Honors Longtime President Mike Gretz Who Passed Away Recently

The Air Power Museum has paid homage to its longtime president Mike Gretz, who recently passed away after a short illness. The Antique Airfield reports on its website that the AAA/APM has renamed the APM "Library of Flight" as the "Mike Gretz Library of Flight".

According to a posting on the website, Gretz was was instrumental in the planning, fundraising and construction of the APM Restoration Center.

His vision and knowledge of aviation history helped in the decision and planning of the themes and featured aircraft at every AAA/APM Fly-in since 2002.

He took charge of making certain the APM side of the AAA/APM Fly-in operated, was staffed (by volunteers) and ran smoothly. Those efforts included designing the Fly-in T-shirts, taking care of the Fly-in vendors, helping plan and coordinate the nightly movies at the Runway Cinema, scheduled and coordinated various Type club and AAA Chapter meetings in APM facilities, and along with his wife Doris, stocked and operated the APM Gift Shop among many, many other efforts.

Mike along with APM Secretary Steve Black originally proposed and helped coordinate the highly successful 2015 APM Capital Campaign Fund via GoFundMe.

Gretz was dedicated to the library. AAA says he was "untiring in his efforts to improve the Library, helping make it known nationally as one of the premiere facilities/repositories for aviation history and research."

A rededication ceremony is planned during the 2016 AAA/APM Invitational Fly-in, and the organization says it intends to "continue Mike's work and efforts as a legacy to his name and memory."

(Image provided by the Antique Airfield. AAA/APM Founder Robert Taylor and APM President Mike Gretz deep in discussion in the "APM Library of Flight")

FMI: http://www.antiqueairfield.com