “Buster” Knapp and sons-in-law, Joseph O. Manuel, Jr. and Ed Jenkins.

In addition to being a mother of six children, Linda was a talented seamstress, stained and beveled glass artisan, as well as an artist. She was a faithful member of First Baptist Church of Covington.
Interment at Pinecrest Memorial Gardens in Covington will take place following a memorial service at First Baptist Church of Covington, 16333 Highway 1085, Covington, LA 70433 on Monday, Sept. 23rd at 12:00 noon. Visitation for family and friends begins at 11:00 am, both AT THE CHURCH.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to First Baptist Church

http://ejfieldingfh.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=2252811&fh_id=12065


 

DL Capt Harold B Walter

~ IN MEMORY ~

DL Capt. Harold (Hap) B. Walter, 78
September 15, 1935 ~ September 19, 2013
(hire date 07-24-1961)

Word has been received of the passing of Harold (Hap) Walter.  Notice information below and obituary will be added when it becomes available.  Condolences may be sent to son and daughter, Tim and Susie and long time friend Mary Ann Harrison.

From: "Mary Ann Harrison" < prolabco@earthlink.net>
Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 12:02:00 PM
Subject: Hap Walter  1935 - 2013

Dear Friends and Family

Hap passed away last night in his sleep. He had been in so much pain for so long.
His leukemia had progressed into a very aggressive T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma.
He has been on Hospice for seven weeks and has outlived all prognosis.

Tim and Susie (his son and daughter) are with me and that has been a big help.
Hap said he did not want a funeral, only a grave-side service with family there.
His wish was that any memorial would be a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society. (www.lls.org)

I will be staying here until sometime next week. I need to get home, but first,
I need to get some rest.

Thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers.
He is now at peace.

Mary Ann Harrison    prolabco@earthlink.net

~~~~~~

From: JandEFinley@comcast.net [mailto:JandEFinley@comcast.net]
Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 9:58 PM
To: info@deltagoldenwings.com
Cc: John W Finley
Subject: Fwd: Hap Walter 1935 - 2013

I am forwarding this information about the passing of my friend Hap Walter last evening. I have included the email from MaryAnn Harrison,Hap's longtime significant friend. Hap was a member of DGW, having retired in 1995. He was 78 years old. He will
be sadly missed by all that knew him.

John Finley 

~~~~

Subject: Hap Walter's passing

 Carol,

Julian asked me to send additional information to you regarding the passing of Harold B. (Hap) Walter.  I think that John Finley has reached out, and those who knew Hap are welcome to contact either of us as appropriate; most will know John.

Hap passed away on the evening of Thursday, 9/19 from complications of Leukemia.  He will be remembered respectfully at a small, private service in Stuart, FL and over the coming weeks with raucous toasts involving lies and gross exaggerations of his prowess in aviation.  He asked that no flowers be sent, but that donations be made instead to further research and help others in the future:  http://lls.org

Please feel free to contact me as needed at this e-mail address.

Very Best Regards,

Tim Walter   commercial@timothymwalter.com  

(Hap's son)

From: "Mary Ann Harrison" <prolabco@earthlink.net>
Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 12:02:00 PM
Subject: Hap Walter  1935 - 2013


Dear Friends and Family

Hap passed away last night in his sleep. He had been in so much pain for so long.
His leukemia had progressed into a very aggressive T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma.
He has been on Hospice for seven weeks and has outlived all prognosis.

Tim and Susie (his son and daughter) are with me and that has been a big help.
Hap said he did not want a funeral, only a grave-side service with family there.
His wish was that any memorial would be a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society. (www.lls.org)

I will be staying here until sometime next week. I need to get home, but first,
I need to get some rest.

Thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers.
He is now at peace.

Mary Ann Harrison

 

 

 

 

 

DL Capt William H McGannon

~ IN MEMORY ~

DL Capt. William H. ‘Bill’ McGannon

July 7, 1938 ~ September 19, 2013

(hire date 11-04-1968)

Survived by wife Susan Curtis McGannon

770-887-0096..... 6204 Browns Bridge Rd.,  Cumming, GA 30041-4760

From: PCN Dir Sent: Saturday, September 21, 2013 8:21 AM

Subject: PCN - DL Capt William H "Bill" McGannon, 75

Full Name William H. "Bill" McGannon

Date of Birth Thursday, July 7th, 1938

Date of Death Thursday, September 19th, 2013

Family-Placed Death Notice  

William H. "Bill" McGannon,  75

July 7, 1938 -- September 19, 2013

 Word has been received of the passing of William McGannon, retired Delta Captain of Cumming, GA.  Below is his notice from the newspaper and a link to the notice at the funeral home.  Please send condolences and remember the family at this sad time.

Family-Placed Death Notice

McGANNON, William. William Harshel "Bill" McGannon, 75, of Cumming passed away Thursday September 19, 2013 following a long illness. Born July 7, 1938 in Cleveland, Ohio to the late Harshel and Mary McGannon, he had lived in Forsyth County for the past 15 years having moved from Tucker. Mr. McGannon was a retired pilot for Delta Air Lines and was also preceded in death by a daughter, Michelle McGannon. Surviving are his wife of 50 years, Sueann Curtis McGannon; son and daughter in law, Michael and Jennifer McGannon; daughter and son in law, Mary and Robert Jenkins; four grandchildren, two sisters and a brother. At his request, Mr. McGannon was cremated and private memorial services will be held. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Burn Unit of the Shriners Hospital for Children, 3229 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229-3095. Condolences may be expressed at www.beardenfuneralhome.com. Bearden Funeral Home, Dawsonville, GA.

Published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on September 21, 2013

- See more at:

Atlanta Journal Constitution Notice:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/atlanta/obituary.aspx?n=william-mcgannon&pid=167060994&fhid=5285#fbLoggedOut

Funeral home info:

http://www.beardenfuneralhome.com/book-of-memories/1674000/McGannon-William-H-Bill/service-details.php

ATL DL mechanic Joel Denny Sanders

~ IN MEMORY ~

DL mechanic Joel Denny Sanders

June 8, 1943 ~ August 30, 2013

Notification has been received with the passing of retired Delta mechanic Joel Denny Sanders, age 70.   

To sign the online guestbook and view the family photo gallery please visit http://www.hollyhillfuneralhome.com/ 

Services for Captain Sanders were held September 2nd in Georgia.  Personal condolences may be sent to the family c/o Sandra Diane Sanders at

120 Garden Ct.,  Fayetteville  GA 30215-2299  ...  (678) 489-2045 

Arrangements were entrusted to Holly Hill Memorial Park of Fairburn GA.

Thank you,
~ Carol

Obituary for Joel Sanders..................

Joel Denny Sanders, age 70, of Fayetteville, GA, died August 30, 2013, at the Cumming Hospice House. He was born in Atlanta, GA, and was the son of the late Era Collier Sanders, Jr. and the late Doris Kathleen Stinchcomb. He was a retired mechanic with Delta Airlines and a member of Kenwood Christian Church. He is survived by: wife, Sandra Sanders of Fayetteville; daughters, Tina Ames of Gainseville and Laura Galvan of Fayetteville; brothers, Ronnie Sanders and Wayne Sanders of Fayetteville, and Dean Sanders of Gay, GA; sister, Elaine Johnson of Forsyth; seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Graveside Funeral services for Joel Denny Sanders will be held on September 2, 2013, in Holly Hill Memorial Park at 12 o:clock. Scott Ames will officiate. Holly Hill Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Interment Information:   Holly Hill Memorial Park

Address:   359 SW Broad St. ,   Fairburn, GA

----------------------------------

From: Homestead    Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2013 6:48 PM

To: death@pilotcommunication.net  

Subject: Your Web Site Received a Form Submission

A visitor to your Web site has filled out the form located at:

http://RetiredDeltaPilotNetwork.homestead.com/DEATHINFAMILYINFORMATIONREQUESTFORM.html

Joel Denny Sanders

DOB 6-8-43

Date of Death: 8-30-2013

accident fall broke hip

Sandra Diane Sanders,120 Garden Court, Fayetteville GA 678-489-2045

Originally with Delta

Atlanta

Retired

Holly Hill Funeral Home Obituary in Fairburn, Ga.

SO/NWA Capt. William K. Killebrew Sr.

~ IN MEMORY ~

SO/NWA Capt. William Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Killebrew Sr.

January 4, 1938 - September 15, 2013

Notification with the passing of NWA/DL pilot Capt. William K. Killebrew Sr., age 75.  “Kenny joined Southern Airways in 1965 and retired as Captain on the DC-10 from Northwest Airlines in 1998 with 33 years of service.”

To view/sign the online guestbook please visit the funeral home website at http://www.daviswatkins.com/  Captain Killebrew is survived by his wife Nancy.  To the best of my knowledge personal condolences may be sent to the family at

  506 Gulf Shore Drive Unit 314 ,  Destin  FL 32541-5063

Services for Captain Killebrew are planned for Friday, September 20th, in Florida.

Thank you,
~ Carol

Obituary...........

William Kenneth Killebrew, a 10-year resident of Destin, Fla., died after a long illness on Sunday at Sacred Heart Hospital of Emerald Coast. He was 75 years old. Kenny was the son of the late William Thomas "Captain Bill" Killebrew, a local TV personality for years in Memphis, Tenn., and the late Marie Buckley Killebrew of Memphis. A memorial service will be held at Destin United Methodist Church of Destin on Friday, Sept. 20,, 2013 at 2 p.m.

Kenny was preceded in death by his first wife, Patricia Johnson Killebrew; son, William Kenneth Killebrew, Jr.; and sister, Kay Killebrew Conaway, all of Memphis. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Johnson Killebrew; son, Keith McClellan Killebrew of Fayetteville, Tenn.; sister, Judy Killebrew Lambert of Medon, Tenn.; stepson, Jason Collard, West Memphis, Ark.; and stepdaughter, Shannon Armstrong, Destin; grandsons, William K. (Trey) Killebrew, III and Trevor Harding of Denton, Texas, Thomas Killebrew and Jackson Killebrew of Fayetteville, Alex Armstrong of West Memphis, Ark., Charlie Armstrong of Destin, and Whit Collard and Grey Collard, West Memphis; granddaughters, Elizabeth "Bee" Armstrong, Destin, and Sydney Collard, West Memphis; nephew, Michael Lambert of Medon, Tenn.; and his nieces; Natalie Lambert Hill, Clinton, Miss., and Molly Conaway Dill, Memphis.

Kenny was born at home in Dresden, Tenn. After the family moved to Memphis at age 5, he ran away from home and was found on his way to the Memphis airport with his toy airplane tucked under his arm. He meant to fly. He went on to attend Memphis State University and join the Army Reserve. Kenny was then granted a loan from Mr. Hartzog, the founder of Hart's Bakery in Memphis for flying lessons. Then he crop dusted to accumulate hours for his commercial pilot's license. Kenny joined Southern Airways in 1965 and retired as Captain on the DC-10 from Northwest Airlines in 1998 with 33 years of service. He was an ardent animal lover and his three cats; Sophie, China and Shadow were a constant source of joy and comfort to him. His giving spirit and sense of humor will be greatly missed by his many friends, he was a character one never forgets.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, any memorials be sent to either Destin United Methodist Church, 200 Beach St., Destin, FL 32541, or to the ALS Association, Florida Chapter, 3242 Parkside Center, Tampa, FL 33619-0907.

Please visit www.daviswatkins.com   to express condolences or share memories.

  .Published in Northwest Florida Daily News on September 18, 2013

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nwfdailynews/obituary.aspx?n=William-Killebrew&pid=167015838#fbLoggedOut

NWA Capt. John A. Pieper

~ IN MEMORY ~

NWA Capt. John A. Pieper

November 30, 1923 ~ June 5, 2013 

Belated notification with the passing of NWA Capt. John A. Pieper, age 89.  Captain Pieper hired on with the airlines 07-14-1944 and retired in 1983 at the mandatory age 60.  Captain Pieper’s obituary can still be viewed online at http://www.brenny.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=2111010&fh_id=12224 

Survived by his wife Julia personal condolences may be sent to the family at

PO Box 543 , Crosslake  MN 56442-0543  ...  (218) 828-7057.

Obituary.................

John A. Pieper, 89, of Crosslake was called to his eternal home on Wednesday, June 5, 2013 at his home. Services for John will be held on Monday, June 10, 2013 at 11:00AM at Mission of the Cross Lutheran Church in Crosslake with Pastor Leslie Uhrinak officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church.

John was born on November 30, 1923 in Stillwater, MN to Rev.John and Lydia (nee Hoenecke) Pieper. He was the youngest of six children. He graduated from Concordia Academy in St. Paul, MN in 1941. He attended Northwestern College in Watertown, WI and University of Minnesota from 1941-1942. John learned to fly in 1940 at age 16. He became a flight instructor in 1943 and later became a pilot for Northwest airlines in 1944, retiring in 1983. He began his flying career on the Douglas DC3 and retired in 1983 as a pilot on the Boeing 747. His career at NWA spanned over 39 years obtaining a type rating on ten NWA aircraft. John met his future wife, Julia Spanko, a Northwest Airlines flight attendant while flying on the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser together. His daughters, Priscilla and Julie were passengers on his last outbound flight from Chicago’s O’Hare Field to Seoul, South Korea’s Kimpo Field. John was active in his church and involved in the church planting of Mission of the Cross Lutheran Church in Crosslake.  

John is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, Julia; five children, Priscilla (James) Grossman, Julie (Jim) Cervin, Linda (Bruce) Wilson, John Pieper, Paula (Jim) Zagel; thirteen grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and sister, Zita Broetzman. He was preceded in death by his mother and father and four sisters.

     Arrangements have been entrusted to Brenny Funeral Chapel in Crosslake, MN.

============================================

 

From: RNPA News Sent: Saturday, June 08, 2013 8:31 AM

Subject: RNPA News: John Pieper Has Flown West.

 

John A. Pieper

Posted on 6/6/2013

CROSSLAKE — John A. Pieper, 89, of Crosslake, was called to his eternal home on Wednesday, June 5, 2013, at his home. Services for John will be held on Monday, June 10, 2013, at 11 a.m. at Mission of the Cross Lutheran Church in Crosslake with Pastor Leslie Uhrinak officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DL Capt. Kurt H. Brown

Sent: Thursday, September 12, 2013 5:44 AM

Subject:  Kurt Brown's Obituary

 

The following was sent by Captain Kurt Brown’s family.............. 

Kurt H. Brown was born in 1942 in Rochester, NY. Kurt was the son of George A. Brown, Alexandria Bay, NY and Florence Ostrander, Theresa, NY. George was an Athletic Director, while Florence was a third grade and music teacher. They moved back to Alexandria Bay, NY in 1943 to raise their son, and Kurt graduated from Alexandria Central School in 1960, while excelling in music and athletics. From 1960-1964 Kurt attended Colgate University, majoring in Mathematics. Kurt was awarded scholarships in baseball, ice hockey, and vocal music at Colgate. Additionally, Kurt was a brother of Phi Delta Theta and was a US Air Force ROTC Cadet at Colgate. He earned many Air Force awards, which led to his being commissioned as a regular officer upon graduation. After graduation Kurt played professional hockey in Holland as a goaltender with the Dutch National Team, where he met his wife, Else Van Breugel, to whom he was married in 1967. In 1965 Kurt entered USAF Pilot training, and flew the C-130 Hercules serving in South America, Europe, Africa, and Vietnam until 1970. Kurt was hired by Delta Airlines in 1972 and flew worldwide commercial routes until retiring to Sarasota, FL in 2002. From 1980-1996 Kurt acted as the Hockey Program Director and a coach for the Barrington Area Hockey League in Barrington, IL. BAHL grew from 83 to 600 players under Kurt's volunteer direction, and became one of the largest and most competitive youth hockey clubs in Illinois. Kurt was inducted into the Colgate University Athletic Hall of Honor in October of 2011 for his performance in the sport of ice hockey, with two goaltending records from 1964 still standing. After retiring Kurt volunteered at the Sarasota Veterans’ Association, St. John’s Methodist Church, Heritage Oaks Homeowners’ Association, served as President of the Ostrander Family Association, and played senior ice hockey.  In 2010 Primary Central Nervous System (Brain) Lymphoma was detected and Kurt battled this disease, caused by Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam, until his passing on September 9, 2013.  Kurt is survived by his wife Else, his three children: Sjoukje, Kurt O. (married to Sadie), Alexander, two grandchildren: Carter and Anneke, his sister, Barbara, and numerous extended relatives. Kurt’s first loves in life were his wife, family, friends, and his churches, and he wishes everyone a long and healthy life. A memorial service will be held at the Alexandria Bay, NY United Methodist Church on October 19, 2013 at 1:00pm. Burial services will follow immediately at Barnes Settlement Cemetery, Alexandria Bay, NY. In lieu of flowers, please send donations In Memory of Kurt Brown to either: Hope Lodge NYC (c/o Karen Radwin) 132 W 32^nd Street NY, NY 10001 or to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center c/o Hugh B. Kelly, Annual Giving Officer MSKCC 633 Third Avenue, 28^th Floor NY, NY 10017 or online at: http://mskcc.convio.net/site/TR/Events/GivingSite?pxfid=32013&fr_id=1580&pg=fund

~ IN MEMORY ~

Vietnam war veteran, DL Capt. Kurt H. Brown

October 8, 1942 ~ September 9, 2013

Please see message below from the family of Captain Kurt H. Brown.  Captain Brown hired on with Delta Air Lines 09-04-1972 and was based Chicago for much of his career.  Arrangements are pending and will be posted when known.  Survived by his wife Else personal condolences may be sent to the family at 

4553 Chase Oaks Drive ,  Sarasota   FL 34241-9182  ....  (941) 924-9214  

Thank you,
~ Carol

----------------------- 

From: kurtbrown@comcast.net [mailto:kurtbrown@comcast.net]
Sent: Monday, September 09, 2013 8:47 PM

Friends and Family-

Kurt Brown, “Captain Kurt”, “Coach” or whatever you may have called him, was put in the ICU at The Ohio State University Medical Center with pneumonia and two other infections last Saturday, August 30, and was successful in defeating all of his infections. He received tremendous care from all the ICU staff.

Yesterday he was deemed stable enough to undergo an MRI to determine how successful his most recent radiation treatments were. Today those results were read and unfortunately, the PCNSL had returned all over his brain and upper cervical vertebrae. Included in the area was his brain stem, which explained why he was not able to breathe off the ventilator even though his lungs were clear. Per Kurt’s written wishes, at 5:07 PM the ventilator was removed and Kurt passed away peacefully at 6:04 PM surrounded by his wife, Else, his children, Sjoukje, Kurt, and Alex, and his sister, Barb.

We all want to express our sincere gratitude for all of your thoughts, stories, poems, jokes, support, and prayers throughout the past 21 months. Without all of you, our family and more importantly, Kurt, would not have been able to make it through all of the trials and roadblocks. We also would not have been able to celebrate all of the successes along the way without you. Thank you all so very much for being a part of Kurt’s life; he was truly blessed and thankful to have shared his life with you.

Even though you may not have heard from Else personally, she is very thankful for all of your support and could not have made it through each day without your thoughts and prayers. Every post on this site was read to both Else and Kurt, and they were very aware of your caring messages.

Details about a memorial service and donations in lieu of flowers will be coming after we have finalized plans. They will be emailed and posted on www.caringbridge.org as well.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://brasotadutchclub.org/guestbook.htm 

November 14, 2011 - 09:10 AM Kurt and Else Brown

  This message has been sent to the Sarasota and Bradenton newspapers.

Hockey Hall of Famers

On October 1, 2011, Kurt Brown of Sarasota’s Heritage Oaks GCC community was inducted into the Colgate University Athletic Hall of Honor as an Ice Hockey goaltender from 1960-1964. As an Alternate Captain, Kurt backstopped Colgate’s first two entries in the Eastern College (ECAC) playoffs, 1963 and 1964, to only be stopped by the ECAC Champion each year. Kurt held four Colgate goaltending records for over 40 years, and still holds two: best single season save average and longest shutout streak. Kurt was one of Colgate’s first post-college professional players, playing in the American Hockey League and for the Dutch National Team in Europe. At Colgate, he also played Baseball and sang in the renowned “Colgate 13” acappella group. Kurt’s former Colgate hockey coach, Ole Kollevoll, of “The Meadows”, Sarasota, was previously selected to the Hall of Honor and, unfortunately, passed away last year.

Kurt was a Vietnam era Air Force pilot and then flew over 30 years for Delta Air Lines, moving to Sarasota in 1999 and retiring in 2002. He still plays hockey 3 times a week at the Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex.

 =============================================================

http://gocolgateraiders.com/hof.aspx?hof=200&path=&kiosk= 

HALL OF HONOR

Kurt Brown Class of 1964

Induction Class of 2011

Men's Ice Hockey

Brown served as an alternate captain for the Raiders during the 1962-63 and 1963-64 seasons and recorded a 1.83 goals against average that was the best in all US Collegiate Hockey in the 1962-1963 season. Brown held the Colgate record for single season goals against average for 41 years and is ranked seventh in ECAC Hockey history. Brown still holds the career save percentage and single season save percentage records for Colgate with a .917 and .930 respectively. After Colgate, Brown attended training camp with the Providence Reds of the American Hockey League and eventually signed and played for the Dutch National Team in The Hague, Holland for the 1964-1965 season. Brown also lettered in baseball for three years while at Colgate.