Modeling Spoken Here
Bob Hunt Aeromodeling Editor
Let their memorials be the telling and retelling of their stories ...
THE PAST YEAR or two has seen the loss of an incredible number of modeling notables. It seems that we are printing the obituaries of a well-known modeler (or modelers) in almost every issue. This is predictable and unavoidable because many of those who established this great hobby/sport are now in, or nearing, the winter of their lives.
Still, it is always a sad surprise to hear of the passing of each of these gifted and giving individuals. We seem to believe that they will go on forever.
To my way of thinking, they will go on for as long as we remember them and their great contributions. For those of us who have been at this for awhile, the remembering part is easy. It was probably something that one of these absent greats said, wrote, or did in the competition arena that sparked our imagination to make aeromodeling our life's interest as well.
Yes, the remembering part is easy; the difficult part is the realization that the mantle of responsibility to carry the torch forward for the next generation now rests on those of us who are well past the spring and summer of our lives. This is a sobering thought.
Each month AMA receives a large number of requests to print obituaries of modelers who are perhaps lesser known by the general membership. These are the local heroes who inspire, compete, and/or mentor at a more grassroots or local level. In many cases their stories will be published in the district vice president's report for the area in which they lived.
The real problem we have is making the decisions as to which modelers' obituaries to print as "special" announcements to the general membership. It is impossible to print each one we receive in such a format, yet we realize that many of these individuals have made great contributions on a local or regional level. Many have spent their lives in service to modeling without having been singled out for any sort of special recognition while they were alive.
Alas, I have no answer for you in regard to this dilemma. However, I can now sympathize more fully. My father, James A. Hunt, passed away during the production of this magazine. I can tell you that his contributions to this hobby/sport were many, and his legacy is assured in the hearts of any and all who knew him. He was not, however, a "famous" modeler.
Dad did nurture a number of modelers who went on to become champions in competition, he developed many products that enhanced the enjoyment of the sport for hundreds, and he performed great services for modeling that went, for the most part, unnoticed. His life's story was an amazing one, but not one that is too much different from those we routinely receive about other gifted and giving individuals.
It is becoming apparent that the entire world of aeromodeling is made up of an unusually large number of unusually gifted and giving people. This realization comes as little surprise to me. I think we all must accept the fact that our hobby/sport is blessed to have so many such people, and we tend to take them for granted while they are with us.
It is only when they are suddenly gone that we see clearly how instrumental they were in our education about, and enjoyment of, modeling.
I have no answer for you about how we should properly pay tribute to these unsung, fallen heroes, but I do have a suggestion. One thing we can do is chronicle their lives in the form of a biography and submit it to the AMA History Program.
Norm Rosenstock, the AMA historian, is working hard to get modelers to submit biographies about those whom they feel have made noteworthy contributions to the sport. (For more information about the History Program, see Norm's article in the...
Modeling Spoken Here
February 2002 Model Aviation or write to him care of AMA.)
If the story of modeling is to ever be properly written for, and understood by, future generations, it will be the biographies of those who may not have been so universally well known while they were alive that will supply the binding agent for the history book. The whole story in context will show that they were every bit as important to the outcome as were the established, and more well known, heroes.
Let their memorials be the telling and retelling of their stories to the descendants of those whom they affected most. In this way their legacies will live on in more than a few mere words written in a modeling magazine, their gifts will continue to give to generations to come, and their spirits will live on within us.
Need to get in touch with me? My telephone number is <REDACTED>. My mailing address is <REDACTED>. My E-mail address is <REDACTED>.
Thanks for listening. Now go hug your dad! RM
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
