Written by AMA staff (08/2006); Transcribed and reformatted by JS (09/2010)
Paul Koehler, president of the Lewes RC Club in Lewes, Delaware, sent me this story about Oliver Moses, a 65-year member of AMA.
On June 13, 2006, Ollie was presented with a plaque commemorating his 65 years by John Kirchstein, Delaware Associate Vice President.
Paul wrote, “Oliver has been an AMA member and active flier for 65 years. The longevity is remarkable in itself, but Ollie is still very active in the hobby.
“He is currently serving as the club safety officer and is still, at more than 80 years old, one of the best fliers in the club.”
Paul also included three photos of Ollie as a young man enjoying the hobby back in the early 1940s and a brief article from the club’s newsletter, Prop Wash.
“Not only is Ollie a World War II veteran (Airborne), but he is a long-standing member of the AMA – 65 years long. Yes, he joined in 1940 as a high school kid, and now proudly wears his 65-year patch on his jacket.
“Several pictures show Ollie during his early modeling years as an avid competitor in a New Jersey contest.
“Ollie’s 65-year affiliation indeed makes him a member of a very exclusive fraternity. To find out just how exclusive, I had an e-mail dialog with Joyce Hager, currently the Acting Executive Director of AMA, in which I asked her how many people have passed the 65-year mark. “After doing some research, she wrote back to me that in the past year or so only four or five members had requested that patch. We can’t help but wonder how many of those people are still active fliers as Ollie is.
“Congratulations to you Oliver. You’re proof-positive that a long life can be enhanced by longterm interests such as modeling. You certainly fit that adage.”
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