The Evergreen Aviation Museum is honoring Oregon’s finest in aviation – men and women who have made important contributions to aviation and airpower in all fields including, but not limited to, military, civilian, engineering, business, education and government. The official Oregon Aviation Hall of Honor was established at the museum to recognize outstanding men and women. The 2006 recipients are from Coos Bay, Ore., Dundee, Ore., Medford, Ore., O’Dell, Ore. and Portland, Ore.
The Hall of Honor celebration is on Sun., Oct. 22 at the museum. The public is invited to the 1 p.m. ceremony. RSVPs are required for the event. Tickets are $20/person and $15/museum members. Dessert and beverages will be served. To purchase tickets, please call 503-434-4185.
Oregon’s Assistant Adjutant General and Oregon Air National Guard Commander, Brig. Gen. Daniel B. O’Hollaren, is slated to address the Oregon Aviation Hall of Honor inductees, families and guests. O’Hollaren will serve as the event’s keynote speaker. The Master of Ceremonies is The Honorable Jaime Oaxaca, museum board member and Director Emeritus of the Board of Directors, U.S. Space Foundation.
“It is our pleasure to publicly recognize the significant contributions to aviation these Oregonians have made,” said Jereme Coker, co-executive director. “We are honored to live in a state that has been so innovative in the field of aviation. These awards are only a small token of our appreciation.”
Mike Burrill, Sr., Chairman of the State Aviation Board is Chairman of the Hall of Honor Committee. Other committee members include: Former Oregon Gov. Victor Atiyeh, Lt. Col. Russell Barney, Capt. Colin Armstrong and Jack Loacker.
The 2006 Oregon Aviation Hall of Honor inductees:
Myron H. “Buz” Buswell A third-generation Oregonian who busied himself creating crude, solid-wood model airplanes as an adolescent, Buswell constructed his first home-built aircraft after obtaining his pilots license and soloing in 1938. Flying that aircraft from the pasture of his parent’s farm to Swan Island Airport in Portland ignited for Buswell a life-long passion for aviation, which led him through WWII as a B-24 Liberator pilot and an active participant in the Experimental Aircraft Association. Buswell’s award is posthumous.
Vern C. Gorst Known in commercial aviation circles as the “Granddad of United Airlines,” Gorst, a former Coos Bay resident, knew how to move the mail. Though he began with ground transport in 1904, Gorst realized the potential in air transport and received the first Pacific Coast Air Mail contract in 1925 to deliver the mail through the auspices of his Pacific Air Transport company. He later merged Boeing Air Transport, Pacific Air Transport, Varney Air Lines and National Air Transport into one organization known as United Airlines to fly the Pacific Coast routes. Gorst’s award is posthumous.
Elrey Borge Jeppesen Watching birds in flight as a child, Jeppesen, formerly of O’Dell,Ore., longed to take to the sky. As a teenager, he saved enough money for an eight minute flight in a Curtiss Jenny and by age 20 he soloed as a student of the Rankin School of Aviation. Flying as a reserve pilot for the Boeing Air Transport Company, Jeppesen realized the need for aeronautical charts for safe flight and began recording field lengths, slopes, drainage patterns and information on lights and obstacles. Before long, other pilots became aware of Jeppesen’s “little black book” and began requesting copies of their own so many, in fact, he began to charge $10 a copy. Today, Jeppesen’s charts are a staple in most pilots’ navigational chests. Jeppesen’s award is posthumous.
George Milligan While employed by the Federal Aviation Administration, Milligan observed the need of polio patients for transportation to hospitals where they could obtain adequate medical care. In 1949, he founded Mercy Flights, Inc. in Medford, the first non-profit air ambulance service. He served as Mercy Flights’ board chair, chief pilot and spokesperson, flying more than 11,000 patients in southern Oregon and northern California before his death while transporting a patient in Medford in 1985. Milligan’s award is posthumous.
Delford M. Smith Founder and CEO of Evergreen International Aviation, Smith built his company into the most diversified aviation business in the world. Growing up in Centralia, Wash., Smith gained a strong work ethic at a very young age. After graduating from the University of Washington, Smith became a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force and was a squadron commander of a Pathfinder unit. Following his military service, Smith flew fixed wing aircraft and helicopters commercially. He visualized aircraft as an industrial workhorses and angels of mercy and in 1960 founded Evergreen Helicopters, Inc., the first of seven synergistic aviation service companies in McMinnville. Smith resides in Dundee, Ore.
The new inductees will be joining the 2003, 2004 and 2005 inductees: Col. Rex T. Barber, Maj. Gen. Marion Carl, Maj. Gen. Gordon L. Doolittle, Kenneth A. Jernstedt, David R. Kingsley, Gen. Merrill A. “Tony” McPeak, Melvin Jack Murdock, John G. “Tex” Rankin, Jack G. Real, Major Robert “Bob” Deiz, Captain John F. Hampshire, Jr., Hazel Ying Lee, Norman “Swede” Ralston, Gen. Nathan Farragut Twining, Col. Terry Bernhardt, Lt. Col (Ret.) Raymond “Ray” E. Costello, Reverend Jacob “Jake” D. DeShazer, Major Dean Johnson and Lt. J. Thomas (Tom) Maloney.
The Evergreen Aviation Museum is best known as the home of the world’s largest wooden airplane, the Spruce Goose, SR-71 Blackbird and the Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat. In addition, there are more than 80 historic aircraft and exhibits on display, along with artwork, traveling displays, the newly remodeled Spruce Goose Caf and the museum store. The Evergreen Aviation Museum’s hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily except when it is closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Easter. The Museum is located at 500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way, across the highway from the McMinnville Airport and about three miles southeast of McMinnville, Ore., on Highway 18. Regular visitor admission is required. Call (503) 434-4180 for more information, and visit http://www.sprucegoose.org/.
