District III — Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
Contact
- Mark Radcliff, Vice President
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: 199 Heron Dr., St. Marys, WV 26170
- Tel.: (304) 684-2133
- Website: www.amadistrict-iii.org
Laurel Highlands Model Airplane Club — 50th Anniversary
Fifty years. One-half century. By any measure, that is a long time, and that is precisely how long one model club in the beautiful rolling hills of western Pennsylvania has existed.
The Laurel Highlands Model Airplane Club (LHMAC) was formed in 1964 when a handful of modelers flying in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, got together to enjoy their passion for model aviation. Between 1964 and 2014, club membership grew and several flying fields were used.
Today the club has more than 110 members and flies at a beautiful field located at Mammoth Park in Westmoreland County. The club celebrated its rich history with a fly-in/open house on August 30, 2014, and a formal dinner banquet on November 2, 2014. District III Associate Vice President Leo Rodriguez attended the fly-in on August 30 and offered this report.
The LHMAC celebrated its 50th anniversary with an invitation to the community to come and see what RC modeling was about. Renee Marquis, club president, along with announcer Mark Withrow, educated the public about the club and its members. Tony Kistner and Tim Batlow provided musical entertainment that made a beautiful day at the field even better. Spectators enjoyed model aviation up close and even participated hands-on with help from the club instructors using transmitters on buddy boxes and trainers for all who wanted to give RC a try. By all measures, the day was a big success for the club to celebrate its rich history and promote model aviation to the local community that has supported the club for 50 years.
On November 2, 2014, Leo Rodriguez attended a formal dinner banquet to help the club celebrate its accomplishments. After a nice dinner, Renee Marquis gave a speech on the origins of the club, which grew from a handful of modelers to more than 110 members today.
Leo Rodriguez gave a presentation illustrating the history of the AMA from 1964 to the present. On behalf of the AMA, he presented a District III Service Award plaque showing appreciation for all the positive promotion of model aviation by the club and its members. Various awards were presented to club members who helped make the organization what it is today.
In all, it was a great evening and a great year for the LHMAC. Judging from the quality of the club and its members, one might predict that in 2064 the club will celebrate its 100th anniversary. Congratulations and thank you, Laurel Highlands Model Airplane Club, for promoting model aviation in such a positive and professional manner.
That's it for this month. Let's get busy building new models and be ready for spring.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
