District VIII-2011/07

139 MODEL AVIATION
I HAVE A LOT to share this month, so let
me get right to it!
Dave Mathewson is AMA’s new
executive director. The search committee
dug through more than a hundred résumés
searching for the right person to lead the
staff through some of the roughest times we
have faced. The one person who stood out
above all others was Dave.
He has the experience with association
management, the knowledge of the current
issues facing AMA in the near future, the
personality to build a cohesive relationship
between staff and the Executive Council,
and he was ready to retire from and close his
own business, so it all came together at the
right time—except, it removed a charismatic
and dynamic leader from the president’s
position leaving huge shoes to fill.
Thanks to Joyce Hager for taking charge,
moving important jobs along, and once
again ensuring that the AMA staff remained
focused during the transition period. She is a
fountain of knowledge and an invaluable
employee.
Mark Smith has assumed the presidential
duties pending a special election to fill the
position for the remaining two years of
Dave’s term. Although Mark had moved to
Hot Springs, Arkansas, to slow down and
retire, he has accepted the mission and I am
confident will continue the good efforts
started with Dave at the helm. Thanks for
stepping up Mark!
AMA’s 75th Anniversary Celebration in
Muncie, Indiana, is this month. I hope to see
many of you there, but if you can’t make it
to Muncie, mark your calendars for
September 30-October 2 and come to the
District VIII celebration of AMA’s 75th
Anniversary which will be combined with
the 11th Annual Memorial Fly-In that I
conduct in memory of my Dad.
That will be in Kingsbury, Texas, and
should be a great gathering of modelers.
Mark Smith and Dave Mathewson have
committed to attend and Hoot Gibson has it
penciled in on his calendar, too. All of the
district associate vice presidents and some of
the AMA Headquarters staff will be there as
well.
Look at the flyer on the District VIII
website or the event calendar on the AMA
website. We have a lot of donations already.
It should be a superb event!
Jack Matlock and I attended the 27th
Annual Big Bird event at the Tri County
Barnstormer’s field in New Waverly, Texas.
The last time I was there I watched it rain
and we nearly got washed away, but didn’t
fly at all. This time on the way over, we
nearly blew sideways on the highway with
20-30 mph winds.
Saturday dawned with light, steady
winds and overcast skies. Twenty-six pilots
signed up and we did some flying before the
winds picked up around noon.
This big, beautiful Spitfire belongs to Mike
Walker.
The event was well organized and there
were some beautiful airplanes but the
highlight for me was a troop of Scouts from
Hunstville who were present to observe and
learn. When they heard I was going to
discuss FAA issues with interested parties,
they all came to the tent to hear about AMA.
Before I started the FAA discussion, I
spent about 45 minutes talking to them and
answering questions about AMA, learning to
fly, and what to buy. They were curious and
I had fun with them.
The Scouts were very interested in
modeling.
By the time this is on the streets, we will
have had another face-to-face
meeting with the FAA. I hope
to have good things to report
from that meeting!
Have fun and fly safely! See
you on the flightline.
District VIII
Jim Rice, District VIII Vice President; [email protected]
Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
Jim Rice
Vice President
4810 El Gusto San
Antonio TX 78233
Tel.: (210) 213-0299
www.AMA-Dist-8.org
Associate Vice
Presidents
Jack Hogan, Chandler TX;
(903) 849-4193 (Evenings)
Bill Holland, Edmond OK;
(405) 562-1327
Mark S. Johnston, Albuquerque
NM; (505) 823-0158
Jim D. Marshall, Alton TX;
(956) 984-9474
Jon Martin, Rayne LA;
(337) 783-2759
Jack Matlock, Live Oak TX;
(210) 413-4846
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@
hotmail.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 Left: Jimmy Moore and Max
Taylor were co-CDs for the
event.
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