District VIII - 2010/09

150 MODEL AVIATION
I HAVE EFFECTED a huge change in the
District VIII staff! Doug “Chief” Powell, who
has been an associate vice president (AVP)
and Contest Coordinator for at least a dozen
years, asked me to replace him as AVP.
Fortunately, he agreed to stay on as the
contest coordinator if he could get some relief
from other duties.
After a year-and-a-half search, talking
with lots of club officers and individuals, a
replacement is on board. Cliff Town from
Dumas, Texas, has
accepted the position
and with it a change to
the area of
responsibility. Cliff
will cover the
Panhandles of Texas
and Oklahoma. He is a
longtime modeler
starting with CL in
1961 and moving to single-channel RC in
’63. He flew Pattern in the 70s and 80s, and
now flies fun-flys and International Miniature
Aerobatic Club (IMAC).
He retired from Diamond Shamrock in
2000 and is quite active throughout his area.
Please welcome him to your events and thank
him for his volunteer efforts for the AMA
and District VIII.
I can’t say too much about Chief! He has
been a mainstay for the district for years and
has been and will continue to be my friend
and confidant! If you want a tutorial on how
to be an AVP or contest coordinator, he is the
man to provide it.
I am thankful to have had him on my
team, to have him represent AMA on several
national efforts, and to have him continue as
our RC Contest Coordinator. If you see either
of these fine gentlemen, please look them in
the eye, tell them thanks for what they do,
and firmly shake their hands.
I attended the International Miniature
Aircraft Association (IMAA) Rally of Giants
at Bomber Field near Houston, Texas, in
early June. BB Webber and his crew did a
fantastic job preparing the field and hosting
the event. Modelers from across the US
enjoyed the rally and each other’s company.
Making a
Difference
( M A D )
certificates
went to
R a n d y
Brown and
Bobby Haire for their behind-the-scenes
efforts in event preparation. Inset: My
favorite airplane at the event was this radialpowered
Wildcat by Barry Rayborn.
Thanks to Bill Hamby and the IMAA for
coming back to District VIII and to Nick
Stratos for CDing another good event.
Hubert Dirr of the Cen-Tex Modelers in
Killeen, Texas, relates a story of his club
donating $400,
with additional
personal
donations of
$400, to the
Cen-Tex
Humane
Society Second
Chance Animal
Shelter.
The shelter
suffered a
serious fire in
November
2009, resulting
in the loss of
110 animals
and 75% of the shelter. When Hubert told
the club about the fire and the expense of
rebuilding the shelter, they immediately
approved the donation. This is a club
supporting its local community efforts.
The Texas City RC club received an AMA
Flying Site Grant, which helped pay for the
new club building on its site that was funded
by the city to be repaid by the club.
I attended the club’s Braden Clough Big
Bird Fly-In and grand opening ceremony
which was well-attended by spectators, city
officials and modelers. There were even fullscale
aerobatic and parachute team demos.
I was thrilled again by Debby Rihn
Harvey and her
spectacular
flying in her
CAP 232. The
club president,
Randy Brown
(not the Randy
Brown who
helped in the
IMAA Rally),
received a
MAD
certificate for
his efforts as president and as the prime
mover in obtaining the AMA grant.
Tony Stillman resigned as the District V
vice president so he could assume a paid
position with AMA. While I am saddened
by his departure from the Executive Council
(EC), I am delighted that he will be taking
on added responsibilities as the AMA Flying
Site Coordinator.
If you have flying site issues or are
attempting to secure a new site, Tony is the
man to go to for assistance. He can be
contacted at [email protected]. I will
miss his calm approach and sage advice
while serving on the EC, but having met his
replacement, Jose Soto, I am confidant that
both District V and the AMA will continue
to be served well for years to come.
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
Randy Ritch, Magnolia TX;
(281) 701-3121
Doug Staines, Belton TX;
(254) 780-3512
Ron Stanfield, Maumelle AR;
(501) 851-1697
Cliff Town, Dumas TX; (806)
935-3063; town_cliff@hot
mail.com
Pat Willcox, Kingwood TX;
(281) 358-1750
Frequency Coordinator
Gene Kent, Tomball TX;
(281) 255-4805
Safety Coordinator
David Oates, Texarkana TX;
(903) 826-7919; davidoates@
sherrodservices.com
AMA Display Coordinator
David Johns, Deer Park TX;
(281) 476-4820
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
Cliff Town assumes
his AVP duties.
Joe Lattanzio from the
animal shelter presents
Lynn Kelch, club president,
and Hubert Dirr with a
certificate of appreciation
for their donation to the
shelter.
Randy receives his award
in front of the club’s new
building.
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