WE piEDmoniTon VOL. V, NO. 4 APACE WITH THE PACEMAKER JUNE, 1962 Personnel Shift To Ready New Stations New route awards mean not only extra schedule and equip ment requirements but a com plicated shifting of personnel to meet the demands of setting up additional stations at the cities to be served. The following men comprise Piedmont’s corps of Station Man agers who have been transferred or promoted in preparation for the beginning of service. Blackmon to LYH C. R. Blackmon will be the new As sistant Station Manager in Lynch burg, replacing Claude Kiger, who is transfer ring to Elizabeth City as Station Manager. He was born in Hope Mills, N. C., and attended school there and at Worth Business College. Blackmon joined Piedmont in 1952 as an Agent at the Fayette ville, N. C. station. In 1954 he entered the U. S. Army and served in Mannheim, Germany, until 1956 as a Personnel Admin istrative Specialist. After his discharge he re turned to Fayetteville and Pied mont. In 1959 he was promoted to Chief Agent and transferred to Columbus, Ohio, and in 1961 he was moved to his latest loca tion at Greensboro-High Point, N. C. While in school Blackmon was given the American Legion Citi zenship award and the E. N. Brower Commercial Scholarship. In the Army he received a letter of commendation from the Com manding Officer of the 40th Tranportation Company for out standing performance of duties, plus a three-month waiver of time in grade for promotion. He is married to the former Patricia Ann McLaurin of Fayetteville, and they have one daughter. Dotson to PKB V. T. Dotson has been named Sta- t i o n Manager for Parkersburg - Mari etta, filling the post left by Don Shanks’ move to Baltimore. A native of Harlan, Ky., he at tended school there and at Bowl ing Green Business College, Bowling Green, Ky. He also took special training at Central Air line School, Kansas City, Mo. He has served in a number of cities served by Piedmont. Dot son joined the company in 1949 as an Agent at the New Bern Station. He then transferred to Lexington, Ky., where he was promoted to Chief Agent. In 1955 he was named Station Manager for Piedmont’s London-Corbin, Ky., station, and from 1959 to the present has been serving as Station Manager at Bluefield W. Va. Dotson is a member of the Princeton Chamber of Com merce, the Bluefield Chamber of Commerce, and the Princeton Junior Chamber of Commerce. He is married to the former Wilma Jean Phelps of Bowling Green, and they have two chil dren. P/mmfff HAOmi Cute Candidates — This bevy of beauties comprise the first Stewardess training class at INT. They are (left to right): Dorothea Elmore, Nancy Vaught, Kay Spencer, Pat Hale, and Betty Martin. Miss Hale is already familiar with Piedmont procedures, having transferred to the class from a position as Reservations Agent in DCA. Fields to FLO J. L. Fields comes to Florence from the Frank fort station, which is now being served through the Blue Grass Airport at Lexington. Fields is from Princeton, W. Va., and attended school there and at Beckley, W. Va.. He also took special training at a radio and television school in Kansas City, Mo. Prior to joining Piedmont in 1948, he served with the U. S. Marine Corps for four years, and was awarded the Purple Heart with star. His first position with Piedmont was in Richmond, Ya. In 1953 he was promoted to Sta tion Manager and transferred to Asheville, N. C., and in 1960 moved to his latest position as Manager of the Frankfort, Ky. station. Fields is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Disabled American Veterans organizations, and has been com missioned a “Kentucky Colonel” by that state’s Governor Bert Combs. He is married to the former Florence E. Rohrs of Defiance County, Ohio, and they have two children. The balance of Piedmont’s Florence Staff will include Chief Agent Julian Morton, and Agents Tom Adams and Gary Lewis. All three will be transferring from Winston-Salem, N. C. Haley to GSB Parker Haley will head the new station at Golds- b o r o. A transfer i f r 0 m Louisville Haley is a native of Jefferson ville, Ind. Before joining Piedmont, he worked in Jeffersonville four years as Assistant Manager of a fixed base operation. He was employed by Piedmont m 1950 as an Operations Agent in Louisville, subsequently being promoted to Chief Agent, a posi tion he held until his present ap pointment as Manager at Golds boro. "Is Glenn There?" This space age story has recently been making the rounds in local news media. We quote: "Piedmont Airlines' system central reservations office is located at the carrier's Win- ston-Salem home base and is known within the company as Space Control. The same of fice doubles as a local pas senger reservations contact. "A prospective passenger dialed the office recently to make a reservation. Instead of the usual — 'Good morn ing — Piedmont Airlines res ervations,' the Agent inad vertantly answered, 'Space Control.' "There was a short pause, after which the voice on the other end said wonderingly: 'Well, I'll be darned! I've got j,Cape Canaveral'." NRY Airport Dedicated, Called Tine Example' The New River Valley Airport, termed an “outstanding example of civic cooperation and achieve ment, was dedicated June 3 with Piedmont officials attending. Four years in the building, the airport represents the work of eight political subdivisions — Giles County, the City of Rad ford, the Town of Dublin, the Town of Pearisburg, Montgom ery County, Pulaski County, the Town of Christiansburg, and the Town of Pulaski. Ground breaking for New River Valley Airport was held September 2, 1958, and construc tion was completed on the proj ect in 1961, with a total cost to the present date of $869,799.60. Dedication ceremonies were held in the center of the air field, with Airport Commission Attorney John M. Goldsmith act ing as Master of Ceremonies. After presentation of the colors by the area’s National Guard Unit, the invocation was given by Dr. Charles K. Martin, President of Radford College. C. V. Jackson, Mayor of Pu laski and President of the NRVA Commission, welcomed the dedi cation day guests and hailed the project as “the most progres sive step ever taken by our people since the coming of the railroad 100 years ago.” President T. H. Davis was a featured speaker on the program, and in his speech congratulated the people of the area ori their accomplishment. “Many, many other communi ties have tried similar projects,” said Mr. Davis, “with nothing like the success you have had. This is one of the nicest airports on our system and we will serve it with pride. “The people who have worked on this airport have done their communities one of the greatest services possible.” Mr. Davis noted that the case put forth to the Civil Aeronau tics Board by the New River Valley Airport Commission was “one of the most complete and factual I have ever seen pre sented.” He expressed confidence that the area will generate enough traffic to more than support air line service and added, “We be lieve, and hope you believe, that air service and New River Val ley Airport will be a tremendous asset to this part of the state. Congressman W. Pat Jennings of the Ninth Virginia District, was the program’s concluding speaker. He called the airport a “monument to the will of the people,” and a “fine example of what can be done through the cooperation of all levels of gov ernment.” A buffet luncheon for guests preceded the dedication, and following the ceremonies a Mar tin 404 made eight scenic flights over the area. The flights were one of the day’s most popular attractions. One youngster stood by the ticket window through three flights, waiting to get a seat. After finally making it, his only comment after returning was a big smile, and, “I like it!” i Haley is married to the former Alyne Minnis of Portland, Ten nessee. Jones to BLF Edward E. Jones will be Vize Dot son’s replacement at Piedmont’s Blue- field-Princeton sta tion. A native of McComas, Va., Jones attended school there and at West Virginia Business Col lege in Bluefield. Before joining Piedmont, he worked in Wash ington, D. C. as a a controller for the U. S. Army Department. He was employed by Piedmont in 1954 at the NoMolk Station as an Agent. In 1954 he was trans ferred to Richmond, and later that year was moved to Blue- field-Princeton. He was promoted to Lead Agent there in 1957, and in 1960 to Chief Agent, a posi tion he held until his present appointment as Manager. ‘ Jones is a member of the Princeton Junior Chamber of Commerce. (Continued on Page Five) s mim .1, New Curves for the Twist — "Queen of the Twist" June Wilkerson flew Piedmont out of CVG after a visit plugging her new movie.