Girard Michael Curry better known friends as Jerry

• Born September 3rd 1910 in Pittston, PA Died, Monday February 4th 1963 Whitestone NY.
• He married Edith Helen Price on October 24th 1937 and had two sons Girard Jr. and Edward.

Jerry served American Airlines from 1929 until his passing in 1963, 34 years of Service

Jerry’s career was born with the Airline that would become American Airlines. The Airline and commercial aviation developed as he worked his way up through the ranks by hard work and perseverance.

In the early days when air travel was novel, Jerry would often have to collect passenger from the steamships in NY and escort VIP passengers to their flights, partly to make sure they mustered the courage for this newfangled flying. ‘Modern’ aircraft such as the DC3 premiered with Jerry’s American Airlines in 1936. Jerry in his career worked with Interline operations, fostering relations between the carriers foreign & domestic, helping to create the airline community out of New York City. Before deregulation in the 1980’s Airlines had chartered routes and cooperated with other Airlines when one’s itinerary included areas covered by other Airlines routes.

Jerry Contributed to the wartime effort by coordinating cargo interline operations., Jerry also helped to established AA in Cuba, before Castro came to power.

He was very active in the airline community being both a member and leader in several Airline groups such as:

o Flying Firsters Club
o Former President of the NY chapter of the Bons Vivants Club (1950)
o Breakfast for 100 at the Yale Club for his 25 year pin with AA.
o Vice President of the St. Theresa’s Aviation Guild
o At the time, an exception of being a male member of the 41/74 Women’s Club http://www.4174club.org/4174club/home
o The Barnacles NY (1954)
o NY Downtown Interline Club
o Gerry was a supporter of the Our Lady of the Skies Catholic Church a Chapel at JFK.

Jerry Curry began his career with American in reservations and ticketing offices and during the war headed up cargo sales for the eastern region He held some of the following titles.
o New York District Manager of interline sales
o Special Representative of Interline sales (1949)
o District Manager of Military & Government Sales American Airlines
o District Manager of Interline Sales
o Staff manager of interline sales.
o Staff Manager of New York Sales

In the days before 24-hour media coverage Jerry was the coordinating contact for the Airline for some of the aircraft disasters at LaGuardia during the 50’s.