District II - 2015/06

AMA District II member Robert
Kettell, of Ocean City, New Jersey,
was a man of many accomplishments.
After his U.S. Army service in the
1950s, Robert attended New Mexico
State University and Drexel University
in Philadelphia. He went on to a
successful career with RCA, and
later worked in mechanical design at
Lockheed Martin. A man of varied
interests, Robert raced stock cars and
T.Q. Midget cars at numerous New
Jersey tracks including the former
Alcyon Speedway in Pitman.
When Robert passed away on
February 28, 2012, his family carried
on his love of model aviation and
asked in his obituary that, in lieu of
flowers, donations be made to the
Academy of Model Aeronautics “to
be used for youth programs.” That
expression of remembrance was a
great example of carrying our hobby
on to future generations.
The story could have ended there,
but it didn’t. The generosity of the
Kettell family continued.
Recently, the Kettell family
contacted Mandee Mikulski, the AMA
Foundation’s director of development,
to donate Robert’s modeling items
to benefit youth programs and
education. The items were sold at a
number of swap meets, including at
the April 2015 Weak Signals’ Toledo
Show: R/C Model Expo. All proceeds
were directed to the AMA Foundation
to benefit AMA’s youth programs.
Many thanks go to the Kettell
family. There are various ways you
can donate to the AMA Foundation.
For more information visit
amafoundation.modelaircraft.org, or
call Mandee Mikulski at 1-800-I-FLYAMA,
extension 277.
The 2015 Take off And Grow (TAG)
awards have been announced. District
II is proud that the Meroke Radio
Control Club and the Hudson Valley
RC Club are receiving the maximum
grant of $1,000 each for their TAG
events this year. Both clubs are noted
for their continued community
involvement.
Consider applying for the 2016
TAG grants and AMA’s other club
programs! Information is available at
www.modelaircraft.org, or you can
drop me a line.
On Thursday, March 19, 2015, I
attended the Union Model Airplane
Club meeting at the Hanna Caldwell
Elementary School in Union, New
Jersey. The meeting was a great
example of member involvement.
The club’s show-and-tell session was
interactive and fun. Show and tells,
learning sessions, building activities, or
similar fun and educational activities
help increase meeting attendance!
Remember, it’s not about what we fly,
it’s about the people and the friends
we make.