Obituaries
The Silver Eagles want to recognize and memorialize former Silver Eagles and others of the NTSB family who have passed away. Please send death notices or full orbituaries to SilverEaglesNews@gmail.com.
Baker, Paul L.
Batten, Charlie
Black, George W.
Borson, Thomas A.
Brown, Michael T.
Brown, Thelma
Burnett, Jim
Bush, Norman J.
Campbell, Bob
Carmona, Luis
Danaher, Jim
Diegel, Ray
Finch, Truman W. “Lucky
Goglia, Patty
Gunther, Karl M.
Jeglum, Jim
King, Jim
Kissinger, Peter
Kivowitz, Jay
Kobelnyk, George
Lamb, William
Lee
Lanoway, Alex
Laynor, William G. “Bud” Jr.
Powell, Phillip
Quinlan, Kevin
Reed, John H.
Sager, Eric
Schuda, Paul
Siegman, James Edward
Steichen, Girard
Styles, Philis
Styles, Thomas DeWitt
Sweedler, Barry
Wandel, Warren V.
Woody, Bill
Baker, Paul L., age 85,
of Grasonville, MD, died December 28, 2012.
Paul graduated from high school and enlisted immediately in Navy Air
during WWII, serving for two years. After his discharge, he enrolled at
the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics and earned his Aircraft and
Engine diploma and throughout his life took college courses at Emory
University.
He began his aviation career at Trenton-Robbinsville Airport, McGuire
Air Force Base, Middletown Air National Command and Curtiss-Wright Corp.
who manufactured jet engines. He became very proficient on jet engines
and was known through the aviation industry for his expertise. During
his employment with Curtiss-Wright, he was the Technical Representative
at Edwards Air Force Base and covered the 55th and 77th Fighter Bomber
Squadrons in Braintree, England. Paul returned to the States and was
assigned to Quonset Point Naval Base in North Kingston, Rhode Island,
where he covered the Blue Angels for many years.
His favorite challenge was the new high-speed train powered by jet
engines, which was developed and manufactured by United Technologies.
Paul was Superintendent at Fields Point, RI. The Turbo-Train ran between
Boston, MA and Penn Station in New York City. Amtrak then assigned him
to the Rensselaer Overhaul Facility in New York as Superintendent, and
those trains ran between New York City and Buffalo, NY. He then went to
work for the National Transportation Safety Board where he was a
powerplant engineer and investigated train and airplane accidents. He
was Deputy Chief of the NTSB Aviation Engineering Division when he
retired in 1994. Click
here for memories of
Jay from some of his friends and former associates.
Batten, Charlie, former Chief of the Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Division, passed away in late October 2009.
Black, George W., age 69, former NTSB Board Member, passed away on January 18, 2015.
Mr. Black was a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree, and was a registered professional engineer. While at Georgia Tech, Mr. Black worked in one of the original Multi-Disciplinary Traffic Crash Investigation Teams.
Mr. Black was an Air Force ROTC graduate and served as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer while stationed in Texas and Southeast Asia.
He returned to traffic safety engineering in 1973, as the first traffic engineer for Gwinnett County, Georgia, in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Mr. Black remained with Gwinnett County for 24 years, retiring as Director of Transportation in 1996. During his last ten years with the County, he oversaw the implementation of a nearly $500 million road improvement program.
Mr. Black helped found the County Police Department's fatal accident investigation unit in 1974 and participated in the investigation of 2,000 fatal or critical injury traffic crashes and rail-highway grade crossing incidents. He also taught accident investigation and reconstruction in the county and State police academies.
He retired from the Gwinnett County and was confirmed as a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board in February 1996, and was the first practicing highway engineer to be a Board Member.
During his time on the Board, Mr. Black was on-scene board member for several accidents including American Flight 587 at JFK Airport, New York; a propane gas explosion in San Juan, PR; and the collapse of a bridge on I-40 in Oklahoma.
Mr. Black was a member of several professional organizations such as the Institute of Transportation Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Transportation Research Board. He received numerous professional, peer, and civic awards.
Borson, Thomas A., died May 9, 2011, in Largo, Florida. As a teenager, Tim developed a love for flying. This passion was only matched by his love for cars. He could usually be found hanging out at the old Reese Airport in Selma, Indiana, or covered in paint or car grease while restoring antique cars. Tim was able to take a car apart or a jet engine with the precision of a surgeon. The restoration of a classic 57' Corvette, a source of great pride, was driven by his need to create, achieve, and excel. His concern for others led him to develop SafePath, a patented safety device used on older model cars, creating under bumper lighting, and greater visibility. Always aware of those in need, he developed the program VOWHONOR FLIGHT. This program, still in the development stage, was to provide WW II veterans an opportunity to visit the national monument free of charge. After graduating from Wapahani High School Tim received a BS degree in Aeronautics, Master Degree in Aeronautics and Space, and a Doctorate in Aero Safety Systems and Engineering at Oklahoma State University. He was a test pilot, and worked for the NTSB (National Safety and Transportation Board) in Washington D.C. His career with the NTSB spanned twenty-three years. During that time, he held several offices. He served as NTSB Catastrophic Investigator, Operations Group Chairman, Field Chief for the state of Alaska, and NTSB Regional Director of the South Central U.S. After leaving the NTSB, he authored a textbook on aeronautic systems and safety, and taught aeronautics at Oklahoma State University.
Brown, Michael T., age 63, former NTSB marine investigator, passed away on May 4, 2017. Obituary here. Memories of and tributes to mike here.
Brown, Thelma, age 71, passed away on September 11, 2019.
Burnett, Jim, age 62, former NTSB Chairman, passed away in Clinton, Arkansas, on May 15, 2010. Burnette was named to the NTSB in 1981 by then-President Ronald Reagan. He served on the board until 1991 and fulfilled the role of chairman from 1982 to 1988. Born in Little Rock on Sept. 20, 1947, he moved to Clinton with his family and graduated from high school there. Burnett attended the University of Arkansas, where he obtained a law degree in 1973. He also was an alumnus of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Burnett had a reputation as a strong, independent safety advocate during and after his service on the NTSB. He was active in a campaign to raise the minimum drinking age to 21 across the nation. In 1986, then-first lady Nancy Reagan presented Burnett with the National Commission Against Drunk Driving Award, recognizing his leadership in that campaign. After a train carrying hazardous materials derailed in Louisiana in 1982, Burnett led efforts to adopt federal rules dealing with intoxication of railroad workers, which eventually led to drug and alcohol testing for transportation workers. In 1994, the IREI Air Safety Foundation of Japan dedicated a monument in Burnett's honor near the site of a 1985 Japan Airlines crash in Japan, according to information his family members provided to the funeral home. The memorial recognized Burnett's leadership in aviation safety and accident prevention. NASA and the United States Space Foundation inducted Burnett into the Space Technology Hall of Fame in 1996 for his work in promoting a fire-resistant aircraft seat.
Bush, Norman J., husband of Barbara Bush, passed away on June 17, 2010.
Campbell, Bob, former NTSB railroad accident investigator passed away ca. April 2019.
Carmona, Luis, age 84, passed away on November 10, 2013. Luis was lead investigator for the NTSB's investigation of the Tenerife runway accident on March 27, 1977. Click so see the memorial page.
Danaher, Jim, passed away on December 3, 2017.
Diegel, Ray, formerly with the NTSB Office of Highway Safety, passed away on March 11, 2010.
Finch, Truman W. “Lucky,” passed away on August 23, 2010, after a brief illness. Lucky was an active fighter pilot in the Navy for 16 years during World War II and the Korean War. He was released form active duty in April 1959, and nine days later accepted employment with the Civil Aeronautics Board, Bureau of Safety - later the National Transportation Safety Board - as an Air Safety Investigator at the Fort Worth, Texas, office. In July 1963 he was selected as one of the four original Senior Air Safety Investigators (Team Captains) and transferred to Washington, D.C., to serve as Investigator-In-Charge of major catastrophic aircraft accidents. He subsequently became the Manager of the NTSB's Fort World field office, where he retired in 1986. Lucky was the original founder of SASI. In 1964, he stated to Joe Fluett, his supervisor, "Why don't we create and organization devoted strictly to promoting aviation safety with no side issues involved." He was given the go-ahead and the Society of Air Safety Investigators, (SASI), was born later to become the International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI). In the spring of 1964, ISASI founded. Mr. Fluett appointed himself President and Lucky was the Secretary/Treasurer. Mr. Bobby Allen, director, Bureau of Safety was appointed as the Vice President. Lucky is Charter member 003. Lucky Finch was know to many around the world. It was the contribution and vision from early pioneers such as Mr. Finch that transformed aviation into the ultra-safe from of transportation that exist today. Lucky was in the same squadron and flew with Donald Engen, who later became a Rear Admiral in the Navy, and a NTSB Board Member and Administrator of the FAA. While Lucky may have left us, his memory will always be reflected in the numerous achievements he has left behind.
Goglia, Patty, wife of former NTSB Member John Goglia, passed away on February 7, 2010.
Gunther, Karl M., pipeline investigator in the Office of Railroad, Pipeline, and Hazardous Materials Investigations, passed away in March 2015. Click here for memories of Karl from friends and former associates.
Jeglum, Jim, , age 75, former NTSB highway accident investigator, passed away on August 13, 2018. Obituary here. Memories and tributes here and here.
King, Jim, age 84, former NTSB Board Chairman, passed away on June 9, 2019. Obituary here.
Kissinger, Peter, age 71, former NTSB Managing Director, passed away on February 19, 2019. Obituary here. Memories and tributes here.
Kivowitz, Jay, formerly an IIC in the Railroad Division of the Office of Railroad, Pipeline, and Hazardous Materials Investigations, passed away on February 4, 2011, from heart and vascular disease after suffering for several years from a variety of health problems. Jay's ashes were spread at the famous Horseshoe Curve near Altoona, PA. Click here for memories of Jay from some of his friends and former associates. In the April 12, 1987, photo below, Jay is riding in the cab of ex-PRR steam locomotive No. 1361 at Tyrone, PA.
Kobelnyk, George, age 64, former NTSB aviation accident investigator, died in a light plane crash in Alaska on April 20, 2016. Click here for details. Click here for memories of and tributes to George.
Lamb, William Lee, formerly with the NTSB Office of Aviation Safety, passed away on April 29, 2010.
Lanoway, Alex, passed away on January 20, 2011. Al retired from the Office of Aviation Safety in 1983 and was living in Punta Gorda, Florida. Click here for memories of Al from some of his friends and former associates.
Laynor, William G. “Bud” Jr., passed away on August 1, 2009.
Powell, Phillip, age 71, former NTSB Atlanta-Southeast Regional Director, passed away on September 30, 2017. See full obituary here.
Quinlan, Kevin, of the NTSB Office of Safety Recommendations, passed away on December 16, 2008, while on a skiing trip to Vermont.
Reed, John H., a Republican who served as Maine governor from 1959 to 1966 and later served as U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka at the start of that country’s protracted civil war, died Oct. 31, 2012, at George Washington University Hospital. He was 91. He died of pneumonia, said his daughter Cheryl Reed. While governor, Mr. Reed was instrumental in starting educational television in Maine and oversaw creation of a network of University of Maine colleges, now known as the University of Maine System. After losing reelection as governor, he was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1967 to the National Transportation Safety Board and became its chairman. At the time, Mr. Reed declared himself a staunch supporter of Johnson’s Vietnam War strategy. Mr. Reed was U.S. ambassador to the Indian Ocean island republic of Sri Lanka and the Maldives in 1976-77 and again from 1981 to 1985, serving the first stint under President Gerald R. Ford and his second under President Ronald Reagan. At the time, the Sri Lankan government reportedly was seeking U.S. military equipment to combat the Tamil rebels who were fighting for an independent state in the northern part of the country. The bloody guerrilla war began in 1983 and lasted 26 years, until the government defeated the so-called Tamil Tigers. Tens of thousands of lives were lost on both sides in addition to environmental and economic destruction. John Hathaway Reed was born Jan. 5, 1921, and grew up in a potato farming family in Fort Fairfield, Maine. He graduated in 1942 from the University of Maine and served in the Navy in the South Pacific during World War II. He served in the Maine Legislature from 1955 to 1959, the first two terms in the House and final one in the Senate. While he was state Senate president, Mr. Reed became governor in September 1959 upon the death of Clinton Clauson. The following year, Mr. Reed defeated Democrat Frank Coffin to serve out Clauson’s term. He won Maine’s first four-year term as governor in 1962, defeating Democrat Maynard Dolloff. From 1978 to 1981, Mr. Reed was government relations director of the Associated Builders and Contractors, a trade group in Washington. Mr. Reed settled in Washington in 1985. He was a past president of the Maine State Society of Washington and a past vice-chairman of the National Conference of State Societies. His memberships included Christ United Methodist Church in the District, the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Sager, Eric, age 78, former NTSB human performance investigator, passed away on February 24, 2017.
Schuda, Paul, age 65, died in a light plane crash in Indiana on December 16, 2017. Obituary here. Memories and tributes here.
Siegman, James Edward, age 78, former NTSB Air Safety Investigator, passed away on December 17, 2019. Read tribute here.
Steichen, Girard, passed away on October 21, 2011.
Styles, Philis, passed away in July 2016. Philis began working with the NTSB on October 6, 1976, with the Bureau of Administration, Comptroller Division. She began her work with the Office of Administrative Law Judges in March of 1990, where she excelled and continued to be promoted until she retired as our Management and Program Analyst in October of 2014. Philis was an exceptional person who strove to do the right thing every day. It was clear to all who knew Philis that her deep faith guided her in all that she did each and every day. Philis was dedicated and loyal in her personal relationships as well as in her commitment to her work. Through the most difficult of times, Philis was unshakable, always maintaining and exhibiting a calmness that remains inspirational. The Chairman noted that she brightened his day whenever he passed her in the hall. Philis brightened the day for many of us. Read tributes to Philis here.
Styles, Thomas DeWitt, age 93, passed away on November 26, 2016. Click here for obituary.
Sweedler, Barry, age 72, former NTSB Director of Safety Recommendations, passed away on October 27, 2009, at his home in Lafayette, California, after a year-long struggle with colon cancer. Born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 11, 1937, Barry he was trained as an engineer and went on to a lifelong career dedicated to public safety. He spent 31 years at the NTSB, where he worked tirelessly to prevent tragedies in all modes of transportation. Barry conceived of the idea of the “Most Wanted List” of transportation safety improvements. He also is known for use of the phrase “tombstone mentality” to explain why agencies wait for one accident after another before implementing NTSB safety recommendations.
Wandel, Warren V., age 64, passed away on Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. Warren was an Army aviator, an aviation safety officer, a National Transportation Safety Board accident investigator and a consulting aviation accident expert. He was also a decorated disabled veteran. His keen attention to detail, innate ability to analyze complex information with remarkable insight and unwavering integrity made him one of the most respected and sought after aviation accident experts in the country. An aviator from an early age, Warren learned to fly with his father, becoming a multi-engine, fixed wing pilot by age 16. He volunteered for the U.S. Army and graduated from Army Flight School in 1967 as one of three honor graduates in his class. He served as a U.S. Army aviator from 1967-1996, Active & Reserve, retiring as chief warrant officer four (CW4) in 1996. His active duty assignments included a combat tour with the 1st Cavalry as an aircraft commander, flying AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters in Vietnam (1968). Following training as an Army aviation safety officer and accident investigator, he continued to fly and serve in the Reserve, including an assignment as one of two aviation safety officers for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He was a UH-1 (Huey) pilot and unit safety officer for the 351st ASA Company attached to Randolph Air Force Base. Later, he served as an aviation safety staff officer for 5th Army, Fort Sam Houston, as well as a safety officer and investigation advisor for the Department of the Army. As a civilian, he worked with Bell Helicopter International as a safety officer and accident investigator in Tehran, Iran. He was with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Fort Worth Field Office, from 1980 until 1995. Upon retiring, he founded Warren V. Wandel & Associates, working as an aircraft accident investigation expert until his death. During his military and civilian careers, he investigated more than 1,600 aviation accidents and had a profound impact on aviation safety.
Woody, Bill, age 87, former NTSB marine accident investigator, passed away on June 26, 2016. Read Bill's obituary here. Click here for memories of and tributes to Bill.