GEORGIA AVIATION HALL OF FAME BANQUET
SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 2010

Four distinguished aviators were inducted into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame April 24 at a banquet held at the Museum of Aviation. The 2010 Enshrinement Banquet and Ceremony also included the dedication of a $750,000 renovation and relocation of the Hall of Fame’s exhibits to the Century of Flight Hangar. 

The 2010 inductees are:

Major General John Paulk of Willacoochee, Georgia. General Paulk was inducted for accomplishments over his 30 year Air Force career. These not only include 346 combat missions, but management of the F-15 fleet during its worldwide deployment. Paulk, commander of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center from 1980-1982, also oversaw the modifications to the C-141 fleet, encouraged many Aerospace companies to locate in Middle Georgia and was instrumental in forming the Middle Georgia Military Affairs Committee.

Colonel James “Stu” Mosbey. Colonel Mosbey was recognized for 375 combat missions and for flying every service variant of the F-4 Phantom fighter. An Air Force veteran, Mosbey led the Marines in their first ever appearance at “Red Flag” exercises which earned him Honorary Marine Pilot Wings. Col. Mosbey is also credited for the reissue of the iconic and venerable A-2 flight jacket which was discontinued after WWII.

Posthumous inductees included:

Patricia “Mother” Malone. Mrs. Malone received her initial aviation training through Navy and Air Force programs in 1942. Her aviation career spanned more than 50 years and affected thousands of pilots through her work on training standards and aeronautical charting. She served a 30-year career with Delta Airlines. 

Colonel Lynn “L.E.” Witt of Jonesville Georgia. A World War II veteran, Colonel Witt. is credited with sinking a Japanese destroyer in December of 1944. This was accomplished by strafing with “guns only” as the normal 500 lb bomb compliment could not be loaded in time. After his 30-year Air Force career Witt continued to serve his community holding multiple positions in Carroll County government.

Also recognized with a Chairman’s Award was U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. David Lamar Smith from Rossville, Georgia, a distinguished fighter pilot who flew hundreds of combat missions in Vietnam and Korea and became commander of the prestigious USAF Thunderbirds Aerial Demonstration Team in 1979. He was tragically killed after a show in Cleveland when his aircraft struck a flock of seagulls leading to double engine failure. He and his crew chief ejected -- his crew chief survived, but Colonel Smith’s parachute failed to deploy. Colonel Smith is the father of Sharon Buhler, wife of Colonel Carl Buhler, commander of the 78 th Air Base Wing at Robins Air Force Base. The Chairman’s Award is presented in rare cases at the discretion of the Chairman of the Hall of Fame Board of Directors who is presently Lance Toland. This Chairman’s Award was only the third given out in the 21-year history of the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame.  

The Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame enshrines men and women who have made lasting and significant contributions to aviation. Located inside the Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base, the Hall of Fame also serves as the state repository for Georgia’s Aviation Archives. For more information call (478) 328-0704 or visit www.GAHOF.org.