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Charles
(Charley) H. Nogle
 Charles H. Nogle, born on February 5,
1931, has been a lifetime resident of
Illinois. Nogle is the owner of Nogle
and Black Aviation, which was founded
in 1963. The company restores and
maintains Beechcraft T-34's. In an
article in AOPA magazine, he is
credited with saving the Beechcraft T-
34. Nogle also operates Tuscola
Airport (K96), which is the only public
use airport in Douglas County. No
outside funds aid in the operation of
the airport.
Mr.
Nogle is involved in aviation outside of restoration
as well. He learned
to fly at the age of 16 in his uncle's Aircoup. Since
that time, he has earned
a multi-engine commercial pilot's certificate with an
instrument rating. He
is also a qualified Formation and Exhibition check pilot.
Nogle has served
on the Board of Directors of War birds of America, the
E.A.A. Warbird
Association, and the Cessna Pilots Association. At his
hangar at Willard
Airport, Nogle hosts an annual BBQ for the Illinois Pilots
Association in an
effort to boost the IPA's membership.
This well-recognized pilot restored a T-34 that is now
held in the Air Force
Museum at Wright-Paterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. He holds
a place in
the E.A.A. Aviation Hall of Fame and in the Warbirds
of American Hall of
Fame.
Our congratulations and appreciation is extended to Mr.
Nogle as he adds
the Illinois Aviation Hall of Fame to his list of achievements. |
 Joan
Kerwin
Joan Kerwin has been involved in
aviation since 1969 when she received
a Private Pilot Certificate. By 1978,
she has added an Instrument Rating
and a Commercial License. Kerwin
has used her certificates for a variety of
community events. She has flown in
two Powder Puff Derbies, one of
which was held to raise funds for the
Peter Koehler YMCA in Naperville.
She has also flown orientation flights
for the Chicago Board of Education to
convince board members of the value
of aviation classes in public schools. She also has
introduced various
people to aviation in Illinois including pilots from
Italy, France, and New
Zealand.
Kerwin's participation in aviation organizations
is extensive. She created
Flying Companion in collaboration with the Illinois
Department of
Transportation safety seminars in 1979, 1981 and
1983. From 1977 to
1983, Kerwin presented and co-chaired all-day safety
seminars with Flying
Companion Courses and IFR/VFR in the Chicago area.
In 1983, she
created an exhibit entitled "Women in Aviation" for
the Chicago Museum
of Science and Industry's Golden Jubilee. She was
a founding member of
the DuPage Pilot's Association and was the first
executive vice president
and a legislative chairman of International 99's.
No
stranger to recognition and awards, Kerwin has received
the Jane's
Who's Who in Aerospace & Aviation (1983) and Accident
Prevention
Counselor of the Year GADO#3 (1985), among others.
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Merrill
Church "Babe" Meigs
 Merrill
Meigs was a visionary. In 1926,
he was a guest of American Airlines on
the first non-stop flight from Chicago
to New York. In 1927, he was the first
paying passenger on a U.S. Mail Plane.
Meigs was among the first Chicagoans
to realize the necessity of aviation
promotion. In the same year, he began
the aspiration that would later be
transformed into Meigs Field. From
1931 to 1950, he was appointed and served as the
Chairman of the Chicago
Aero Commission. Meigs continued his civic contributions
by serving as a
Senior Consultant on Aviation to the War Board
from 1942 - 1944. The
Secretary of War appointed Meigs to represent him
in around-the-world
inspections of U.S. war surpluses as a member of
the Army-Navy Foreign
Surplus Liquidation Commission. Also in 1942, he
was awarded an
honorary membership in the Institute of Aeronautical
Sciences.
Due
to his pioneering and leadership in the field of aeronautics,
the University of Chicago made him the recipient of
a Citation. He was chairman of
the board that selected the site to build Chicago's
future airport site, which
later developed into Chicago O'Hare International
Airport. His political
contributions continued as he actively lobbied
Congress to create a separate
branch of service for the Air Force. In 1946,
Merrill C. Meigs was awarded
the Presidential Medal for Merit.
It
is clear that not only the City of Chicago and State
of Illinois but also the nation owes a debt of gratitude
to "Babe". |
 W.D.
"Dip" Davis
"Dip" Davis has contributed greatly
to Illinois aviation maintenance and
general aviation as well. From 1953
to 1962, he was a maintenance
supervisor for Fox Valley Aviation
out of DuPage Airport. In 1962,
he furthered his maintenance
experience with Galt Flying Service
until leaving in 1968. He added
restoration to his list of abilities in
1968 when he was named director
of Maintenance and Restoration
(Warbirds) with Wm. Ross Enterprise,
Inc. Throughout the years,
Davis served as a director of Maintenance
for multiple companies (mostly at
DPA). Most recently, he was the director
of Technical Operations-
Superflite Division of Cooper Aviation
Supply (now AAR).
In
addition to his aviation jobs, Davis has been actively
involved in community aviation as well. He is always
available for counseling of general aviation
aircraft owners and maintenance personnel
on maintenance and restoration
projects. He is also a restoration team
volunteer at Poplar Grove Vintage
Wings & Wheels Museum. Davis is also
very involved in the E.A.A., writing
several technical articles for E.A.A.
publications, participating in E.A.A.
fabric workshops and LA. Renewal Meetings
on Fabric and Finish Forums,
and serving as an instructor from 1991
to 1999 at the E.A.A. Adult Air
Academy. The E.A.A. has also honored
Davis with the Charles Taylor
Master Mechanic Award in 1994.
"Dip" Davis's
contribution to Illinois aviation makes him more than
deserving of a spot in the Illinois Aviation
Hall of Fame. |
C.
GENE SEIBERT
 C. Gene Seibert has a long-standing
commitment to Illinois aviation, which
started when he graduated from Parks
College in Cahokia in 1942 and went to
work for the Douglas Aircraft Corporation
at O'Hare International Airport.
From 1945 to 1950, he was the owner
and operator of Midwestern Aero
Service, Inc., at Carbondale Airport.
Continuing
his involvement in southern Illinois aviation, he played
a vital role in the founding of the Southern Illinois
Airport Authority and the Southern
Illinois Airport. In 1960, he sold Midwestern Aero Service
to SlUe. This
FBO helped to set the foundation of SlUe's well-known
aviation degree
program. Seibert served as the Air Institute's first
director from 1960 to
1976. In 1976, he resigned from the position to become
the full-time airport
manager at MDH. He remained with Southern Illinois Airport
until his
retirement in 1982.
Even
in retirement, Seibert has remained active through
aviation consulting and as a visiting assistant professor
with SlUe's Aviation Management
Program. Seibert also shows leadership through his
participation in the
American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE).
Through
his aviation service, Seibert helped give the State
of Illinois, MDH, and SIUC a good name in aviation.
He helped give SIUC the national
aviation presence that it enjoys today. For these
and many other reasons, e.
Gene Seibert is given the honor of the
Illinois Aviation Hall of Fame. |
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