As the new member of the AMA Foundation team, I am experiencing a lot of things for the first time. Recently, I experienced my first donation pick-up. It was in Eaton, Indiana, not far from AMA headquarters in Muncie. Mandee, Tony and I jumped in the truck with the trailer attached and off we went! After a brief detour (we went the wrong way…twice) we made it to the beautiful home of Jeff Irving, son of William (Bill) Irving. Jeff had previously contacted us about donating some of his dad’s collection. He really wanted to make sure that his planes got into the hands of people who shared his love of model aviation, so he reached out to the foundation for help. Jeff greeted us with a smile and warm welcome, showing us into the house to begin collecting some boxes stored inside. As we entered the den, I was in awe of the beautiful planes on display, including a never-flown Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing. Bill clearly loved model airplanes and took pride in the ones he built and owned. Back out in the garage, we began taking down the planes that were being donated. All of Bill’s planes were in pristine condition, including a J-3 Cub on floats with an 8 foot wingspan. This plane made my jaw drop when I first saw it. It was built by Bill from a kit but as far as Jeff knows, it was never flown. This plane took a bit more work than the others to get down and taken apart to fit in the trailer. Don't worry, I left this task to the professional...Tony. I am a newbie and am still learning so I’m not trusted to do much of anything beyond holding screws! Thank you to Jeff and the rest of Bill's family for their donation from Bill's collection. The foundation received several of his planes which will be for sale soon at different shows and on our impending RC Resale eBay store. Make sure to stay-tuned for more information. Chrystal Pearson Development Communications Coordinator About Bill Bill was a longtime member of the AMA. He loved building models airplanes even more than he loved flying them. Bill also enjoyed adventures such as hunting, fishing, boating trips, and spending time with his grandchildren. He had a great sense of humor and was very proud of his hole in one at Albany Golf Course. Bill was an avid fan of Ball State Basketball and Football games. [caption id="attachment_3089" align="aligncenter" width="130"]
William (Bill) Irving[/caption]
