Celebration of Eagles II
Shelia Ames
Modeling greats meet in Muncie to share rich heritage
On Friday, September 11, 1998, people were waiting outside as early as an hour before the doors opened to get into the Frank V. Ehling Museum at AMA Headquarters in Muncie, Indiana.
The event that people were waiting for—the one for which some traveled from across the country, and from across oceans to attend—was the Pioneers Party, a reception that kicked off a week of activity at the International Aeromodeling Center. 1998 was dubbed "The Year of the Pioneer," and the focus was on those who had been AMA members for 50 years or more. This was Eagles II, a follow-up to the 1996 Celebration of Eagles.
Sandy Frank, District VIII vice president, attended the event with his father, former District VIII VP Murry Frank. "I was here in '96—the first time. We didn't know what it was then. I'm looking for more of what there was in '96,'" Sandy said when asked what he was expecting from the event. "It's more than just flying model airplanes."
The Pioneers reception was co-hosted by Hall of Fame members John Worth of Fairfax, Virginia, and Norm Rosenstock of Royal Palm Beach, Florida. Norm is the AMA historian and is responsible for biographies of modelers worthy of recognition, such as Frank V. Ehling, John Hunton, and Sal Taibi. "I'm very interested in what has happened in the past, and what part these people played," said Norm. "These people need to be recognized."
Many legendary names in modeling traveled varying distances, even from as far away as England, to attend the reception. The party honored the famous names and personalities of aeromodeling.
Approximately 300 people—including Hall of Fame members, AMA HQ staff, AMA vice presidents, and longtime enthusiasts—milled around the museum for two and a half hours, looking at models, kits, and memorabilia—and, most importantly, socializing. "It's a beautiful museum," said Ed Seay Jr., who flew his first model in 1936. "I wish they'd expand it."
Those who attended got to converse with their idols, role models, and people they might never have had the opportunity to meet otherwise. "You see a lot of your heroes from when you were a kid; the guys you read about in the magazines," said Bob Laybourne of Donnellsville, Ohio. "I've really been enjoying myself."
Art Adamisin, a Hall of Fame member from Taylor, Michigan, was ecstatic about being in the same room with so many people he hadn't met before. "This is a wonderful event. I've seen people here I haven't seen in a long time. I'm having a ball."
Henry J. Nicholls came to Muncie from England, and there was a celebration of his 89th birthday during the reception. There was birthday cake, and personalities such as Dave Platt, Joe Beshar, and Frank Garcher said kind words in his honor.
Randy Randolph, who has work published in this and various other modeling magazines, attended with his wife Helen; they drove up from Dallas. "This is nice," said Randy. "I understand that the crowd's good compared to the first event. It's fun."
Jesse Shepherd, a Scientific Leader member and contest director who worked at a NASA lab for 10 years wind-tunnel-testing WWII models, came for his first visit to Muncie. "This is great," said Shepherd. "Still being active is important. I still build and compete and I'm 77."
Saturday's activities included open flying of all types at the International Aeromodeling Center and the Pioneers Banquet at the Pittenger Center on the campus of nearby Ball State University. Thirteen Hall of Fame inductees were honored, along with many others recognized as Pioneers of Aeromodeling.
An inadvertent highlight of the banquet was a prank fire alarm that caused the building to be evacuated. "Just as I said the name 'Don Burnham,'" remarked master of ceremonies John Worth. Other than a slight delay to verify that the alarm was false, there were no problems.
The evening concluded with Auld Lang Syne and a bit of a signing party as many autographs were exchanged on placemats thoughtfully designed for that purpose.
Quite a few of the Pioneers and Hall of Famers stayed over to see or fly in the Society of Antique Modelers Championships (SAM Champs), held September 13–18.
"It was really a wonderful experience," said one Pioneer, who doubtless spoke for many who attended. "I've never seen anything quite like it."
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
