Transcribed & Edited by SS (04/2003)
Career
- Ran a hobby shop in North Carolina part-time in addition to working full-time for the state as a medical administrator
- Helped his customers with flying problems as well as helped other modelers he would meet on the flying field
- Served as president of his local Radio Control club for many years
Dear Sirs
My name is Pete Marsico and I live in North Carolina. I would like to nominate one person – the only person – who I believe meets all the qualifications to be in your Hall of Fame. His name is Bill Day. He runs a hobby shop here in North Carolina and, if I may say so, it’s the best darn hobby shop in the state. I have been to many hobby shops and heard many sales pitches about what a great deal they can make you and everyone makes me sick to my stomach. Mr. Day has been flying Radio Controlled (RC) for around 25 years and, in my opinion, knows all there is to know in the RC field. Surprisingly enough this is not his profession. He works for the state. He is a medical administrator. He runs the hobby shop in his spare time for enjoyment. His hours are from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, but many times, you can go by his house, which is also his hobby shop, and find him working with a frustrated modeler long after the shop had supposedly closed. He has outsold every hobby shop in the area to my knowledge, in RC equipment that is. He sends RC products overseas regularly and also sends out of state regularly, yet he is not a mail order house.
My main reason for nominating him is the fact that he is not in this business only to make money. His number one concern is the customer. Many a time a beginner has come in the shop wishing to purchase something like a Dirty Bird 60 and a Webra Speed 60 and he refused to sell it to them because he knew what would eventually happen out at the field on its maiden flight. (*&#$%@!@#%@!) I don’t think you can find many dealers that take this strong an attitude toward their business. When he refused that sale, it was like turning down $300 or $400! Like I said before, his number one concern is his customer.
Many times out at the field, he will give up his flying time to help someone who is having problems. Several times people have brought radios or planes they have bought somewhere else and asked him to help them. To this day, I have never seen him turn one person away. Many of these cries for help have been answered on his own time, in his own house.
He also carries the load of being the president of our local RC club, RDRC. He has managed to keep peace and order for all the years he has been in office. From what I understand, almost all of the members of your Hall of Fame are nationally known, such as Phil Kraft or Ken Willard, but I think that Mr. Day has done as much or even more for this fabulous hobby of ours. Without him there would be many frustrated modelers pacing the floors of empty workshops slowly going insane. I have never seen anyone with as great a love and respect for these flying machines as Mr. Day. I think Mr. Day is a very, very rare type that we need to recognize. He may not be known by some of the people higher up in the RC world, but here in North Carolina, he’s number one. (signed) Pete Marsico February 1, 1979
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