Ted was born in Bedford, Pennsylvania in 1906, and was a lifelong aviation enthusiast until his death in 1987. In the mid-1920s he decided to become a pilot, finding that much more to his liking than college. He went to Philadelphia for his initial training and began flying transport planes and then became a licensed instructor himself. When he flew back home people in Bedford were treated to rides and fly-over stunts.

Soon he decided to fly bigger ships and enrolled in the Master's Pilots Course at the Boeing School in Oakland, California. The Oakland Times of March 1, 1930, reported that he was their first student to "fly blind," going fifty miles to Tracy Airport and back in a hooded cockpit. He soon became chief pilot at Oakland Airport where he participated in the camaraderie and excitement of aviation advances in northern California.

Unfortunately his career was cut short in 1932, when he contracted tuberculosis and was hospitalized off and on for several years. Nevertheless, when the our country entered World War II, Ted, eager to fly again, volunteered for the US .Army Air Force. Though not cleared to fly, he did become a civilian instructor at Marana Airfield in Arizona. Officially he taught meteorology but he was regularly called upon to substitute in other subjects and he knew them all. Many young men were trained to become great pilots in this program and Ted was proud to have served his country in this way.