April 2009 167
I AM WRITING this in January so I am
beginning my third year in office. It has
been an honor and privilege to represent
District VIII on the Executive Council of
our great organization.
I have been involved in many things that
are both worthwhile and enjoyable, and I
hope that I have executed the duties of the
office in a manner that is positive and
productive.
At the January 2008 Executive Council
meeting, president Dave Mathewson
appointed me to chair the AMA Safety
Committee, replacing Bob Underwood. Bob
is a lifelong member and volunteer for the
AMA. He has been sitting on committees for
more than 39 years and has been on the
Safety Committee for 20 years, serving as its
chair for the last three years.
The Academy and all of its members
owe Bob a huge debt of gratitude for his
selfless service and dedication. I am honored
to have worked with him on the committee
and I am humbled by being selected to try to
fill his shoes. I assure you that I will fall
short of his mark but will continue to strive
to achieve his level.
Thanks, Bob, for hundreds of jobs well
done!
Robert Richardson, president of Central
Arkansas Model Aviators Association
(CAMAA), reports that his membership had
a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to listen to a
lecture by and speak with a World War II P-
47 pilot!
Arthur Holiman with Dale Womack’s
beautiful P-47 in the background.
Benton, Arkansas, resident Arthur B.
Holiman reminisced about his war
experiences flying the Jug in combat over
Europe in World War II. He was with the
396th Fighter Group, 9th Air Force. This was
the first time since the war that he had
discussed his experiences.
The lecture took place at a men’s
breakfast meeting at a church in Benton, and
Dale Womack, CAMAA club member and
owner of an award-winning Giant Scale P-
47, was invited to display his P-47 for a
reference during the lecture.
It was a very interesting lecture with a lot
of anecdotes along the way!
The audience focuses on Arthur’s lecture.
In Deccember 1998, Arthur hit some
power lines east of Little Rock, and crashed
his homebuilt Pietenpol in a plowed field. It
almost killed him and he is now nearly
blind. Dale, his dad, and brother recovered
the aircraft and trucked it back to Arthur’s
hangar in Benton. Arthur had not seen Dale
since and thanked him at the lecture for
recovering the remains of his aircraft in
1998. See more of Arthur’s unit on the
www.368thfightergroup.com Web site.
Linda and I attended the AMA Expo in
Ontario, California, and again it was a great
show! I truly appreciate the efforts of
everyone involved in the setup and running
of the Expo. Especially noteworthy are the
AMA staff members and Lora Knowlton,
the event organizer.
I also attended the Georgetown, Texas,
swap meet in January and as usual I was
impressed with the organization and the
turnout. Attend this one if you can next year.
Have fun and fly safely! See you on the
flightline. Jim.
District VIII
Jim Rice, District VIII Vice President; [email protected]
Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
Jim Rice
Vice President
118 E. Wright Blvd.,
Universal City TX 78148
Tel.: (210) 213-0299
(evenings)
www.AMA-Dist-8.org
Associate Vice
Presidents
Lester L. Barry, Bethany OK;
(405) 789-5373
Pete Boudreaux, Franklin LA;
(337) 836-5478
Jack Hogan, Chandler TX;
(903) 849-4193 (Evenings)
Mark S. Johnston, Albuquerque
NM; (505) 823-0158
Jim D. Marshall, Mission TX;
(956) 585-6446
Douglas E. Powell, Wichita Falls
TX; (940) 691-8348
Randy Ritch, Magnolia TX; (281)
701-3121
Doug Staines, Belton TX;
(254) 780-3512
Ron Stanfield, Maumelle AR;
(501) 851-1697
Pat Willcox, Kingwood TX;
(281) 358-1750
Frequency Coordinator
South: Gene Kent, Tomball TX;
(281) 255-4805
AMA Display Coordinator
David Johns, Deer Park TX;
(281) 476-4820
Safety Coordinator
Chuck Waller, Canyon Lake TX;
(210) 563-4246
RC Contest Coordinator
Douglas E. Powell, Wichita Falls
TX; (940) 691-8348;
[email protected]
CL/FF Contest Coordinator
Bill Lee, Chandler TX; (903)852-
5599 [email protected]
District VIII Volunteers
AMA offers the following special promotions to its members.
• Dental and vision benefits
• A directory of Academy members
• The Ultimate Model Aeronautics Video Library DVD series
• A Visa Platinum card that supports the AMA
Go to www.modelaircraft.org/promos.aspx to learn more about
these programs that will benefit you!
04amanews:11amanews.qxd 2/24/2009 11:45 AM Page 167
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/04
Page Numbers: 167