Don Osborne: 11 Aug 1931 – 10 May 2017

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of our Brother Don Osborne, after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Don had been a member of Mondongueros since 2000, and remained active as a pilot long after most of his contemporaries “hung up the spurs”.

Our collective sympathies go out to Elly and the other members of Don’s family.

A memorial service will be conducted by Elly and their daughters at Don’s hangar at Stead Airport, beginning at 2:00PM on Saturday, June 10th, so arriving a little early will be appreciated. Questions can answered by daughter Sarah Osborne at 825-2116.

We all know how to find the t-hangars at Stead, and the map below identifies Don’s hangar.

Member Mark H Goodrich recently wrote White Paper on the 100-year history of The Boeing Company, published in the October 2016 issue of Position Report magazine, the official publication of the association for the Retired Airline Pilots of Canada, or RAPCAN.

The article is entitled “The Boeing Story: A Tale of Capitalism”, and can be read in its entirety as published, on the personal web-site of Mark Goodrich. It is under the White Papers section at http://markhgoodrich.org.

The early history of The Boeing Company is described in great detail, including many photographs of the early Boeing aircraft. As one example, below is a picture of Bill Boeing in his first airplane – a Glenn Martin TA – taken in 1915.

Members are encouraged to check out the recently posted article entitled “USAF Thunderbirds: The Mondongueros Connection”, which may be found under the Web-Site Section for Articles of Interest.

Dictator Gary Edwards has announced the Annual Spouses’ Dinner will be held on the evening of Saturday, 14 January 2017, in a meeting room on the lower level of the Eldorado Hotel and Casino in downtown Reno. This annual function is the one event where we dress above “casual”, and give our spouses or significant others some insight into the Club de los Mondongueros.

Cocktails will begin at 6:00 pm, and dinner at 7:00 pm.

An after-dinner presentation related to aviation is planned.

Members will be asked by the Dictator to specify their menu choices for the Annual Dinner at regular lunch meetings a few weeks before the event.

Photographs taken at the Spouses’ Dinner will be included on the 2016 Edition of the Mondongueros Photo Album, and will be distributed to all members on CD at the regular lunch meetings in February 2017.

Those members who still have not provided the long-requested photographs from their past are encouraged to submit several to the Web Master before January 1, 2017, so they may be included within the updated Photo Album. The web-site post on the subject of “requested photographs” may be consulted for details.

                                        Thomas “Tommy” Diehl – 1931-2016

We have received word through the offices of the Washoe County Sheriff and Washoe County Coronor that our brother Tommy Diehl passed away on August 29th at home. In the Air Force, Tommy was an engine mechanic, and maintained a life-long interest in aviation. Many will remember him as a part of the United Air Lines airport staff at the Reno Airport during the 1970s and 1980s.

Tommy was a member of Mondongueros since 27 July 1988. He was a genial personality, and always smiling.

Tommy asked that no memorial or other service be held, and that his friends remember him as the “life of the party”. We certainly will.

Dictator Gary Edwards has announced the Annual Barbeque to be held at his home between 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm on the evening of Saturday, 10 September 2016. This is an annual tradition that is not to be missed for both the camaraderie and good food.

Gary Senior and Gary Junior will watch over the slow cook and smoke process all day, with ribs, beans and cole slaw the always-delicious result. A modest fee will be collected to offset the cost of the food and drink.

Gary’s home is at 9230 Hidden Park Drive in the Del Webb Somersett area west of Reno. The most efficient route is west in I-80 to about the four mile marker, exiting to the right and button-hooking 180 degrees back through the gateway arch. A map of the route is set forth below. As the Dictator says, “It’s all right turns coming in, and all left turns going out”.

Our brother Norm Walker passed away on March 28th, following open heart surgery to repair a valve.

Members will recall that Barbara – his wife of 58 years – passed away almost exactly three years ago in March of 2013.

We have all enjoyed Norm’s stories of his service in World War II as a Marine F4U pilot while still a teenager. After the war, he worked as a truck driver, and then joined the Framingham (MA) Police Department, where he served for 23 years. Norm and Barbara moved to Reno in 1973, and Norm worked in security at several hotels and casinos before retirement. He joined Mondongueros in 1993.

Norm was an avid outdoorsman and firearms enthusiast. Members will enjoy the photograph within the Club Photo Album of Norm and Member Pedro de Azevado  from 1998, taken while on a day-trip to the desert for some recreational shooting, and dressed as “bandidos”.

In the photograph below, Norm is seen at the lower-center in 1946, after returning to Hawaii from Okinawa with his unit.

Norman Walker: 02 July 1928 – 28 March 2016

Our brother Norm Walker has undergone open heart surgery to repair a valve, and as of 25 March 2016, remains hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit at Renown Medical Center.

We understand that the prognosis for Norm is good, but no visitors are allowed at this time out of an abundance of caution to prevent any infection issues.

Dictator Gary Edwards is following the situation with Norm on a daily basis, and will advise when Norm is able to receive visitors.

Watch this this space for updates.

Members should take a few minutes to read a delightful tale offered up by our Brother Jim Lockridge, reflecting upon his long-past ownership experience with a 1953 MG-TD.

It is under Articles of Interest, and is well worth the investment of a few minutes time to look in on experiences of the kind that most of us encountered in our youth.

Good work, Jim!