District VIII
From the Vice President
Jim Rice, District VIII Vice President; [email protected]
February was a blur. Not enough modeling stuff going on. I spent the third week visiting with and burying a good friend, and the last week flat-out sick with a virus that is still hanging on. I will try to piece a column together despite all that.
On a happier note, I received a report from Doug Mchan of the Brazos Valley RC Aircraft Club (BVRC) about the club's participation in the Special Olympics.
In Memoriam — Dannie Ball
A true modeler and a friend to most of District VIII, Dannie Ball passed away on February 16. He served for three years as a District VIII associate vice president (AVP) back in the 1980s when John Clemens was the district's vice president.
Dannie was a contest director (CD), a lifetime member of the Dallas RC Club, and a friend/helper to anyone who enjoyed model airplanes. I have never met anyone who did not like him. He would share his skills, airplanes, and stories with anyone.
He served as CD for many Dallas RC Club "Small Steps" events in the 1990s; I believe the last of those he helped with was in 2001. Because his work carried him all around the district from New Mexico to Louisiana, he often acted as a sort of mobile AVP for John and would get involved in any way needed for the betterment of modeling in the district.
He moved to San Antonio in 2000 and became a second dad to me when my father died. I don't think there was anything I could have asked him to do that he would not have tried to do. We are collecting donations and will place a $1,000 brick on the AMA Walk of Fame so he can be remembered forever.
BVRC and the Special Olympics
Special Olympics of Texas held its annual Texas Fall Classic competition in the Bryan/College Station area. One part of the Fall Classic is Athlete Village, which provides entertainment and activities in an area separate from the competitions for athletes and their families to visit between events. BVRC was invited to be part of Athlete Village.
Inside the pavilion, the club set up:
- static displays
- RC videos
- a flight simulator
A portion of the parking lot was sectioned off so BVRC could set up a flightline and provide flight demonstrations. This was the second year BVRC participated. BVRC members "working" the event — and all participants who passed through our area — had a great time. We look forward to next year's invitation.
Have fun and fly safely.
See you on the flightline.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
