Executive Vice President
Mark Smith
Hi folks! AMA's insurance representative, Larry Johnson, has been our point man for 26 years, and he decided to retire from Koch at the first of the year. AMA President Dave Mathewson and I discussed what tremendous contributions Larry had made on behalf of AMA, and it seemed only appropriate that we should travel to Omaha to recognize his work and personally thank him.
We discussed this at the April Executive Council meeting and I suggested he fly into Kansas City because it is less expensive. This would also give him a chance to meet some of the Kansas and Missouri club members.
As luck would have it, our home sold in 60 days and we bought a new home in Arkansas, all in the span of one week. Needless to say, this put a wrinkle in the logistics of my wife, Ruth, and me hosting Dave and his wife, Ginger, in Kansas City since we now live seven hours south of there!
But not to worry. My good friends in Kansas City came to the rescue. Missouri Associate Vice President (AVP) Jim Cianciolo played host to the Mathewsons and they met with many Missouri modelers and toured their flying site.
That night, Jim and his wife joined modelers from Kansas for dinner with the Mathewsons. The next morning we left for Omaha, stopping first at the hotel to meet District IX Vice President Jim Wallen and then off to join the Omahawks for lunch before we went to the field.
Nebraska AVP Steve Culver was a wonderful host for the day. That evening we assembled at a local restaurant for the Larry Johnson dinner celebration. Joining us were the president of Koch (our insurance broker) and AMA insurance representative Paul Bretsen, who is also an Omahawk.
The evening was filled with many kind words about Larry and much celebration. We all wish Larry and his wife many happy, healthy years of retirement!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
