District X
Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah
March brings us spring and warmer weather. I hope you’re taking advantage of it to brush up on your flying skills and maiden your winter builds.
I was very happy that Nancy Friedman received the Carl & Beth Goldberg Vital People Award. This recognizes her work on behalf of the Casa Grande RC Flyers. She became the first woman to ever receive this honor individually.
The award honors members who go above and beyond to support model aviation, their clubs, and their members. They do this quietly, sometimes in the background, and often ask for little in return other than an occasional thank-you. They might be club officers, newsletter editors, or members who raise their hands at club meetings and volunteer to pull things together for the club picnic, fly-in, or another event.
In Nancy’s case, she not only serves as the club’s secretary and treasurer but also organizes and runs programs at the area schools and 4-H clubs to promote the hobby of model aviation.
In 1983, Carl and Beth Goldberg asked the AMA to help create an award to recognize these types of individuals. The Carl & Beth Goldberg Vital People Award is presented annually to “vital people in the background of the modeling movement whose efforts enhance the enjoyment of the hobby and whose accomplishments are seldom formally acknowledged.” Carl Goldberg (1912-1985) was an exceptional model aircraft designer, a model club founder, an educator, and a business owner, among other things. He is a prominent figure in the history of the AMA and aeromodeling.
AMA is pleased to continue this tradition and thank our members who make model aviation at the local level enjoyable for all of us. The Goldberg name is certainly a legacy we want to live on through AMA and the sport of model aviation.
In a letter to the AMA, Nancy’s husband, Alan, listed her many accomplishments. He stated, “The Casa Grande RC Flyers has received both the Award of Excellence and became a Gold Level Leader club. The group was also named Club of the Month [by AMA]. I feel it is mostly because of my wife, Nancy, that we received these honors. She has worked tirelessly on our club’s educational aviation programs to the area schools and 4-H clubs. She has held many classes and participated in many school programs to encourage young people to become interested in model aviation.
“She has served as the club’s secretary and treasurer and even helps maintain the airfield while our seasonal members are away. She joined the club three years ago to fill our need for a secretary and treasurer, learned to fly, and encouraged many to enter the hobby. Her hard work and positive attitude have been an asset to the Casa Grande RC Flyers and helped the club to grow and do wonderful things for our community.”
To find out more about the club, go to www.CasaGrandeRCFlyers.com.
Until next month, I wish you all nothing but happy landings.
