EAA Presents Marv Hoppenworth with EAA Lifetime Achievement Award
September 1, 2016 - Marv Hoppenworth, EAA 2519, was presented with EAA’s Lifetime Achievement last weekend at EAA Chapter 33’s August meeting.
Because Marv was unable to attend the Chapter Leadership Breakfast during AirVenture this year, Charlie Becker, EAA director of chapters and communities and homebuilt community manager, surprised Marv by visiting Chapter 33 to present the award.
Although best known to the EAA membership as the original designer of pedal planes sold at Oshkosh, Marv has made a number of other incredible contributions to the organization over the years, including:
- Fourth person to sign up as an EAA Lifetime member
- Founding member of Chapter 33 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- EAA regional representative for a five-state area from 1962 to 1965.
- Helping to organize and form Chapter 227 in Waterloo and Chapter 214 in Fort Dodge
- Forming the first emergency repair tent for convention in the early 1960s with Marshall Turner
- Participating in the first group of tech counselors (his tech counselor number is 11)
- Serving as program chair and chapter president in years past
- Serving as a classic airplane judge at Oshkosh from 1980 to 1990
- Teaching welding at the Oshkosh workshops
- Making countless technical presentations to Chapter 33 and at Oshkosh forums
- Giving airplane rides to children at chapter events long before the Young Eagles program
- Providing the pedal planes for children near the main Oshkosh flightline entrance
- Designing and providing the pedal planes for KidVenture
- Designing and building six Wright Flyer pedal planes for EAA to commemorate the 100th anniversary of flight
2016 marked Marv’s 60th consecutive year of attending convention. “Marv Hoppenworth is someone who I wish could be in every EAA chapter,” Becker said. “His enthusiasm and willingness to share his knowledge and skills is just as strong today as it was when he joined EAA back in 1956.”
