Arkansas Aviation Historical Society is a non-profit organization promoting aviation. It created the Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame in 1980, and recently created college scholarships in hopes of encouraging young people to pursue aviation careers.
The Aviation Hall of Fame honors individuals who played a great role in aviation and aerospace history on the national or Arkansas scene. Records are hosted by
Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Arkansas Studies Institute, Central Arkansas Library System, in
Little Rock,
Arkansas.
History
New members to the Hall of Fame were inducted annually from 1980 to 2010, and again in 2015. Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame inductees for 2015 were Jim Gaston, John Knight and James R. Risner.
The hall of fame was based at the new Aerospace Education Center, 3301 East Roosevelt Road, Little Rock, Arkansas, near Little Rock National Airport, in 1995.
When the Aerospace Education Center closed its doors on January 1, 2011, records were moved to the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Arkansas Studies Institute, which still hosts the records.
In 2015, the society awarded its first two scholarships, while expressing the need for aviators to support the dreams of potential young pilots. Two students at Arkansas' collegiate aviation school,
Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, received scholarships of $2,000 each.
Hall of Fame Inductees
1980
J. Caroll Cone,
Nathan Gordon,
Louise McPhetridge Thaden
Iris Louise McPhetridge Thaden (born Louise McPhetridge; November 12, 1905 – November 9, 1979) was an American aviation pioneer, holder of numerous aviation records, and the first woman to win the Bendix trophy, alongside Blanche Noyes. She was ...
,
James S. McDonnell Jr., Charles M. Taylor
1981
Leighton Collins, Case Hough, Robert Snowden Jr.,
Admiral John S. Thach
1982
Raymond J. Ellis,
Captain Field Kindley, Claude Holbert
1983
Major General Earl T. Ricks Jr., Lynn Helms, Albert A. Vollmecke
1984
Brig. Gen. John D. Howe, Major General Winston P. Wilson, Eddie Holland
1985
Brigadier General William T. Seawell,
General John Paul McConnell,
Major Pierce W. McKennon
1986
Major General Frank A. Bailey, M.T. “Cy” Bond, Earl Rowland
1987
Major John H. White, Lucien M. Tallac
1988
Richard Collins, Lt. Wendel A. Robertson
1989
Captain E. Scott McCuskey,
Sanford N. McDonnell
Sanford "Sandy" Noyes McDonnell (October 12, 1922 – March 19, 2012) was an American engineer, businessman and philanthropist. Former chairman and chief executive officer of McDonnell Douglas Corporation, he also served as national president ...
1990
Rear Admiral George M. "Skip" Furlong Jr.,
John Paul Hammerschmidt
1991
Rear Admiral F. Taylor Brown, Frederick Smith
1992
Adm. William Newell Small, Lieutenant Colonel Woodrow W. Crockett
1993
Emma W. Hall, Seth Ward
1994
Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Mills, James Rodgers,
Jack Stephens
1995
Colonel Richard O. Covey USAF, Floyd Fulkerson, Gov.
Winthrop Rockefeller
1996
Maj. Gen. Lewis E. Lyle, Lieutenant Roy Rushing, Issac T. Gilliam IV
1997
Houston J. Burford, Richard C. Butler,
Harvey C. Couch Jr., Wheat Goss, Bart Gray, Dr. Lafayette Harris, Harry W. Pfeifer Jr., Arthur Phillips, Jack Pickens, John Potts, Raymond Rebsamen, J. V. Satterfield, Howard Stebbins III, Everett Tucker Jr., and Kenneth Pat Wilson
1998
Milton P. Crenchaw, J. Scott Hamilton, Colonel
Charles Peter O'Sullivan
1999
Frank G. Tinker Jr., Fred K. Darragh Jr.,
Gen. Horace M. Wade
2000
Jim Burnett, Anthony DeSalvo,
Lieutenant General Charles R. Hamm
2001
Alice Walton
Alice Louise Walton (born October 7, 1949) is an American heiress to the fortune of Walmart. In September 2016, she owned over in Walmart shares. As of October 2022, Walton has a net worth of $59 billion, making her the 19th-richest person, and ...
, Jim Younkin
2002
Rodney Slater, H.A. Thomas
2003
Thomas N. Smith Jr., Brigadier General William H. Webster, Captain Wilbur West
2004
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Hite, James Stamps, Robert M. Wilson
2005
Marlon D. Green, Virginia "Mary" Proctor, Daryl Riddell
2006
Richard N. Holbert, Donald L. Holbert, Robert A. Younkin
2007
Adolphus H. "Pat" Bledsoe Jr., Zemery Melvern "Jack" Stell, Dennis R. Gardisser Ph.D., P.E.
2008
Paul Irving "Pappy" Gunn, Scott E. Parazynski M.D.
2009
Greg Arnold, Colonel Billy G. Edens
2010
Brigadier General Paul Page Douglas Jr., James C. "Bud" Mars, Mary F. Silitch
2015
Jim Gaston, John Knight and
James R. Risner
2016
Lynn C Hooper, David Wallace, Jesse Vincent
2017
Zane Anderson, Harold Johnson, General William Smith
2018
Gwen Batie Blue, Cornelius Robinson Coffey, Ernest Ambort, Dr. Jerry Robinson
2019
Ronald L. Herron, Russ Amos, J.O. Dockery, Don Clark Ruggles, Dennis F. Cantrell,
References
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External links
The Arkansas Aviation Historical SocietyThe Arkansas Aviation Historical Society Hall of Fame Videos
YouTube
Arkansas Air & Military MuseumGallery: 2010 inductees
Aviation in Arkansas
Aviators from Arkansas