District II
New Jersey, New York, Europe
It has been gratifying that many AMA members have noted the tagline that I include at the closing of my monthly District II column in Model Aviation. In my earliest days of modeling many years ago, a modeler friend taught me the lessons of fellowship and friendship in our hobby.
I quickly appreciated the wisdom of what he said and his philosophy has stuck with me ever since. It has been equally gratifying to know that the tagline serves a purpose, and the philosophy lives on today in our community of friends.
A sad event occurred in our hobby recently with the untimely loss of an accomplished and well-respected AMA member and club officer. His memory resonated with AMA members because many people called me to inform me of his passing. Among the thoughts and memories were from Bill Birkett of the Finger Lakes Air Pirates (FLAPS), who sent me the following.
Don DeSalvatore on the sticks at the NEAT Fair.
“I happened to be reading the District II column, and your tagline ‘about the friends you make’ really hit me.
“We, the FLAPS, just unexpectedly lost a key member, Don DeSalvatore. He was president of the club for the last four years. Under his leadership, the club grew, not only the number of members but in active members.
Don (foreground) encouraging the FLAPS work efforts.
“Don would be at the field five or six evenings a week, and if any visitors pulled into the parking lot, he would go out to greet them and invite them to get out and come over to chat. Often that would lead to a buddy-box session. He was always active on the flightline, helping with a maiden flight, checking setups, answering questions, helping to get that reluctant engine running, and getting a few flights of his own.
Don enjoying an evening flight.
Don cooking for the club swap meet.
“I had been an officer in the club for 10-plus years, and saw the club grow from 12 members to nearly 30. Membership now is well over 50, and much of the credit goes to Don. Until recently, I hadn’t realized how much I appreciated seeing the club’s continued growth. I wish I had expressed my appreciation to Don sooner.
“He attended many, many events across the area, and loved to fly at them, nearly as much as he enjoyed visiting with other participants. He was well known in our area and quite an ambassador for our hobby.”
Certainly, Don was one of those friends I made in this hobby who will be long remembered. It’s not about what you fly, it is the friends you make.
Eric Williams
Vice President
rcpilot@nycap.rr.com
4242 Amanda Ln., Schenectady NY 12303
(518) 356-2057
www.amadistrict-ii.org
www.facebook.com/DistrictIIAMA
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENTS
Dennis Andreas, Freeport NY; (516) 379-0135; danandreasdhqsd@juno.com
Frank Costello, Somerset NJ; teams3fpv@gmail.com
Chuck Davis, Sayville NY; (631) 589-7690; cjdavis60@verizon.net
Gary Fitch, Delevan NY; gmfitch@hotmail.com
Gene Gavin, Staten Island NY; (718) 967-0598; Gavin1957@aol.com
Frank Gragnelli, Rockaway NJ; (973) 625-4995; granelliff@aol.com
Bill Hauth, Hamburg NY; (716) 649-8582; toolmkr2000@msn.com
Tony Jensen, Binghamton NY; (607) 644-6873; tjravenpilot@gmail.com
Ron McGrath, North Chili, NY; ronmcgrath@rochester.rr.com
Thomas Murray, Basking Ridge NJ; (908) 766-5556
Anthony Rossi, Somerset NJ; (917) 320-2665; p510851@gmail.com
Leonard Max Smart, Morrisonville NY; (518) 563-6878; hotrodsbymax@charter.net
Alexander Szmere, Kendall Park NJ; (732) 821-5641; drszmere@aol.com
Michael Wong, Mahwah NJ; kingmeow@verizon.net
Herb Ziegler, Baldwinsville NY; (315) 857-6266; herbz1957@yahoo.com
RC EVENT SANCTION COORDINATORS
Tony and Trish Jensen; 23 Clarendon Dr., Binghamton, NY 13901; (607) 644-6873; tjravenpilot@gmail.com
CL/FF EVENT SANCTION COORDINATOR
AMA Headquarters, Competitions Department; (800) 435-9262, Ext. 252; cpierce@modelaircraft.org
