EAA Mourns Death of Member/Benefactor Barron Hilton

September 26, 2019 - Barron Hilton, an avid aviator who expanded his father’s hotel business into a worldwide hospitality empire and also supported many aviation causes, died on September 19 at age 91. Hilton, EAA 182855, was among the high-profile supporters of the new EAA Aviation Center project in the early 1980s. 

The Hilton Welcome Theater on the museum’s mezzanine was named in his honor, recognizing his support of EAA. In addition, Hilton appeared in several videos to support EAA’s ongoing aviation education programs. He also made his Nevada ranch, airfield, and aircraft collection available to EAA for video productions in the 1990s, particularly for the ESPN Ultimate Flights series.

At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2019, Hilton was among those longtime benefactors who were recognized at The Gathering on July 25.