IN REMEMBRANCE
By Jay Smith, Executive Editor | jays@modelaircraft.org
SHORTLY AFTER TAKING OVER as editor of Model Aviation from Michael Ramsey, I attended the International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association (IRCHA) Jamboree and had a conversation with Dave Brown. He inquired about how the magazine was going and I shared that it was going quite well, with few complaints from the readers.
I shared that when I received feedback that was critical of the magazine, it was hard at times not to take it personally, because my goal each month was to put out the best publication possible.
Dave imparted his wisdom to me, and I think often of his words: “When I was president, my goal was to satisfy 90% of the members. In doing so, that also meant I could have 15,000 people upset with me.”
It further reinforced the fact that producing a magazine that satisfies every reader and has content that they all find relevant might be unrealistic. Dave’s wisdom doesn’t stop me from trying, but it reminds me that the content might fall short of resonating with 100% of the more than 100,000 people who read it.
I am also mindful of all of the great people I get to meet in the hobby and their amazing contributions. Sadly, in this issue, we share the passing of five AMA members, including Dave. The others we lost are Larry Scarinzi, Walt Throne, Bob Aberle, and Dick Kennison. You can learn more about Dick in the “In the Air” section on page 14. Dave, Bob, Walt, and Larry are remembered in the “AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame” article starting on page 27.
