District VIII—Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
Jim Rice — Vice President
Jack Matlock and I helped with Camp AMA in June. While we were supposed to be instructors, it soon became apparent that some of the students were already instructors or wanted to be, and many wanted to spend their time with the younger, better-known RJ Gritter and Nick Maxwell.
We were helpful to those needing some dual instruction for the first day and a half, but then discovered our niche was maintenance and support—offering words of encouragement and open toolboxes.
We left Muncie with a great appreciation for the future of model aviation in the hands of these 17 youngsters and others like them across the country. We felt honored and privileged to be part of this effort. Kudos to the Education Department and the rest of the staff.
Two campers were sponsored by local clubs. What a great idea—and a challenge to other clubs throughout the country. Look into the requirements, dates, and club treasury and see if your club can do the same.
On the way home we stopped in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, and spent the night with Mark and Ruth Smith. They were wonderful hosts, and we enjoyed our visit. We took them to supper on Friday, then attended the Central Arkansas Model Aviators Association (CAMAA) airshow in Benton, Arkansas, on Saturday.
It was all a ploy to get Mark in front of modelers so I could present his AMA Fellowship award to him. We kept it a secret, and he was pleasantly surprised by the presentation. Mark now holds the highest membership level in the Academy, which comes with a Life membership as well. He served proudly for eight years as a district vice president (VP), executive vice president (EVP), and interim president. I was proud to hand him the award and thank him in front of his local modelers. Mark served us all well on the Executive Council—thanks!
The airshow was a great event with approximately 40 pilots. Ron Stanfield, associate vice president (AVP) for Arkansas, served as contest director (CD). Not only does he serve as one of my AVPs, he also serves as CD at numerous events for several clubs. I presented him a District Service Award for his many years of service to modelers in Arkansas. Ron has served more than 15 years as associate vice president for Arkansas—another huge thanks to him!
Bob Richardson, CAMAA club president, was also in attendance. He has been president of CAMAA for 10 years and was instrumental in obtaining use of the old Benton airport for this airshow. The club has use of the facility for the foreseeable future but may lose it someday when the property is needed for development. Fortunately, the club has another nice field roughly 15 miles away.
District VIII Celebration of Flight — 12th J.H. Rice Memorial Fly-In
- Date: September 29–30
- Location: Kingsbury, Texas
- Open to: All aircraft, including control-line (CL)
- Events: Membership meeting; barbecue on Saturday night prepared by Ritch's Raiders (Dickie Ritch’s award-winning barbecue team)
- Attendance: Both candidates to replace me as District VIII VP plan to attend, as will AMA President Bob Brown and some AMA staff
It's always a great event—you will enjoy it!
Don't forget to vote in the AMA election. Let your opinion be heard.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
