Communication Center Dedicated in Memory of ‘Green One’
Ron Scott Volunteered for 55 Years
By Barbara A. Schmitz
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From left, Rick Larsen, EAA vice president of communities and member programs; Larry Mackowiak, communication center volunteer; Craig Fitzsimmons, communication center chairman; Tracey Reich, Ron Scott’s daughter; Logan Scott, Scott’s grandson; Matt Scott, Scott’s son; Jack Pelton, EAA CEO and chairman of the board; and Josh Sullivan, communication center vice chairman gather around the newly installed plaque at the Ron Scott Communications Center. Robin Dums, Scott’s other daughter, was not able to attend the ceremony that renamed the communication center in his honor.
More than 100 people came together Sunday to honor and celebrate the life of longtime Communication Center Chairman Ron Scott as the building was dedicated in his honor.
Scott, who died in November 2015 at 82, was probably best known as “Green One,” the chairman of the Communication Center from 1954-2015. In 2010, he marked 50 years of EAA volunteer service, making him one of the longest-tenured volunteers. He also served on the EAA board of directors for eight years in the 1970s.
In addition, Scott made notable contributions to the homebuilt aircraft community, and 46 years ago, built Ol’ Ironsides, the first aircraft to use fiberglass structurally in a skin-stressed application. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame in 2013.
Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO and chairman of the board, said it was a bittersweet day. “Every time I go down the flightline and I see those speakers I remember Ron and what he did to make this event better every year,” he said. “Through Ron’s vision, he is talking through those speakers to thousands of people.”
Josh Sullivan, communications center vice chairman, said Scott was the first chairman the communications center had and he was able to expand the center as needs changed. “He started the comm center with just four military radios and he built it from there. He was good at surrounding himself with a lot of experts — people who had years of knowledge with electronics, radio, audio, and video, and he brought them all together and formed a little family here.”
Communications Center Chairman Craig Fitzsimmons was responsible for the 56-warbird formation that flew overhead to honor Scott. Warbirds were Scott’s favorite plane, he said. “I’ve been around here since 1979, and I know a lot of people,” he said, explaining how the formation flight took place.
Scott’s daughter, Tracey Reich, said the dedication brought back many memories for the family. “From the time my father was a child making model airplanes in the basement to the time he met Paul Poberezny, who encouraged him to design and build his own experimental airplane, aviation has been a major part of his life,” she said. “And it’s something that has become a part of our lives since all three of us were born. To have this honor for the rest of the world to see is very touching.”
