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Tributes
Tributes to honor persons who are still living or who may have left us long ago, but we want to revisit their legacy.


Pan Am Pilot Keith Woodmansee — Aviator, Attorney, and Banjo Player
PAN AM Series — Pan Am Pilot Keith Woodmansee: From Cockpit to Music Stage Pan Am pilot Keith Woodmansee has been a long-time friend...
Bill Travis
Aug 72 min read


Pan Am Pilot Dick Mayer — From Flight Deck to Dixieland Trumpet
PAN AM Series — Pan Am Pilot Dick Mayer in Uniform and on Stage Pan Am pilot Dick Mayer is the kind of person whose smile and energy...
Bill Travis
Aug 71 min read


Pan Am Pilot Photography Project — Don Rees in Three Roles
PAN AM Series — Pan Am Pilot Photography Project: Capturing Character This Pan Am pilot photography project began in the late 1970s,...
Bill Travis
Aug 72 min read


Pan Am Pilot Bill Spence — Professional Aviator and Martial Artist
Pan Am Pilot Bill Spence: Karate Black Belt and Gentle Friend I first met Pan Am pilot Bill Spence when I moved to California to fly for...
Bill Travis
Aug 72 min read


The Race to 500: Why My Fargo Rating Is Stuck at 369 — But I'm Still Winning
Understanding the Fargo Rating Plateau — and Why It Doesn't Tell the Whole Story My Fargo Rating is currently stuck at 369, but that...
Bill Travis
Aug 22 min read


Tribute to Jerry Briesath — The Teacher Behind the Talent
For over half a century, Jerry Briesath has been a guiding force in the evolution of cue sports. Widely regarded as the dean of pool instructors, Jerry not only helped define how pool is played at the highest levels — he taught us how to teach it.
Bill Travis
Aug 23 min read


Pan Am Flight 6 Ditching: The Pacific Miracle of Captain Dick Ogg
How Captain Ogg Executed the Legendary Pan Am Flight 6 Ditching On O ctober 16, 1956, Pan Am Captain Richard “Dick” Ogg faced an...
Bill Travis
Jul 274 min read


Pan Am Emergency Landing: The Heroic Legacy of Captain Chuck Kimes
Captain Chuck Kimes' handling of the Pan Am emergency landing stands as a monument to professional training, cool under fire, and the teamwork that defined Pan American World Airways at its peak.
Bill Travis
Jul 273 min read


Captain Bill Travis — A Pan Am Pilot’s Life of Reinvention
How a Boy from the Farm Became a Pan Am Pilot (H2) Captain Bill Travis’s story begins on a modest farm in rural Tennessee during the...
Bill Travis
Jul 252 min read


Captain Warren Simmons: The Pan Am Pilot Who Built San Francisco’s Pier 39
From the Cockpit to the Waterfront—At the Same Time Not every Pan Am pilot waited until retirement to change the world. Captain Warren...
Bill Travis
Jul 252 min read


Tribute to Dee Travis: Quiet Strength, Enduring Love, and a Life of Purpose
Tribute to Dee Travis: Quiet Strength, Enduring Love, and a Life of Purpose Some people live their lives in the spotlight. Others — like...
Bill Travis
Jul 212 min read


Our Daughter
A Tribute to our Daughter Daughter, Mother, Healer, Builder From the very beginning, our daughter showed the world who she was —...
Bill Travis
Jul 202 min read


Our Granddaughter
A Tribute to a Remarkable Granddaughter On Her Birthday Some people move quietly through life, content to follow the well-worn path. But...
Bill Travis
Jul 202 min read


Our Grandson
A Tribute to our grandson Some people seem to be born with an inner compass — a quiet determination guiding them toward a life of...
Bill Travis
Jul 202 min read


Tribute to Vietnam Veteran John Albright
Tribute to Mr. John Albright Veteran, Farmer, Patriarch (This tribute honors a fictional individual created for demonstration purposes.)...
Bill Travis
Jul 202 min read


Captain Wayne Poulson: Pan Am Pilot
Captain Wayne Poulson: Pan Am Pilot, Visionary of Squaw Valley & Gentleman of the Skies Few pilots have left their mark both in the air...
Bill Travis
Jul 172 min read


Captain Jim Doyle: Pan Am Legend, USAF Major, and Motorcycle Racing Pioneer
Some people live two lifetimes’ worth of adventure — and Pan Am Captain Jim Doyle is one of them. From high-speed jets to high-speed...
Bill Travis
Jul 172 min read


Charles Blair: Pan Am Pathfinder, Polar Pioneer, and Husband to Hollywood’s Maureen O’Hara 🎬
Charles Blair: Polar Pioneer, Pan Am Pathfinder, and Hollywood’s Co-Pilot Few pilots flew as far — or as fearlessly — as Pan Am Captain...
Bill Travis
Jul 172 min read
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