District IX
Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
I reported in my June 2021 column about a remembrance for Denny Stong, a young AMA member who was taken at a young age in the King Sooper shooting in Boulder, Colorado. Soon after, the Boulder Aeromodeling Society (BAS) graciously donated $500 to our District IX Camp AMA Scholarship fund to send a deserving person to the 2021 camp in Denny’s memory.
We found such a young man, Josh Bishop, in Longmont, Colorado, at the Aeronautics Innovation Center of St. Vrain Valley Schools. You read about him in my July 2021 column and that is only one item in his résumé. I was able to attend when BAS president Aidan Sesnic made the presentation on the club’s behalf. By the time you read this, Josh will be back from Camp AMA as the recipient of the first Denny Stong District IX Camp AMA Scholarship. A fitting tribute, I think.
We had a carryover from our Camp AMA fund from last year because there was no in-person camp in 2020. With that money, and a few other recent donations, we were able to send a second camper, Cooper Eaton, to the 2021 Camp AMA.
Cooper is from Wichita, Kansas. I met him there last summer at an International Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC) contest. This young man is a great pilot and also has a long résumé that makes him eminently qualified for this distinction—notwithstanding the fact that he beat me to first place in IMAC Basic!
Cooper is the second Denny Stong District IX Camp AMA Scholarship recipient this year. Going forward, all of the future scholarships that we give will carry Denny Stong’s name.
Thanks to your generosity as AMA members who have been committed to District IX youth since 2015, your donations have allowed 10 students from our local communities to attend Camp AMA in Muncie, Indiana. I don’t think there is another AMA district that can make that statement. This is not a formal AMA-driven program—just a grassroots, dip in your pocket, everyday kind of thing from the fliers in our communities. I keep getting contributions and that makes me proud to be a part of it.
While I was in Colorado, I was able to finally deliver the AMA’s Superior Service Award to Associate Vice President (AVP) Rick McCaskill. The AMA Executive Council voted this high honor to Rick last fall, but with 2020 being what it was, this was the first opportunity to present it with the pomp it deserves.
For many years, Rick has played an influential part in the development and direction of the St. Vrain Valley School District’s STEM programs, culminating in what is now the Aeronautics Innovation Center, an education facility that is one of the premiere facilities in the country. Recognition of Rick’s leadership is long overdue. Congratulations.
Jim Tiller
Vice President
jtiller@hotmail.com
Box 828, Custer SD 57730
(605) 390-3878
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENTS
Craig Bastian, Casper WY; (307)577-6463; craigb1961@msn.com
Tyler Brown, Lincoln NE; (402) 617-0444; tylerzx9@yahoo.com
Steve Graham, Denver CO; (303) 883-0205; steve.graham1@comcast.net
Brandon Koch, Mandan ND; (701) 471-9575; kochbrandon471@gmail.com
Rick McCaskill, Frederick CO; (303) 682-0440; rickm1947@aol.com
Zachary Roller, Rapid City SD; (605) 519-0815; zroller28@gmail.com
Arend Schuurman, Elkton SD; (605) 695-2122; arend.schuurman@gmail.com
Terry Wiles, Harrisburg SD; terryscustom@yahoo.com
EVENT SANCTION COORDINATOR
Troy Hamm, Gardner KS; (913) 744-5745; funflyr@juno.com
