Gary M. Valant was a man of many talents whose chief passions were photography, Alfa Romeo automobiles, and his family. An avid military history buff, he authored the book Vintage Aircraft Nose Art, which has been sold in the gift shops of the National Air and Space Museum and many other aviation museums. After completing a degree in chemistry and the ROTC program at Arlington State College (now University of Texas at Arlington), he served honorably as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army. He was awarded a patent on growing silicon crystals while employed at Texas Instruments. Along with his wife, Nancy, he founded the Lone Star chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club, serving also as a writer, photographer, and technical advisor for Alfa Owner magazine. He earned an M.B.A. from Southern Methodist University, and he and Nancy started a small business repairing Alfa Romeos and Mazdas. Gary was an avid car racer throughout his life, participating in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) events in the 1960s and 1970s and vintage car racing events in the 1980s and 1990s. He was a loving father to his son, Michael, and his daughter, Bonnie, supporting them in everything they did, including enthusiastically helping them with science and engineering projects and playing the part of Mother Ginger in a 1989 production of The Nutcracker. Gary was the only child of Joseph and Anna Valant of Arlington, Texas. He passed away in 1996 from cancer.