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TARPA TOPICS MARCH 2001
The
March issue will as usual feature the TARPA Convention. We will be
gathering in Philadelphia at the DoubleTree Hotel at Broad and Locust Sts.
All the details and reservation forms are laid out in the usual manner.
This year will mark the 22nd year of TARPA and we hope that all our
Members and friends east of the Mississippi will turn out in droves. Of
course we hope that everyone else will come as well. There should be a lot
to talk about considering the apparent denouement of our 75 year story at
TWA. There will be Tours and other diversions in the Historic Heart of
Philadelphia.
Following
the Convention Information, Jean Thompson, our new TARPA TOURS leader
offers a complete run down and sign-up sheet for the 2001 post-convention
Tour. Her Tour will go North to some fantastic places in New York. It
should be especially attractive to our Westerners.
There
are several interesting stories in the March issue. Jim Breslin regales us
with vignettes from his cross-country drive to the Seattle Convention last
year. If Jim and Erika didn’t have the biggest, grandest motor home on
the DoubleTree lot last year it was darn close. Jim has hidden talent as a
writer. Maybe he’ll do an encore.
Marv Schliep wrote a moving story about his acquaintance with a long deceased WAE/TWA pilot, George Rice. George retired in 1957 as Chief Pilot in Los Angeles after a long colorful career. Marv’s story also contains details of the recovery operations after the 1956 mid-air collision when of one of United’s DC-6s hit one of our Connies. It was as shocking and sad in its day as our most recent tragedy. Dick Carter sends us a most interesting tale of an unusual charter flight to Riyadh. It is a true story of mystery and intrigue in the Arabian Nights.
Bill Dixon at age 19 on the job at the downtown
KC TWA office in the Muehlebach Hotel.
Bill Dixon our indefatigable scribe writes a short piece of his sadness over the ending of TWA with which he has been associated with since he was a Ticket Agent at the Muehlbach Hotel in 1937. He was still in his teens! There are some interesting short letters from Jon Proctor and Larry Vodra which add a little more information to stories in the November 2000 TOPICS. Jon adds to the Damascus story and Larry has what we promise will be the last word on pigs.
Hank
Gastrich has again compiled many items on our GrapeVine from Members and
added a few of his own creation. Finally, we note the passing of several
good men in the Flown West pages.
Some of George Rice's flight gear
