Richard Graham Dower (1915-2002) was inspired as a boy with a love of flying by Charles Lindberg’s solo trans-Atlantic flight in 1927. During WW II Dick became a naval aviator and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander as a Squadron Commander in the Pacific theater flying the PBY Catalina and other aircraft. He maintained his connection with the Navy as a squadron commander in the U. S. Naval Reserve until his retirement in 1965. After the war he became a Captain for Eastern Airlines, flew as chief pilot for several commercial firms, and started several aviation-related enterprises. He maintained his love of flying all his life and kept his flight qualifications into his eighties.