Tue, Nov 22, 2022
In Magnanimity’s Honor
In recognition of his innumerable contributions and selfless volunteer service to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), John Mellberg of Menasha, Wisconsin, was presented the Henry Kimberly Spirit of Leadership Award during the EAA’s 10 November 2022 Halls of Fame banquet.
The award is named for the late Henry Kimberly, a longtime Oshkosh civic leader whose efforts to build community support for the EAA contributed fundamentally to the successes of both the fly-in—when it arrived in Oshkosh in 1970—and the move of EAA headquarters to Oshkosh in the early 1980s.
Mr. Mellberg was recognized for his efforts in support of exhibits within the EAA Aviation Museum. Over 17-years, he built a 1:36-scale giant miniature model of the D-LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin II, which he donated to the museum and is now proudly displayed on the facility’s main floor along with a 1:250 scale model of the D-LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin. Mellberg also donated articles of fine china that were flown on both of the actual Zeppelins, and two rare Baitz dolls that accompanied the Graf Zeppelin’s 1929 around-the-world flight. In addition to his contributions to the Zeppelin exhibit, Mellberg donated items to the one-of-a-kind 1938 Bugatti Model 100 exhibit, including a rare set of blueprints acquired from the family of a noted Bugatti collector in Great Britain.
Mr. Mellberg has also distinguished himself as a member of EAA’s volunteer museum docent team. Since 2015, he has led museum tours, given presentations on the Graf Zeppelin and the Bugatti, and assisted museum visitors from around the world.
“John is a passionate historian and a wealth of knowledge about aviation history, which he shares with our visitors year-round at the museum,” remarked EAA CEO and chairman of the board Jack Pelton, who presented the award at a dinner in the EAA Aviation Museum’s Eagle Hangar. “He is an outstanding example of our volunteers from the Oshkosh area who make EAA a destination for aviation enthusiasts from all parts of the globe.”
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