FREE FLIGHT SCALE
DO YOU HAVE AN INTEREST in vintage model airplane magazines? My good friend, Roger Wathen, has a vintage collection of approximately 1,000 model airplane magazines that covers decades and will intrigue you.
Roger and I first met at a local Free Flight contest in Cleveland. He traveled there with his family from Indianapolis. Our friendship blossomed with that first encounter and continues to this day. For decades, we attended the annual Toledo Show: R/C Model Expo in Toledo, Ohio, which drew modelers from around the world. It was Toledo’s best-known annual offering until it was closed in the wake of the pandemic.
Roger has always been a delightful friend, and I was impressed that his intellectual gifts are as great or greater than his sports talent. He made excellent grades in his high school classes and became a legend playing high school sports. As a freshman, he was selected to be a member of the 1960-1961 varsity basketball team. The team won many events and finished as the runner-up in the statewide competition. By his senior year, Roger had won a best free-throw award with an 87% shooting average.
Roger was a success on the basketball court, but he also ran track and field, where he excelled in the 440-yard run, breaking a 24-year record with a time of 51.4 seconds. While competing in the mile relay at the Indiana State track and field meet, Roger helped his team set a school and regional record of 3 minutes and 31 seconds. As a senior, he was the sole athlete to go to the state finals, where he placed second in the long jump and triple jump events.
A memorable highlight was Roger’s running of the last leg of the mile relay. A fellow student dropped the baton, but Roger retrieved it and finished the race. He overcame apparent defeat by running his fastest 440-yard leg in an amazing 48.2 seconds, bringing victory to his team. He was also a University of Indianapolis 2019 Hall of Fame inductee.
Academically, Roger was an honor student in high school and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education and health in college, with a minor in science. In post-graduate study, he earned a Master of Science from Indiana State Teacher’s College.
Roger met his future wife, Caren, at the University of Indianapolis. They married and had two children. He then taught in the Indianapolis school system for 51 years. During that time, he served on the Marion County Board of Commissioners and participated in various youth programs. He was also the parks department director and was involved with the 4-H program.
As I mentioned, Roger and I attended The Toledo Show for years. He would drive from Indianapolis on Thursday evening. At 6 a.m. Friday, he would lead the pack of vendors up the stairs and, thanks to his athletic abilities, would arrive at our preferred tables on the second floor, minutes ahead of the other vendors who were competing for their favorite table locations.
Roger reserved three tables—one for himself and two for me. I would arrive approximately at noon on Friday to begin my extensive setup. He offered vintage model airplane magazines and quilts handmade by his family. My tables held vintage model kits, Air Ace offerings, and other aeromodeling merchandise.
When the show was over, we would help one another pack up our items and enjoy lunch at a nearby restaurant. We would generally part ways after lunch, with Roger heading back to Indianapolis and I returning to Cleveland. Roger would sometimes accompany me back to Cleveland to assist me with unloading. He would stay overnight, share a breakfast, then depart for the trip home.
Sadly, Caren became seriously ill with congestive heart failure and passed away after being married to Roger for 50 years.
After her death, he was deeply depressed for more than a year. He was then approached by his and Caren’s longtime friend, Georgia, who was also widowed, and they fell in love. Although Roger’s children do not have any of their own,
Georgia comes from a very large family with dozens of grandchildren.
After marrying Roger, she showed an interest in model airplanes and persuaded him to teach her about the hobby.
If you have an interest in vintage model
airplane magazines, contact Roger. His information is listed in “Sources.” You will not be disappointed by him or his offerings.
SOURCES:
National Free Flight Society (NFFS)
www.freeflight.org
Air Ace Models
(216) 906-6146
www.airacemodels.com
University of Indianapolis
(800) 232-8634
www.uindy.edu
Roger and Georgia Wathen
(317) 590-5009
rwathen3261@comcast.net
