Embry-Riddle Trustee Receives NAA's Elder Statesman of Aviation Award
Daytona Beach, Fla., Nov. 13, 1997 -- The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) has selected Edward Stimpson as one of the six recipients of its 1997 Elder Statesman of Aviation Award. From 1987 to 1994 Stimpson was the chairman of the Board of Trustees at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; he remains a member of the Board and serves on the university's Executive Committee.
 Stimpson began his career in aviation as an FAA assistant administrator, responsible for the FAA's congressional relations. After 25 years of service as president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Stimpson is now vice chairman of GAMA and chairman of General Aviation Team 2000, the new aviation industry effort to educate and attract more people into aviation. For two years he served as senior vice president of the Morrison Knudsen Corp.
The Elder Statesman of Aviation Award was established in 1954 to honor outstanding Americans of at least age 60 who have made significant contributions to aeronautics over many years. A committee of 20 leaders from all segments of the aviation community chose the six recipients of the award from 24 nominations. The men were honored in ceremonies held Nov. 13 in Washington, D.C.
NAA consists of more than 100 member organizations, representing some 400,000 individuals. It is the nation's oldest aviation organization, with the primary mission of advancing the art, sport, and science of aviation and space flight. The other honorees are:
- John Baker, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) from 1978 to 1990.
- William Kershner, author of industry-leading books on flight instruction and aerobatics.
- Ralph Nelson, developer of AOPA's original weekend flight-training clinics. He also established the International Aviation Theft Bureau, now known as the Aviation Crime Prevention Institute.
- R. Dixon Speas, a renowned aeronautical engineer and developer of the world's first intercontinental computer flight plan. Speas was the commencement speaker at the December 1995 graduation ceremony at Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus, during which he was presented with an honorary doctorate in aviation business administration.
- Peter Wright, Sr., who boasts a long career in the commercial helicopter industry and is the founder of the American Helicopter Museum.
The world's largest university specializing in aviation and aerospace, Embry-Riddle has campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., and more than 100 education centers in the United States and Europe. Its curriculum covers the operation, engineering, research, manufacturing, management, and marketing of modern aircraft and the systems that support them.
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