A
memorial salute to our brothers & sisters -- friends and patriots --
who have gone; whom we miss and whom we promise never to forget!
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  The
complete notices below were first published in AFPAAA's Quarterly "News
& Notes" Newsletter.If you learn of the passing of
any Air Force PA, Band or Broadcast professional -- active or reserve,military or civilian -- please
contact the editor of AFPAAA's Newsletter. (Send E-Mail to: EDITOR)
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to Honor Roll |
S.L."Smitty"
von Fossen - 11/6/96 Smitty von Fossen had enough experiences in the Air Force to fill two careers. He began in the Army Air Forces in World War II as an Aviation Cadet who became an instructor pilot. After the war he flew P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs. He was an L-5 pilot in the Korean War. After a tour as an ROTC instructor at Syracuse, he returned to the cockpit, first in RB-45s followed by RB and EB-66s. He served as a Civil Air Patrol liaison officer at Wright-Patterson AFB, and then was transferred to Germany in 1964. Smitty was assigned to the Director of operations staff at 7th Air Force Headquarters in Vietnam in 1967-68. He became a Public Affairs Officer in Chicago in 1968, In 1969 he was appointed Director of Public Affairs for the Air Force Reserve at Robins AFB. Smitty retired as a colonel in 1974. He passed away on November 6 in Sarasota, Florida. |
| Fred
Feldman - 10/18/96 Fred Feldman, an Air Force Reserve Public Affairs Officer, was a pioneer; but not as a PA. He was a pioneering helicopter traffic reporter for radio station WOR in New York City. He was the second of the breed - Francis Gary Powers, operating in the sky over Los Angeles, was the first, Fred got into traffic reporting purely by accident. After seven years in the Air Force flying jets and serving as an instructor pilot, he was flying for a commercial helicopter service in the New York area. When WOR decided in April 1962 to put a reporter on a helicopter to do morning traffic reports, Fred's company was hired to supply the equipment and pilot. On the day the station's reports were to start, Fred and his chopper were ready. WOR was not. The station had not yet hired a reporter to do the job. So, Fred, who had no broadcasting training, was sent aloft to cover for the missing reporter. His reports that day were the start of a 16 year career. During more than a decade and a half, he became a fixture to millions of people in the New York metropolitan area and is credited with dubbing the Long Island Expressway Ôthe world's longest parking lot.' A heart attack and bypass surgery in 1968 brought his helicopter traffic reporting to a halt. He served many years with the Reserve's New York Information Squadron. Later he was a mobilization augmentee at Headquarters, Air Reserve Personnel Center in Denver. He was a great help getting key Air Force people guest shots on New York radio stations, especially WOR. He retired in the rank of colonel. Fred died of a heart attack at his home in Roseland, New Jersey October 18. He is survived by his sister Joann Fessler |
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| Robert
A. Webb - 10/13/96 Lt. Colonel Robert A. Webb died of cancer on October 13 at his home in Roanoke, Virginia. As a young lieutenant he was a bombardier/navigator who flew 30 missions, including supporting the D-Day invasion, in 8th Air Force B-24s in 1944. After the war he served as an Information Officer in Tactical Air Command, at the Air Force Academy, in SAF/PA, and DoD Public Affairs. While assigned to SAF/PA he assisted in writing the scripts for films made for the retirements of Generals Thomas D. White, Nathan Twining, and Curtis Lemay. Among his decorations were the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Air Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters. After his retirement in 1968, he operated several book stores and tobacco stores in Roanoke and in Washington. After an incident in which his home garage blew up as a result of a leaking gas tank, Bob could brag that he logged more time on a flying garage door than any other pilot in the Air Force. He is survived by his wife Sarah and by a daughter, Tuggy McClure. |
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| Ralph
C. Evans - 10/3/96 They didn't know his name but they looked forward to his visits. To Special Forces Units in Vietnam in 1967-68 he was the 'Flying Circus,' a U-10 that circled their camps after broadcasting messages and dropping leaflets on psychological warfare missions to boost their morale with calliope music. That's when I met Ralph Evans. He commanded an Air Commando outfit at Bien Hoa and I was the Public Affairs Officer. Ralph was a PAO too, but as so many pilots he was put back in the cockpit. He was a real help to me in a variety of ways willing to help with media flights and always a good sounding board. Ralph was a real friend of all young PAOs as I learned over the years whenever I met someone who had served under him. His career ended in 1977 when he retired as a Lt. Colonel from the base PAO slot at Wright-Patterson AFB. When he joined the Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association, I called and urged him to join us in Colorado Springs. That's when I learned of his lengthy battle with cancer. He said he couldn't make that one but would do his best to make it to Hampton. He did just that, and we had a chance to hoist a few together. He looked great and I believe he really enjoyed himself as he renewed some old friendships. Ralph died in Fawcett Memorial Hospital, Port Charlotte, Florida on October 3. He is survived by his wife, Lillian. - by John Terino |
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| Edwin
L. Dougherty - 5/25/96 Edwin Dougherty, who directed the U. S. Air Force Drum and Bugle Corps in the early 1950s and retired as a Captain in 1961, died of cancer at his home in Accokeek, Maryland, May 25. Dougherty was from Port Byron, New York. He studied at the Ernest William School of Music in Brooklyn and graduated from Mansfield University in Pennsylvania. His instrument was the tuba. He entered military service as an infantryman in 1941. By 1944 he was a member of the Army Air Corps Band. He led the Drum and Bugle Corps in performances in Europe, Asia, and the United States. He was at Andrews AFB in the late 1950s and directed a number of other bands prior to his retirement. Dougherty was a music teacher at Accokeek's Eugene Burroughs Junior High School for 15 years and he was a part-time instructor at several other schools in Prince George's County, Maryland for the next five years. He lived in Melbourne, Florida from 1984 until this year. He is survived by a brother and a sister, five children, and nine grandchildren. |
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| H.
L. "Lee" Hogan III - 4/13/96 H.L. "Lee" Hogan III, 76, a former Director of Information and a strong supporter of the Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association's Oral History Program, died April 13 in a hospital near his Satellite Beach, Florida, home. His military careen began with enlisted service with the 11th Infantry and 123rd Cavalry of the Kentucky National Guard. Lee graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1943 and flew 51 combat missions over Germany and Romania as a B-17 pilot in the 483rd Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters. After World War II he was a member of the original staff of the Air Force Academy at Lowry AFB. In 1958, when the Academy's permanent site opened in Colorado Springs, Lee became deputy commandant of cadets for airmanship studies. Before his retirement as a Major General, Lee held a variety of positions including aide to Secretary of the Air Force Harold E. Talbot and air division commander. He was active in the Air Force Association, The Retired Officers Association, and the Order of Daedalians. Lee is survived by his wife, Anne, a brother, five children, and ten grandchildren. He has been interred at West Point. |
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| Helen
McCarthy - 4/6/96 'Mrs. Castle Air Force Base,' Helen McCarthy, died on April 6 after a short illness. She was 79. Helen spent nearly 40 years as the Base-Community Coordinator at Castle. She was an adviser and friend to 25 wing commanders and countless public affairs officers, including myself. Helen was the first and only person to hold that position, having retired when the base closed last year. She profoundly touched those who knew her. She was perfect in her job of maintaining positive base-community relations, but it went much beyond that. Helen was a Southern lady; gracious, well mannered, and impeccably dressed. She treated everyone all ranks and positions with dignity and respect. She never had an unkind word to say about anyone. She had a mind like a steel trap. Ask her just about anything about Castle or the surrounding communities and she'd know the answer. She was non-stop energy and involved in numerous church and community activities Soroptimists, St. Luke's Day School Board, American Red Cross, Merced County Historical Society to name a few. In 1986, a banquet was held in her honor. So many people wanted to pay tribute to Helen they had to use the county fairgrounds. And, she
was delightfully funny. A short visit to Helen's office was a sure cure
for a case of the blues. She was a dear friend. I know the void I feel
with her passing. I can only imagine the void she left behind in the communities
surrounding Castle AFB. |
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| Michael
DeStephanis - 4/6/96 Michael DeStephanis, a member of the Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association died April 6 at Potomac Hospital. He lived in Dale City in Woodbridge, Virginia. He was 66. During his 22-year Air Force career, Mike specialized in editing and supervising the staffs of base newspapers. His
last two assignments were at Aviano Air Base, Italy, and Andrews AFB. At
Andrews he served as He was an active member of the Disabled American Veterans and the American Legion. He is survived by his wife Ruth; daughter, Julie Taylor; three sisters, a brother, two grandchildren, and one great grandson. He was interred at Quantico National Cemetery. |
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