The AMA History Project Presents: THE HISTORY OF THE ACADEMY OF MODEL AERONAUTICS Since 1936 Written by WCB & DB (1966); Reformatted by JS (2017-2018) The book, The History of the Academy of Model Aeronautics, including Part One and Part Two from the Beginning to the Year 1966, by Willis C. Brown and Dick Black, was published by the AMA in 1966, coinciding with the AMA’s 50th anniversary. We recreated that book here, with slight edits and adaptations for readability, continuity, and searchability. -------End Cover/Page 1------- -------End Page 2------- The History of the Academy of Model Aeronautics Part One Index Birth of the history.................................. 4 Chronology of presidents............................. 5 Credits, with thanks................................. 6 Prelude to the history............................... 14 The history........................................ 16 Chronology of HQ locations.......................... 29 Chronology of National meets......................... 29 -------End Page 3------- Birth of the Academy of Model Aeronautics History It all happened at Glenview Naval Air Station during the Nats of 1962 when Walt Billett spied on the wall in a ready room of the hangar a piece of paper 11 x 17. It was a chart of the Base giving all the details of command from the Commander down and details of procedure. “Just the thing the Academy needs to inform its members and acquaint them with procedure,” said Walt. “The Bylaws at a glance. Nobody reads them and here is the answer.” On application to the commander to remove it, permission was given and Walt had the nucleus of the History of the Academy of Model Aeronautics in his pocket. Well, it’s been a battle ever since. First thing was to find a capable and willing writer. Finally after consulting with Russ Nichols, Russ came up with Willis Brown in 1963, the first AMA President. Well this idea of a Chart of the Academy to be bound in the center of Model Aviation (the Academy publication) like Topsy, just grew and grew and grew. It grew into a history with the chart as the last page. Actually Russ had commissioned Willis to put a history together a couple of years earlier than this but the project was only a general and undefined effort until Billett gave it some impetus. In the meantime Walt had printed a small prospectus or dummy of the History showing the makeup. It was to be 5 ½ x 8 ½ in order to bind into Model Aviation, which was small at that time. Size was eventually changed to 8 ½ x 11 to conform to later size of MA - approximately 32 to 48 pages as originally planned. These dummies were sent to quite a list of the Old Timers with an explanation of what we were trying to do and a request that they come through with a complete written collection of Academy doings as they remembered. Well, this was quite a disappointment so far as quantity was concerned, but did produce some very good stories to turn over to Willis. Walt had to write some of them 3 or 4 times to get results but we are very thankful to those who took the time and made the effort to help make our History more complete. Credits to those individuals are given, with thanks, at the beginning of this history. Willis Brown put in over 300 hours of direct labor on the history, many more on general research. He began at a leisurely pace in 1960, accelerated considerably under Billett’s urging from 1962 through 1965. The job of completing Brown’s effort - that of carrying the history from the early days of model aviation through the start of World War II - was expedited in late 1965 by the direct cooperation of AMA headquarters. Until that time, Willis did all work alone including all typing. When it became obvious that the bare writing job was about done, headquarters pitched in with final typing and production of duplicate copies. This enabled the job to go to the printer at last. And who was the first to get type set on the project? It was Walt himself. Billett had many years of printing business experience and also had access to a print shop he had previously owned. Walt was able to work spare time, often at night. So Walt not only provided inspiration for the project he also got it into being. But it took even more. Somebody had to go out and raise the money that was needed to cover printing costs and also reimbursement for the authors. It took a long time, covering many years of behind the scenes wheeling and dealing at many Nationals and Chicago Trade Shows. In early 1966, having gotten a few partial history copies in bound form, Walt talked himself out of the hospital just long enough to get to the Trade Show with sample copies and another round of seeking sponsorships. Obviously, if any one man is to be credited with the AMA history job, Billett is that man. This is his monument to a dedicated dream. Taking up where Willis Brown left off, Dick Black was brought into the history picture by John Worth in late 1965. Headquarters files of postwar material were made available and the second phase of the history project was begun. It soon became obvious that this job would be tougher than the first. Many more years of history were involved, with many more intricate details of AMA operation involved, many more achievements and many new personalities. The job will never end - we hope - and it will go on to record many more fascinating years of Academy progress. John Worth, Executive Director of the Academy of Model Aeronautics -------End Page 4------- Origin and Chronology of Presidents Academy of Model Aeronautics Frank Zaic says that the movement for an organization like the Academy began in 1932 when Lieut. H. W. Alden and William R. Enyart started the Junior membership plan of the National Aeronautics Association. Frank is alone in placing the date that early. In 1934, the Akron Technical Conference following the Nationals came up with the idea of a separate organization to be run “of, by and for” the model experts. There is general agreement on this date but the meeting could not agree on a name. In 1935, at Detroit, the name “American Academy of Model Aeronautics” was accepted by the Nationals Conference. [HP editors’ note: The first name of the organization has also appeared in other documents as “American Academy for Model Aeronautics”] It was decided to name Provisional Officers and Committees at the 1936 Nationals Conference. This was done in Detroit in 1936. The names and offices are listed in Vol. I No. 2, August 1936 issue of Model Aviation. These Officials were to run the Academy until an election could be held that would be more representative of the membership than the National Conference. The same Officers and Committees were elected by mail ballot in December 1936 to serve for the calendar year 1937. Thus the Academy came into active being in 1936. Chronology of Presidents No. 1. Willis C. Brown, elected to serve for 1936 by Council Willis C. Brown, elected to serve for 1937 by membership ballot 2. Albert L. Lewis..................1938 by membership for calendar year 3. Edward Roberts..................1939.................. through 1942 4. Irwin G. Ohlsson................1943.................. through 1946 5. Everett N. Angus................1947.................. through 1948 6. C. O. Wright.......................1949.................. through 1950 7. Kenneth Held......................1951 8. Frank B. Bushey.................1952 9. Keith H. Storey...................1953.................. through 1956 10. Claude McCullough............1957.................. through 1958 10. Walter A. Good, PhD..........1959.................. through 1960 11. Peter J. Sotich..................... 1961.................. through 1962 12. John Worth..........................1963 through Jan. 1964 13. Maynard Hill........................Feb 1964 through Dec. 1964 14. Howard E. Johnson..............1965-1966* through Dec. 1966 *2 year terms initiated in 1965 -------End Page 5------- Credits, with Thanks It was a great pleasure to receive from Philip Zecchitella, Editor of 1936 Model Airplane Yearbook, permission to quote from his very excellent book which is now one of many valuable collectors’ items. For Business reasons, Phil shortened his last name to “Tell” and we hear that he is doing more than “all right” in his own business. To Al Lewis we all owe a debt of gratitude, not only for the resources he has made available, but also for the hard work he and the Headquarters Staff performed [on] behalf of our great sport when he was President of AMA, and also later when he was Executive Director of AMA. When Everett N. Angus became President of AMA, he brought to the difficult postwar years a wealth of practical experience as a club leader and as a staff member of AMA Headquarters. His cooperation and resource material furnished at this time is typical of his interest in the promotion of model aeronautics, and his willingness to be helpful. To Charles Hampson Grant we owe more than can be expressed here. As Editor of Model Airplane News, he was a leader. He focused attention on learning the factors contributing to the art of designing model planes, then testing them in competition. Always a supporter of the early Academy, his letters have been very helpful to the Historian. Carl Goldberg dug through his old clippings and was very cooperative in making available information on the early days. The Polk Brothers have helped make available early information. They were especially valuable in re-contacting Phil Zecchitella. C. O. Wright is well known as a “doer’” and when asked for historic material concerning his term of office as President, he came up with the impressive facts for use in the chapter covering postwar Academy activities.