HAI tells ANN that Lloyd Welch Pogue has gone west... Pogue passed away on Saturday, May 10, 2003 and was widely known as a civil aviation pioneer who helped develop standards for international commercial flights, even at 101. He was an early supporter of HAI, attending and frequently addressing meetings as well as serving as Counsel to HAI. Over the years he was awarded four plaques affirming his commitment to the helicopter community. Welch Pogue was an HAI Honorary Lifetime-member. Born on October 21, 1899 on a farm near Grant, Iowa, at a time when William McKinley was President of the United States, Victoria was queen of England, and the Wright brothers were running a bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio. Passing through three centuries, he witnessed the closing of two, and was still quite active beginning the third. Mr. Pogue drove his car until the week of his death and drove from Washington, D.C. to St. Augustine, Florida and back at the age of 101.

Welch Pogue was a World War I veteran and graduate of Harvard Law School. He made his mark as a noted Wall Street lawyer, involved in the registration of the first aviation securities following the passage of the Securities Act of 1938. In 1942, he was appointed to Chair the U.S. Civil Aeronautics Board by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, where he played a major role in the development of the international civil aviation system.

In 1944, he represented the United States at the International Civil Aviation Conference, represented by 53 nations, which established English as the air traffic control language, set rules for international flights, adopted a worldwide multilateral treaty to establish international civil air routes, and regulated conditions of service, rates and fares, and capacity. Pogue, helped to shape the framework for international civil aviation to this day. Among the American team were Fiorella H. La Guardia and Admiral William E. Byrd. At the time, only 10 airlines operated internationally. Another interesting fact was that his wife of 75 years, Mary Ellen Edgerton Pogue, actually met the Wright Brothers when she was a girl. Mrs. Pogue passed away in 2001.

In 1946, he left government and started his own law firm in Washington, D.C., representing several major airlines. His clients included Bell Aircraft and Lockheed. Pogue retired in 1981, writing and traveling extensively. He has been awarded numerous honors and awards including being named as a fellow of the American Helicopter Society, and the “Golden Eagle Award,” given by the Society of Senior Aerospace Executives, the “Elder Statesman Award” from the National Aeronautic Association, and the Donald D. Engen Aero Club Trophy for Aviation Excellence. In 1994, the McGraw-Hill Aviation Group established the L. Welch Pogue Award for Aviation Achievement.

A memorial service is planned for 10:00 a.m. in the Great Choir Nave at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. on June 28. Following the memorial service, there will be a reception at the nearby National Cathedral School for girls in Hearst Hall at 11:00 a.m.

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