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There's an old saying.
"Life is hard, then you die"
That is totally wrong, its,
"Landings were hard and then you bought a LoPo or a PC!"
(Thom Lyons) .
.

1970 Orange Staff Photo

Management of the Company and the DZ's
Steve Boyle
C-158
1967 Orange Manager.  Visited Orange in the late 90's. Steve was selling real estate in Arizona at the time.
Chuck Embury
Photo from 1968 
Chunk is Canadian and was in the PPCLI/PI in 1964 at a 
competition hosted by the Edmonton Parachute Club at a DZ near Cooking Lake, Alberta. We bring it up because they used Norseman for the competition!  Among other things he ran PI's equipment development and sales division at the North Main Street Office in the 70's and managed Orange DZ in the late '60's.  Chuck moved to Elsinore when PI took over from Skylark Aviation.  After that he was instrumental in the design/testing of the Comet ram air canopies. He became a paraplegic after a serious hang gliding accident. His LKP was in the vicinity of Elsinore.  Chuck is still in Elsinore. He builds sleeves for parachutes that let airplanes down.  He is at 33330 West. Long Street., Elsinore, CA 92530.  Phone is (909) 678-2174.
Ruben Lee Managed Orange from 1970 to ??.  He is detailed in the jumpers section.
George H. Flynn II
George was an early employee and stock holder.  He joined the company in April 1959 as Secretary-Treasurer and helped build the first DZ at Orange.  Before coming to PI, Georage was the founder and Captain of the Yale Parachute Team.  He had a Commecial Pilots License and was a Black Belt in Judo.  He worked primarily as an Assistant Instructor and pilot.  He left the company in 1960.
Lee Guilfoyle
D-50		 Lee was the opening manager of the Lakewood SPC.  He and his brother Pete worked like dogs to get the place up and running and is remembered by many of us for his big smile and reddish hair. 

Lee was also a major test jumper in the US.  He jumped prototypes including the Barish Sailwing, the Rogolo Wing, the PC, the Voleplane, the Para-Foil and he also invented the static-line assit system used throughout America after PI's first fatality (a student, who jumped, snapped around and grabbed the pilot chute and went in without opening his reserve.  A probably suicide). 

After leaving PI, Lee worked for the Ocean County Police as a detective.  He also had an interest in a boat works.  Lee and wife Joan now live in Florida where he manages a boat works.

Most recent comments about him:
I was there when Lee got towed up in a Barish Sail Wing in a 20 knt wind.  It collapsed and he feel 50 ft., he was in the hospital with hurt back, 6 months later he came back to make his 1st jump since the accident and got a stand up dead center with a PC ! 
Pete Goulding
D-19178		 1978 Manager of Lakewood, full story in the "Boy Skydivers" section.
Jacques Istel
D-2
Many consider Jacques Istel to be the father of modern skydiving.  Though he was jumping before, he went to France on a visit and returned with two major innovations, the Sleeve (which made opening shocks bareable) and the French Frog position for stable freefall.  He went on to found PI and was president of what is now the USPA. 
Most recent comments about him: (from Rich Piccirilli)
Istel built a resort on 3000 acres just west of Yuma, Ariz. about 10 miles.  He named it after his current wife Felicia, its called Felicity and it has its own Post Office.  Lynn Fogleman, Abe Vilenueva, and I jumped into its grand opening 11 years ago from a C-182 flown by Gary Douris.  It was a bandit jump.  I jumped in there last Xmas Eve and Istel got all pissed off at me, just like old times.  He built a pyramid there and calls it the center of the universe.  He is also building walls about 5 foot high from granite and putting dead soldiers names on it.  So far he has about a quarter of a mile of walls.  His phone # is 760 572 0100. His address is 1 Center of the World Plaza, Felicity, CA, 92783.  He hates it when you land your airplane in his back yard. 
Jake Jackobson Manager of Lakewood SPC in the 68-69 era.  Last seen in 1995 managing a pub in Aspen, Colorado.
Wolfgang Liesche Wolfgang was the third original partner and was part of the US ARMY HALO training team that got PI on its' feet financially.  He died of old age in 1999
Thomas J. 
McCarthy
CAPS CoP: D-54
CSPA CoP: D-61
(Canadian)

Then

Now
Tom ran Orange for a period during the 60's and followed Steve Boyle.  He was a very active hands-on manager and personally was on many a student and experienced load.  He currently operates a DZ in Canada, Skydive Gananoque.  He now has over 9300 jumps and 37+ years In The Sport. 

His website is at:  www.skydivegan.com/ngspc/gspc.html 
 
Nate Pond
D-69
Nate was a very well known personality especially in the East.  He graduated from Cornell University (where he was on the wrestling team) and started his parachuting career as a US Air Force 1st Lt. and parachute rigger.  He was also on the USAF Ski Team.  In 1958 he won the Ft. Campbell Invitational Meet and was on the 1958 US Team.  He got his commercial pilot's license after leaving the service and joined the PI team with over 300 jumps.  He became a stock holder and PI Vice-president in 1959 and left the company in 1969.  Besides instructing, Nate delivered (ferried) most, if not all planes to Orange with Gary (low-freq) and Wiggy.  He still flies a classic Beech Stagger-Wing.     Now 69 years old, he is currently running a farm in Chester, Vermont. (Phone 802-875-2900)    His son still jumps at Orange and is D-6969. 

He was also FJC instructor to many of the people on this page.

CLICK to see the POND scrapbook
Joseph Richardson PI partner, need more info on him
Lew Sanborn
D-1
Original PI partner and PI Vice-president from 1958 to 1967.  He had over 400 jumps when Orange opened in 1959 and he also managed Hemet where he made his 500th jump. 
Lew was Captain of the 1958 US Team, high scorer in the 1956 World Meet, and 1957 Adriatic Cup Meet and set baton records for the Army at Ft Bragg and at Hemet SPC.
Lew contacted Project PI in December 1999 by mail.  He is making 200+ jumps a year and is a member of SOS. There is not much we can say about Lew that the sport media hasn't already said.  Besides his jumping accomplishments he also had a personal battle recovering from the crash of his Luscomb and returned to us when most would have given up. CLICK here for a recent press release concerning his 50th year in skydiving.  Click on the 1958 photo to enlarge it.

Lew's current address is 
1224 Noah Drive
Imperial, MO. 
63052-1644
1-646-464-3991
Dan Ivey Dan was in Orange then ran PI Crawfordsville DZ for one season then came out to run Elsinore. 
Bill Tobin 
D-858		 Assistant manager of Orange DZ in 1967
Vic Valli Originally an Orange Piot, he succeeded Lee Guilfoyle as manager of Lakewood and was then the Elsinore Manager.  He flew the Cessnas, Norseman, Beeches and the DC-3's.
Bill Jolly Hemet and Orange management  He also trained the team that made the 1963 National Geographic South American Expedition jumps. 
Bill Mehr Orange Manager, after being an Orange pilot.  Currently operates an air charter operation out of Orange Airport
[ Instructor/JM's  ] [ Pilots/Mechanics ] [ Riggers ] [ DZ support Staff ] [ Office & All Others ] [ Regular Jumpers ]
 


Instructors & Jumpmasters

Doug Angel
www.skydiveeast.com
PO BOX 84, 
Pittstown, NJ 08867. 
C-550, UK D-341
 
Doug Angel was an early PI employee both at Orange and then Lakewood (1964 on).  He did his time in the Navy and afterwards rejoined the PI team.  He opened a small DZ in NJ (north of Lakewood) called SKYDIVE EAST in the 90's. Oddly enough, this DZ is just down the road from one of the first DZ's in New Jersey, at Asbury Park Airport.  It is also between Asbury Park DZ and another DZ at Applegarth where he also jumped.  Doug deserves a better place in skydiving history than he has gotten.  CLICK here to enlarge photo of Doug jumping at Applegarth.. 
Frank Barcin
C-1783		 Lakewood Jumpmaster
Ken Benson
Orange instructor/Jumpmaster. 
He was also called "Benny Kenson" in good fun and was well liked. 
Photo taken 1968.  Kenny has passed on from non-jumping causes. 
Phil Bezio Orange Jumpmaster
Gail Blackwell Gail  was an early C'Ville jumper who also became a jumpmaster in the 2nd year of operations there. He is still an active jumper and still lives in Crawfordsville.
John T. Brasher 
D-5166
John started jumping in Hinkley, IL in 1972 and got out to Elsinore in 1974.  He was working at Elsinore when PI bought it from the Perkins family and continued to instruct well after it was flooded (twice).  PI sold Elsinore to Leo Orlowski in 1984 and soon after it started raining and the lake moved about a mile (one foot per hour) and flooded the airport and DZ.  The airport was evacuated and the last plane out was a DC-3 which took off in standing water on a temporary runway.  By the time they could get to the gear and student records out of the second floor there was 5-8 feet of water in the hanger and they had to use a boat.  The DZ spent the next 9 months at Thompson field (nowadays known as Bear Creek) trying to hold on until the water receded back at Skylark.  When the water went down they moved back and rebuilt the old hanger 
building's interior and continued to operate; but another 9 months went by and we where flooded again.  They then moved the operation to Hemet where he landed in a farmer's field about 6 miles from the airport.  John finally left the company after a few months and became a fun jumper at Perris for a few years.  He then returned to Perris working on staff at Perris doing AFF with Don Balch and then again around 1990 back at Elsinore (which had gone through at least one more flood) and then down to Otay Mesa near San Diego and finally back to Hemet where he was on staff for 14  years until it to closed down in November 2001.  He now jumps at Perris and Elsinore.
The photo (probably taken by Tom Sanders) over Murrietta were PI moved temporarily after the first flood.  He had about 800 jumps then and has 3500+ jumps now. (CLICK for full photo)
John Carlson John started in the mid-60's and is living in Orange Mass in the "A" frame that was built by Ken Benson, Joe Merriman and Dave Churchill. John still jumps and helps out at Jumptown the center that now operates at the airport at Orange MA.  He was recently at Nate Ponds' 69th birthday bash in NH.  John is a commercial artist and lived and worked in Boston when worked as a jumpmaster at Orange. 
Ed Carver Jumper Master at Crawfordsville in 73-74
Bob Cassella 
C-7685		 Made his first jump at Orange in 1967 as a member of the Norwich University Parachute Club.
Thom, 
Wow! Your site brought back a flood of memories...I made my first jump at OSPC on April 26, 1967 and was on the staff in 1973 before I went on active duty (Army).
I will put together some recollections of jumpers, staff and airplanes as best as I can recall them. 
Best regards, 
Bob Cassella (C7685)
Linda Chapman
D-5178
CSO-SEA of the Lakewood Sport Parachuting Center.  She was also was at the Orange corporate HQ, Orange DZ and one of the "few" allowed an "INN Jump". 
Linda's family,  included eight of Linda's nine siblings as well as her mother, Marcia Chapman, made a jump at Lakewood when she worked there. It was a very full  Norseman load.  Marcia is a  founding member of "The Grandparents Association of Sport Parachutists" (aka GASP!) 
Linda met and married Don Grant at Orange. Don was a US Naval officer on a nuclear submarine, the USS Lafayette, and a member of the Connecticut Parachutists Inc..  After he left the Navy and  finished his MBA at Harvard, they moved to Corvallis, Oregon where she got her pilots license.
Linda moved to White Plaines, NY when she became single again and worked for the phone company.
Linda now lives in Guilford, Connecticut, where she is married to Michael Adler, the founder of Adler-Barbour marine refrigeration systems.  Linda took an advanced degree from Yale, and today trains helper animals for the elderly and the disabled. 
Click here to enlarge photo (taken on an Orange jump).  She also did a Commercial at PI. (STORY). 
Johnny Crews Lakewood JM, lived in Pennsylvania
Fred Daft Orange Jumpmaster and Norseman pilot
Paul Dexter Lakewood Jumpmaster, now lives in Orange.  He was a Norseman pilot as well as a jumpmaster.
Sonny Dickney Orange manifester then an instructor/jumpmaster.  Oddly, Sonny died the weekend after he came home for his brother’s funeral. 
Jeff Dixon Early Lakewood employee and aerial cameraman
"Fitzie"
Philip Fitzpatrick		 Lakewood, 1960's.  He married Lakewood jumper Christiane (Chris) Delleveaux and moved to France.  He passed away in the early 80's.
Bob Freit
(UK) D-297		 Lakewood boy skydiver, turned Inst/JM
Rick Gardner Rick arrived at Lakewood in the 1964-65 season.  Rick and James Jacobsen were both were ski patrolman in Aspen, along with Nate. He was a very good instructor.  He was last seen in Chatham, MA.
Steve Goodman Orange Jumpmaster.  He current drives a cab in Brookline, MA and makes an occasional jump. May have the world's record for cutaways.  Steve was known as the ‘Jumping Jew’  because he jumped a white PC with a blue Star of David. 
Pat Gorham
D-556
Pat is one of the unsong heros of our sport.  He was a jumpmaster, instructor and test jumper in the early 60's at Orange and Pat was also the model for the original GI JOE action figure!

Click here for more on Pat and GI JOE.
George Goveia Orange Jumpmaster
Bob Gross Orange Jumpmaster.  Bob conducted alot of test jumps (at Orange) on the Volplane in the early 70's and even more on the Pioneer Hornet (Both early squares).  Bob now runs an old bookstore (Drake Farm) in North Hampton.
Bob lost part of a finger on a jump at Orange when, on exit, his grasp of the anchor line became wedged with the angle iron doorframe. 
Pete Guilfoyle
B-822		 Pete is Lee's brother and the webmasters' JM.  He made the webmasters' first FF with him.
Pete started jumping again 4 or 5 years ago in Crosskeys NJ after a layoff of 35 years.  He said he had to take the first jump course all over again.  Pete said that "a great sport, actually better than it was then."
Pete shared a house with Don West and Dan Quinn in Lakewood 
in 1963. Pete also sees Kenny Szoroz who is still jumping at Crosskeys. 
John Guignard Orange Jumpmaster, now does R&D and some manufacturing for the Parachute Shop in Pepperell, MA.
Bill Hammell
(UK) D-367		 Lakewood Jumpmaster.  When Tim Saltonstall and Curt Curtis opened Pope Valley in CA, they hired Bill to manage it. All was well until he wrapped himself around a telephone pole one night coming home on his motorcycle.
Daryl Henry
C-324 (Canada)
D-3 (Canada)		 Orange. more information
Al Holden Orange Jumpmaster
Bob Holler
D-254		 Lived in Pennsylvania and commutted to Lakewood to work.
Mike Horan 
Orange staff jumpmaster and 1967 Chief Instructor
James Jacobsen Jake arrived at Lakewood in 1964-65 season from Aspen, CO. Nate Pond hired him while they worked on ski patrol together. Jake worked full-time on staff at Lakewood. He came from Hibbing, Minnesota. 
William G. Jolly
D-26
Orange and Hemet, also worked for Pioneer.
Ruebin Lee 
B-6250
C-?		 Orange Jumpmaster, made the 100,000th jump at Orange on his 100th jump. (Story)  Ruebin managed Orange at one point and was also it's plumber and electrician. Ruebin  is a Yale-educated classics scholar.
Ron Lay Worked for PI 1978,79 as pilot and 1st jump course teacher at Lake Elsinore 
Keith LaRiviere listed elsewhere
Lee Levenson
C-8037		 Lee was one of the first two jump masters at Crawfordsville.
John Lowe
UK/D-138		 John along with Andy Porter and other Brits, were the nucleus of the British Parachute Club. John arrived at Lakewood in the 1965 and hired on for the 65 thru 67 seasons.  He worked there again 1971-72 after an assignment back in Europe.  He is said to have taught a great FJC.
Chris Lowry Lakewood.  See Boy Skydiver section.
Mike Lyon Orange Staff Jumpmaster.  He is now an Ex airline pilot and lives on a farm in Kentucky.
Denny Manning
B-331
CLICK for photo		 Denny is the son of the ultra-pioneer "Spud" Manning.  When PI opened he presented Denny to PI and said something like fathers' did in the wild west when they brought their sons to the local Madam.  "I give you the boy, give me back the man".  He went on to become a jump master.  We are still looking for more info on him.  His sister Barbara is also in the jumpers' section.
Condon 
(Connie)
Mc Donough
C-736
Connie McDonough was originally at the Orange DZ and became assistant manager at Lakewood.  He had a marvelous way with people and was probably the best liked personality on the DZ.  He is remembered as a great jump master and a tall skinny guy full of energy! He also had a marvelous way with students and seemed to have totally enjoyed making students into real skydivers. He also was published in the early skydiving press. He was at a recent PI reunion in Vermont at which time he sang the song he composed for the event.  He and Kay live in Mass..
Bill C. Markhoff
B-483
C-???
D-102		 Lakewood jumpmaster and instructor
Mike Mythen
D-1194		 We regret to tell you that Mike was killed by a Drunk Driver in
Oklahoma City.  He was an Orange jumpmaster.
Don Mitchell Orange Jumpmaster
Fred Peterson Fred (Pete) is covered in the Riggers section.
Nick Piantanida
C-2008
Nick worked at Orange and moved to Lakewood in early 1964.  In 1965 he attempted to break the world unassisted freefall record of 93,000' held by the Russians.  On his first try his oxygen hose froze to the gondola life support system and he couldn't get out.  On the 2nd try he accidently opened his faceplate at 50,000' and suffered explosive decompression.  He died 3 days later in hospital.

Some people though Nick was a strange person and hard to get to know but all agreed that he was a confident, assertive man and had the ability to make students fell they could do anything a jump required.  Your webmaster had the pleasure of Nick being jumpmaster on several of his student jumps.  He was a true aviation pioneer.
Rich Piccirilli
E-Mail		 My address is 27695 Durant St, Sun City, CA 92585. 
Andy Porter Andy arrived in America in 1963 and immediately gravitated to Lakewood.  He was a very early British jumper and was hired almost immediately by Lee.  He also worked at Orange as the full-time pilot in 1971.  He eventually went to work at the NY Stock Exchange.  Andy worked in the Trade Center.  He had walked through the Trade Center 15 minutes prior to the first hit. When he heard the explosion, he walked out of his office to witness the second hit. He somehow found a place to protect himself and, luckily, had his jacket with him to use as a tent so he could breath. He watched people jumping from the buildings land around him. Andy's son Mark also worked in Tower #1 and for some reason, Mark decided to stay home that day. 
Leon Potts Len and wife Jan, live in O.B.,Fla Tele-904-676-2897
Lynn Pyland
Hemet jumpmaster, 1960
Dan Quinn Dan was an original 'yellow banana' at Lakewood. He was hired by Barry Mahon, along with others, to work in the movie industry in NY. Dan rented a house in Lakewood, along with Bill Hammell.
Jud Raymond see below
Butch Rubb
D-1305		 Gordon “Butch” Rubb has passed away.  He was an Orange jumpmaster from the 60's. Butch lived in Nahant, Mass. 
Lew Sanborn space
George Sharp George was a jumpmaster at Lakewood in 72 and 73 or more.
(Click for photos)
Al Smith
Early Orange jumpmaster/instructor.  Jumped thru the 60's.Al  had an excellent manner, and spoke clearly, intelligently, and interesting-
ly.  He was highly respected by the other instructors. Al instructed for 3 years then left for California where he attended  Aeronautical Engineering School in California.  He jumped at Orange on his school vacations. 
 

Al built the first square canopy.
Dusty B. Smith
An Inst/JM at Orange, Hemet and Lakewood (when opened) and the webmasters first jump instructor and jumpmaster.  He was at a reunion recently and is divorced from Cathy but came with a new "lovely".  He works in NY City doing films.  (Full Photo)
Bob Spatola
B-122
C-148
D-24
Harper's Ferry, Va.
(304) 728-4472
rspatola@intrepid.net
1965
2002
Bob is probably one of the quiet achievers in the sport.  Though he was featured in a couple of magazines over the years you never heard much about his many accomplishments.  He was a very positive personality without being loud about it. 

A Korean War Veteran, he was born in 1930 and is a University of Pa. graduate.  He opened a DZ with Steve Synder (later founder of Paraflite) called the Deleware Valley Parachute Club at Valley Forge, PA in the 50's.  He later hooked up with J.Istel in 1962 to run the World Meet at Orange SPC and then the 2nd Annual Governors' Cup soon after.  He later became an Inst/JM when Lakewood opened.  He lived in Philidelphia and commuted to PI.  He frequently drove (raced actually) to Lakewood after work and jumped in a white shirt and tie rather than miss the last load.  He was also a pilot though we don't believe he flew for PI. 

Bob and his wife Debbie, now live in Harpers Ferry,VA where he has a firearms/ammunition business.  Bob was a true pioneer of the sport and should be better remembered than he is. He is shown here piloting a bi-plane. 
Tim Stinson Orange Jumpmaster.  Further info in the pilot's section.
Dan Stuckey Orange and Lakewood Jumpmaster, early 60's.  He was also a pilot. Owned a Luscombe. A very articulate fellow. ( PHOTO )
William H. Taft
B-1391
C-1167
D-733		 Orange Jump Master
Bill is listed in the people/general section
go there
Steven Weinstein Orange Jumpmaster
Don West
RIP.  I'm asking Claude Gilliard, the pres. of the Australian Para. Association to write about him.   Don came to America for the 6th World Meet and stayed on working at Lakewood and Orange.  He died trying to break a new baton record and is buried next to his girlfriend in Adelaide, South Australia.  Don's 28' custom color Pioneer LoPo main canopy is now in the collection of Claude Gillard and your webmaster had the pleasure of having a play with it in 2003.
Mike Wheeler
Marengo, Ill		 He was a long-time employee in the 70's through early 80's at Orange and Elsinore.
Howard White
(C-3896) 
Orange chief instructor 
1967-19??
Howard made his first jump at Orange in November 1965, Doug Angel was his FJC instructor.  Former member of USPA Board (1974-1980). Still jumps occasionally.
Most recent comments:  "We had a PI Old Farts reunion a couple of years ago at the Vermont farm of Nate Pond (D-69).  Condon McDonough, Bill Ottley etc were there. Lew Sanborn was not there; he was competing in the Nationals. But he is alive and well in the Orlando, FL, area.  Doug is (or then was) still using  PCs and front-mounted round reserves.  Gary Pond D-6969 has joined me as a member of the board of directors of  MSPC/Jumptown Orange. I still jump at Orange most every jumpable weekend.  We are planning an event for July 4 involving Jerry Bird, celebrating the 25 anniversary of his Wings of Orange team. We would be more than open to making this a general Orange reunion."
Pete Wilson 
D-1832, I-80		 Lakewood Instructor/Jump master from 1963 to the 80's
[ Management ] [ Pilots/Mechanics ] [ Riggers ] [ DZ support Staff ] [ Office & All Others ] [ Regular Jumpers ]
 


Pilots & Mechanics

Mel Acuff Orange Mechanic, Norseman and Twin Beech pilot.  All the Norseman had been serviced at Monmouth County Airport just north of Lakewood till Bill Mehr convinced Jasques to hire Mel at Orange to save the company money and also use him in the day to day operations.  Bill says of him "Mel was perfect! A great wrench, a great pilot and a skydiver (with a prosthesis)!! Mel and I still keep in contact."
  Ron Anusiewicz Orange, Elsinor and Crawfordsville pilot from 1971- 1976.  He flew the entire stable of PI planes, including co pilot in the DC-3.
John Bergguist
113 West River St.
Orange, Ma  01364
(978-544-6828)
jmb@mtdata.com		 John wrote us in Feb 2001 with a lot of valuable data and some photos.  He wrote in part: 
"I worked at PI from 1968 thru 1980.  I started as a ground crew member, then became a manifester, replacing Sonny Dickey.  My entire life centered around the Noorduyn Norseman.  I became a Norseman mechanic, living each day and night to work on the Norseman's as well as the two Cessna 180's that both Lakewood & Orange used. Lakewood's 180 was worn out, but ours was in good shape. Did you know we used a Cessna 195 for a while? What a sexy airplane that was!  It didn't last too long, for some reason. 

I have pictures of the three DC-3's we used. Jacques found them somewhere in Texas. The first two didn't last very long, but the third one was a gem. We really had some problems with them, but for the most part they were mechanically sound.  One had landing gear problems, but for the most part, they all flew ok.  Vic was so proud of them, and was such a skillful pilot.  Cliff Robbins, a retired Northeast Airlines captain and check pilot flew our DC-3's in Orange. We also had a beautiful D-18, a Cessna 205, which was a dog, and during the last part of the 1980's Bill Mehr and I flew to Ocean City, NJ to check on and purchase a fuel injected C-185.

When I started working at PI, in the late 1960's.  Mike Smith was our chief pilot.  He, as I remember it, was the pilot that flew the aircraft in the television series "Ripcord" back in the late 1950's. Jacques had a Twin Cherokee that he flew around the world.  I did some maintenance on it.  He was so proud of N321UP.  I lived through the days of Lew Sanborn, going through years of reconstructive facial surgery,  almost dying when his Luscombe crashed, Nate Pond, landing our Cessna in the Quabbin, Howie White breaking his back jumping a newly designed "Merry Widow".  Many jumpmasters and first jump course students that became jumpmasters.Lots of pilots, and riggers. 

I was there when Jerry Bird and his "Wings of Orange" spent the summer here.  I have a group picture of them with Mel Acuff, our Twin Beech pilot.  I also still have an unused "Give 'em the Bird" bumper sticker that Jerry Bird used during his days at Orange. I would be glad to add my two cents worth in the colorful PI history that I was so much a part of."
Paul Dexter Orange Norseman pilot as well as jumpmaster
Lewis Doolittle
B-479		 Orange Norseman pilot 62 to ??
Fred Daft Orange Norseman pilot, Orange jumpmaster as well as a wonderful wacko.
Jim Dunn Orange pilot including flying the Beech on the PONDS' RAIDERS Mission
Elsworth Getchel  Early Lakewood Norseman pilot. He owned a Mooney at that time and
'tinkered' with it when the weather was bad. He became an airline pilot and did quite well for himself.  He was last seen with his Sea Fury in California at an air show.
Pete Goulding
D-19178		 Orange Norseman Pilot, Full story about Peter is in the "Boy Skydiver section.
Ed Ivas Ed was a pilot at Lakewood and a great one.  He even flew the original PI jump plane, the Ponds Cessna 170B/88C.  Ed still works as a pilot in Great Barrington, MA. He knows more about Piper Aztec's then anyone.  He flew his last PI load on 6/9/69.
Keith Lariviere Orange Pilot.  Keith is now a Tandem IE/Examiner, Master Rigger and an AFF instructor.
Ron Lay Lake Elsinore, 1978-79 
Wes Liu  Wes was an Orange Norseman and Cessna pilot as well as a jumper.  He owns a Swift, which he flew into Orange for weekends, as well as C182, and still does demojumps.
Chris Lowry Orange, see below
George Marr Orange Pilot
Bill Mehr Orange Pilot and later the Orange Manager.  Currently operates an air charter operation out of Orange Airport using the old Norseman hanger.
Mike Maino
Lanoka Harbor, NJ
E-Mail

Thom: 
  I worked at Lakewood for PI with 1 summer at Orange  Mass. June 23,1967 to Sept. 5 1967.  I flew Norseman 69795, 1207 and 61853 plus Cessna 180's 2936C and 2484C.  I made $5 an hour.
  My first Norseman check out was with Nate Pond at Orange in 69795 April 12,1967. We left for Lakewood the next day for the summer season. My last Norseman flight was at Lakewood when I logged 3.4 hrs. taking up 8 flights.That was on 8/15/72 
  All the Lakewood PI planes were blue while I was there, including 795. 
  I have a 8x10 photo of me landing 795 at Lakewood with a full load due to HIGH winds. ( 20 knots crosswinds.) 
  In regards to 1207, she went in on take off and ran dry of fuel. I was off that weekend and they had another pilot from Orange fill in for me. 
(Photo taken in Winter 1968 warming up 36C) Click for full photo.
Walt Penn Walt was Lakewood's original Norseman pilot.
Sebastian
"Batch" Pond
Batch was the first PI pilot, one of the first Norseman pilots and Nate Pond's (D-69) father.  Batch had a Fulton Conversion Cessna 170 that he flew for PI out of his farm "Good Hill Farm" on Conn. till they moved to Orange, Mass.  Batch passed away a few years ago.  His son Lawrence now runs the farm and flies the 170
Andy Porter Lakewood/Orange Pilot and jumper.
Jud Raymond Orange, see below
Cliff Robbins A retired Northeast Airlines captain and check pilot flew the DC-3's in Orange.
Mark Schmidt Flew the first Otter used for jumping in US, at Pepperell, 1972.  We believe he'se deceased.
Howie Schrager Lakewood jumper and pilot.  We believe Howie was killed ferrying an aircraft in a non-jumping incident.
Mike Smith  Orange, Chief pilot in the late 60's.  He was the pilot that flew the aircraft in the television series "Ripcord" back in the late 1950's.
Tom Slocum Lakewood Norseman pilot, and a great one. He, along with Skip
Doolittle and Nate, would stick there heads out the window and look down and pull back on the throttle, which would mean, IT's TIME!!  Tom also made a dead stick landing at Lakewood.
Tim Stinson Jumpmaster and Orange Norseman pilot. Retired as Air Traffic Controller from Boston Center in Nashua, NH, now living in Florida.
Darius Vakaria Darius was an Orange jumper and Norseman pilot.  He was killed in an auto accident in the early 90's.
W.D. Viets
C-622, ASO 120		 Jumper, ASO and Norseman pilot in the early to mid-60's
Vic Villa
See Management section
"WIGGY"
Wiggy was a beloved pilot at OSPC, a former fighter pilot and a dear friend of Nate Pond. Wiggy entertained us with song and music at the Inn.  Regretfully he lost his life many years ago in an automobile accident.  (Click for full photo with Red Lead)
[ Management ] [ Instructor/Jumpmasters ] [ Riggers ] [ DZ  Staff ] [ Office & All Others ] [ Regular Jumpers ]
 


Riggers. .

Jim Bates
B-2005; C-1405; 
D-4758; GW 989
ParaHistry@aol.com
 
(Full Photo)
Orange Rigger especially at the 6th World Meet, more info 

Remarks from a recent chat: I can recall — starting since mid-1962 (when I got my FAA Rigger certificate; not SENIOR certificate, which did not exist at the time) and as a regular weekend rigger at PI's Orange Sport Parachute (OSPC) in Massachusetts, packing 24-foot twill reserves made by many companies besides Pioneer, Irving, Switlik, and Atlantic (including: American Lady Corset Company , Cole of California, Sigmund Eisner, Jayval Manufacturing, Jayval of  New Mexico, Reliance, Mills Manufacturing, Security Parachute Co., Victory Parachutes, Vanity Fair Mills, Pioneer of Canada, Mead Aviation,  National Automotive Fibers, Naval Air Factory,  Fashion Frocks, M. Steinthal, I Miller Parachute Corp., Hightstown Rug Co., J.G. Menihan Corp., Standard Manuf acturing, Standard Parachute Company,  Alamo Manufacturing, Irving Great Britain, Richard Khronke Fallschirmwerke, Brugemann and Brand KG, E.F.A.  (France), and a bunch of "Unknowns." 

The writer might be correct about about the time reference of Korea. I
ocasionally noted a "date of manufacture" for when a canopy had been made and most of those made by other than Pioneer, Irving, and Switlik were dated in the 1950s. 

The U.S. Government often went to makers such as Cole (swimsuits) and American Lady (women's wear) because they had great numbers of sewing machines and had vast experience in sewing fabrics. 

Beyond what is noted above (in eight logbooks recording 3,228 Back, 1,285 Chest, and 52 Seat personnel parachutes packed), I have another logbook covering the period of September 1969 through July 1970 for rigs "Packed as a Parachute Technician at Pioneer Parachute Parachute in Mabnchester, Connecticut." Therein are 469 packing records of special-purpose parachutes of wide-ranging end-use (e.g., engagement, extraction, flare, spin-check, and the like). If anyone on the list is interested, I can supply additional detail.

Other comments:  In 1969 I started working full-time as a parachute techncian at Pioneer Parachute Company at its Hale Road plant in Manchester, Connecticut. (This facility produced sport parachute equipment, which was only some 10 percent of Pioneer's total production; most of Pioneer's mostly military-contract work was done at its Columbia, Mississippi location.)

By then I had been sport parachute jumping since July 19, 1961, starting at the Orange Sport Parachute Center (OSPC) in Orange, Massachusetts (aircraft, Norseman; jumpmaster, Nate Pond/D-69). 

The following year I became an F.A.A. Parachute Rigger (Back/Chest/Seat) on August 2, 1962. Shortly thereafter I served as a Staff Parachute Rigger for the 6th World Sport Parachuting Championships held at OSPC.  (For the FAA's reasons of its own, all "Parachute Rigger" certificates were — only a couple weeks after I had received my certificate — upgraded to "Senior Parachute Rigger.") 

Working at Pioneer/Manchester (PIPAR) from September 9, 1969 through July 9, 1970,  I packed 464 parachutes of all types and sizes for a wide range of applications (engagement, drag, extraction, mid-air retrieval, G-11 cargo, ring slot deceleration, flare, water recovery, spin check, instrument recovery), including only a few personnel emergency parachutes.  (All told, in my active parachute packing career — eight years of it spent at OSPC — I packed 5,114 sport and emergency parachutes (3,228 Back, 1,285 Chest, 52 Seat) PLUS the 464 noted above, maintained in a separate Pioneer Parachute Company log book.) 

My own first two ram-air canopy jumps were made on Para-Planes, under the supervision of Steve Snyder at his Cameron Air Park DZ in Lumberton, New Jersey on August 5th, 1971 using a Cessna 205 each time. I did not pack either rig, relying on Steve's riggers, but I'm certain they both had rings-and-ropes reefing systems. I know I was highly impressed with forward speed and landing accuracy after countless "cheapo", "LoPo," and PC jumps.
Marge Bates Orange Rigger.  She is covered more in the jumpers section. Go there
Bill Gargano Orange rigger. Worked uptown and now designs and builds parachute recovery systems.
Pete Goulding
D-19178
Master Rigger 
1957858 (JVS)		 Full story about Peter in the "Boy Skydiver" section
Keith LaRiviere See Keith in the pilot section.
Peter Nelson Orange Rigger.  Peter still lives in Orange and shows up at the DZ from time to time
Fred Peterson Fred "Pete" Peterson was a very active jumper and jumpmaster as well as a rigger.  He first worked at Turner Falls DZ then Orange where he gained the reputation of the "Magificant Packing Machine"!  He was featured in more than a few publications from the early 60's.  Pete could could pack 6 to 7 student mains an hour for hours on end. He worked closely with Marge and Jim Bates.  Marge reports that Pete is in poor health. He has had open heart surgery, 4 way bypass, aortic valve replacement, he is on oxygon at all times,  Jim and Marge were up to visit Pete and Barbara in June 2001. 
[ Management ] [ Instructor/JM's ] [ Pilots/Mechanics ] [ DZ Staff ] [ Office & Others ] [  Regular Jumpers ]
 


DZ Support Staff
Desert Rats, Chute Shaggers and Ground Controllers .

John Bergguist operated the manifest board in Orange, and was a mechanic in the early 70's.  Listed elsewhere
Phil Chiocchio
UK-D 296		 Phil's history is in the boy skydiver section.
Jim Clark Lakewood desert rat and shagger, ages 17-18
Douglas 
Craighead		 Worked at the center in Orange the formation year in 1958.   One of the first "Boy Skydivers", more below CLICK
Alan Derry Orange 
Sonny Dickey Manifester at Orange
Jerry Griffith Orange
Jon D. Guignard
B-2753		 Manifestor in 1964
Jim Holston Jim was a "Desert Rat" and later line person at Orange in the 70's.  He is further listed in the Boy Skydivers section.
Jim Powell Lakewood desert rat and shagger, ages 17-18
Greg Rouleau Orange
Clay Rushford Orange jumper.  He is now an Orange police officer.
Dean Rushford Orange
Pete Sailing Lakewood shagger in 1965-66.  He was 15 and 16 years old at the time. 
David Starkey Orange
Curt Svetaka Orange
George E.
Reseter
C-4724		 I'm in the midst of packing to moving from Tokyo to Southern California, so my old log books are not immediately available.  However, I have a photo of myself taken by a camera rigged on the strut by Lee Guilfoyl (sorry about the spelling) exiting N1207 in what is most likely 1966 (when I worked at PI shagging chutes with Jim Clark and Jim Powell, the three of us being 17 or 18 years old).  In the photo, N1207 is white with a horizontal blue stripe maybe 6 to 8 inches wide running from halfway up the door straight back the length of the tail and with the numbers "N1207" superimposed on the blue line.  Naturally, the PI logo is displayed high on the tail.  I will send you the exact date if you like after I unpack in California in late May. Meanwhile, thanks for the many, many interesting strands you send out.  I'm sure glad I'm on your mailing list.
Doug Seed
C-6045		 Doug is listed in the Boy Skydivers section.  Orange employee.
? Szorosy
(Need a first name), like Kip and Lee Zervos, was a member of the CAP squadron at Lakewood Airport and became a "desert rat" or "pink" at PI Lakewood when it opened.  He worked there from 1963 to 19??.  He is shown here helping one of the "boy jumpers" off with his reserve in 1963.  It is believed that he made some jumps.
Mike Wheeler Orange
Tom Wheeler Orange
Kip Zervos Lakewood, Please Click here he is listed in the jumpers' section.
 Mike Horan
 
MIKE was a member of the Orange flight line staff. In the picture he is entering names on the large manifest board. 

Mike wore dark glasses to conceil the fact he had lost an eye.  Despite this handicap he had a great jumping career.  He went on to get a Doctorate and the last we knew, he was busily working at counseling veterans.

 
[ Management ] [ Instructor/JM's ] [ Pilots/Mechanics ] [ Riggers ] [ Office &  Others ] [ Regular Jumpers ]


Office & and all others(Belides the DZ. PI also had a central administrative office, the equipment division, and distribution center in a building at 3 North Main St. in the center of Orange, about 3 miles from the airport.  The first floor had offices, with rigging and sewing facilities in the back.  The basement level contained the inventory and the shipping room.)

Sandy Bergquist Sandy worked at OSPC, is John Bergquist cousin and was married to
Butch Rubb for a while.
Linda Chapman Click here, she is located elsewhere, worked at PI Corporate HQ in Orange and Lakewood Office manager and DZSO
Phyllis Griffith Orange DZ Office Staff
Jon Guignard Supervised the production at the Main Street Office.  Now runs Guignard Sail and Parachute and does sewing and major repairs for the Parachute Shop in Pepperell, MA. A major contributor to parachuting songs.
Sue Hogg Worked in the office at Orange 
Bruce Hull Was the shipping manager at the Main Street Office
Tom McCarthy Worked at the Airport as well as the Main Street Office.  He now operates his own DZ in Canada.  He is located elsewhere on the page.
Kendall Murphy Admin and secretary at Hemet, 1959-61
Neva De Wolfe Ran the restaurant at the Orange airport and Norseman stew was one of her delicacies.
Jennifer Phillips Orange DZ Office Staff
Diane Plante
Company accountant.  Now works at Jumptown and is married to Gary Pond
[ Management ] [ Instructor/Jumpmasters ] [ Pilots/Mechanics ] [ Riggers ] [ DZ support Staff ] [ Regular Jumpers ]

Regular jumpers
.
 The table below lists the known "Boy Skydivers" of the 60's.
The second table is the older jumpers section.
If anyone knows of more, please let us know. .

Notes about the "BOY SKYDIVERS"


While making a jump while in high school is nothing today it was an amazing accomplishment in the 50 and 60's.  These high school kids jumped the que as it were into behavior unheard of for even an America adult then .  They were similar in may respects to the 15 and 16 years olds who lied about their ages to join the Army and go to WW1 and WW2.

Being a teenager in the 60's and late 50's meant you kept your place, played bouncy ball sports and were "seen and not heard".  These kids took on a sport that far exceeded the minimal demands of throwing a ball around in a high school game and learned skills that were much more demanding and important.  3 reported that they suffered some problems in school because they jumped, not only from the other students but from the faculty who thought they weren't keeping their place.

For many PI's  "Boy and Girl Skydivers" as well as others around the country, it was the first step to other things.  Most of them moved on to bigger better things in the sport and life.  Just a read of the details below show what a cut above the rest that they all were.  What's amazing is that it was very difficult to get a lot of them to really blow their horn about it.

We know that 5 of them were members of the US Air Force Auxiliary (also known as the CAP) while still in high school, 4 were pilots at an age when they couldn't even legally drive a car yet and at least 2 are decorated Viet Nam War heroes!  Oddly enought both are Air Force.  At least 8 actually worked for PI while in high school.

All but one is still with us and our dear departed died from natural causes.  If nothing else they will have the advantage of being younger and will eventually be the last of the PI veterans in the sport.
.
.
Roger Akers Roger was a Hemet jumper and one of the three that jumped into their High school graduation in June 1960.
Ralph Barnes Ralph was a Hemet jumper and one of the three that jumped into their High school graduation in June 1960.
Joe Barry
C-9935		 Joe told us:  "I made my 1st jump at Orange at age 17 just after high school graduation. I wanted to do it at 16 as soon as I could but my parents made me wait until after graduation. Rich Piccirelli put me out for my first jump. I even made a jump at Lakewood a year later on a weekend pass while at basic training at Fort Dix, NJ. Jacques Istel later grounded me at Orange for jumping through a hole in the clouds (compared to what I jumped through in Hawaii it was big)
 I made over 300 jumps and have C-9935 and a Senior Rigger's ticket (symbol LTS). I met the qualifications for a D license and Master Rigger's but didn't bother to punch those tickets.  I instructed and jumpmastered in various military clubs and ended my career in 1976-7 by running the Indianhead (2nd Infantry Division) Skydiving Club in Korea.
 In the small world of skydiving I met Deidre Goulding, an Orange jumper and sister of Peter, at Quantico Skydiving club. She was a Navy officer teaching at an Army school and I was an Army sergeant going to a Navy School. It was love on my part - friendship on hers for years until 3 years ago when she moved
from California to Vermont to make me her boy toy! We now live in an old farmhouse at the geographic center of Vermont. Deidre is a weaver after retiring from the Navy and I am an Occupational Therapist and avocational woodworker."
Cyndy Bates
Cindy made her first jump at 16.  The PCA/USPA and Orange allowed 16 year olds to jump with parental consent.  He parents Marge and Jim Bates had insisted that she come to Orange every weekend. They would not let her
stay home alone for the weekend. Sometimes, if there was a dance, or school activity or things of that nature, Marge  would stay home Friday night or Saturday to accommodate her activity and then they would would drive up to Orange to meet Jim. For the mot part Cindy enjoyed the weekends, she made a lot of friends among the jumpers. 

When she turned 16 she told Jim and Marge she wanted to make a jump.  Jim and Marge were a bit apprehensive. This was a teenager (like all teenagers) who couldn't remember to turn off lights, close cupboard doors, etc., and who thought "I'm sorry" fixed everything. Marge went on to say,
  

"We also had another real concern, Cindy had been born with severely clubbed feet, she was in casts for over 5 years, she had had 9 operations to correct her feet. We were quite fortunate that the treatment was a success and she was able to walk normally. However one of the conditions we laid down before we gave our consent to her jumping was that she had to have her doctor's approval. 

She saw her doctor, he was knowledgeable about jumping, he had tended a few jumpers, he cleared her to jump with some restrictions. First he insisted the she have her own, properly fitted jump boots and second, that she agree to abide by our decision as to wind and conditions when she jumped. Jim and I added one more, she had to earn the money and pay for her own boots and jump. We figured that if she really wanted to make a jump she should earn it. 

Cindy got a job after school working in the local library. Soon she had made the money to buy her very own Telsan boots. She was still saving up for the $35.00 needed to pay for her FJC. 

The next weekend we arrived at the Center early on Saturday morning. Cindy was proudly wearing her NEW BOOTS and was walking across the flight line to come to the rigging shed where Jim and I were working. Nate was in front of the manifest board and she stopped to visit with him for a minute. He asked her about the boots, she explained to him what I have just written to you. Nate told her he would give her her first jump. This was from the cold, money hungry commercial center manager.  Cindy came to get me, I signed her waiver and off to FJC class went my firstborn. 

Jim pulled a student main off the shelf, repacked it and put it under his packing table. That was her main. 

When she was ready to jump we watched the plane take off and then walked out to the bowl. She had an excellent jump, landed in the bowl and was all smile. Later, Lew Sanborn, who had been the pilot, told us that if he had filmed her exit he could have used it for a training film for student exits. She was picture perfect.
Cindy doesn't jump anymore but still visits the airport with Marge and Jim.  When she grew up she even dated some of
the jumpers. Her first husband made some jumps, he now has a powered parachute.  Her son, is in the Army. He has been an airborne ranger, and is now in Special Forces. He is also a skydiver. He has about 100 sport jumps, most of them at Raeford.
CPI has an annual awards dinner in early December. Cindy usually goes. The year Mike started to skydive she won a Bev suit. 
John Bates John moved up from being a boy skydiver to a rigger at OSPC in the early to mid '60s, and went on to be chief pilot for Shearson Lehman Brothers American Express. He flew Gulfstreams to Australia last year for the Olympics.
Phil Chiocchio
UK-D 296		 Phil was one of the original boy skydivers and started as a desert rats at Lakewood in 1963 when they were 15 years old.  Phil and his wife live in Florida and is a Professor at the Ringling School of Art and Design.  He became a PI instructor, one of the youngest ever.
Phil actually worked at the DZ before it opened pulling stumps in the great circle and painting.  He also worked on all three of  Nick Piantanida's record attempts.
Douglas 
Craighead
I worked at the center in Orange the formation year in 1958-59. I made only 45 skydives that year, called it a career, and worked on flying and college. I'll retire from TWA in 2002.   The fact that I skydived at all was my brother Tom's idea. I liked it all right, but my life plan didn't have the time for it. 
Bob Freit
(UK) D-297		 Lakewood, early 60's.  A very good jumper.  He became an Inst/JM at Lakewood.
Roger Gore Roger was a Hemet jumper and one of the three that jumped into their High school graduation in June 1960.
Pete Goulding
D-19178
Master Rigger 
1957858 (JVS)		 Pete made his first jump at age 16 in Orange in 1965.  He completed Ted Strongs' Rigger School (Quincy, Mass.) and worked as a rigger in the Orange loft for a couple of years.  he also got his pilots' license and eventually spent a year as the chief pilot at Orange with lots of Norseman time in 1977.  He was also the last Equipment Division Manager at P.I. and Center Manager of Lakewood, NJ the summer of 1978.
Jim Holston
Photos taken on 
August 17, 1973 on 
Jim's first
jump
CLICK
to enlarge
 Jim was a "Desert Rat" and later line person at Orange in the 70's.  He worked there and sometimes jumped there during high school and college.  He wrote saying:  
I found your site while searching for Noorduyn Norseman info on the web. I grew up and still live in Orange, and was a PI employee both at the equipment division and drop zone during my high school and college days in the 70's. I was a desert rat and line boy, and made a few jumps.  My interests later turned to flying, and I hold a private license. 
   I was not quite six years old when the 6th World Championships were held here in 1962, but I can remember going to the "bowl" with my parents to watch the competition. I still have a scrap book of newspaper clippings of the event, which I made with my mother. I remember my mother saying this was probably the only time Orange would be in the International spot light.
   I had my first airplane ride in Norseman N69795 in August of 1965 when I was 8 years old. (This was the red and white Norseman that they used to open Lakewood with)  I have had a life long interest in Norseman aircraft since then. We lived close to the airport and I remember well the thundering takeoffs of the Norseman as they flew only a few hundred feet over our house at take off power!
   I made my first jump at age 16 from  N13340. I have a whole sequence of first jump pictures that my father took for me.
Paul Dexter, who grew up in Orange, and was a Lakewood instructor, happened to be in Orange and was my first jump instructor and jumpmaster. Paul now lives in Orange and we belong to the same flying
club. 
   August 17, 1973 was a week day, and the wind was almost dead calm. The spot was at the edge of the bowl.  I was chosen to be first out, so as a dedicated desert rat, I could shag and field pack for the rest of the students in my class!
Jim has done alot of work helping with this site and many of his photos are here.
Chris Lowry Chris was one of the original 1963 Lakewood boy skydivers. He quickly became an inst/jm at Lakewood.  He went to college in So Caroline and joined the Air Force as a pilot.  He retired a Colonel a few years ago and is very
active at Pepperell, MA. jumping and doing video.  He currently flies a Citation V and was also a Gulfstream pilot..
Thom Lyons
(Aust.) D-1903
(US) B-4836
E-Mail
Website


Thom and Condon at
Lakewood DZ in 1963


Thom in 1999
(Looking alot happier 
in this photo than the

first)		 Thom started at Lakewood on Aug. 3rd 1963 between his junior and senior year of high school at Christian Brothers Academy.  He was friends with Kip & Lee Zervos who jumped and worked at Lakewood and it was Lee who talked him into taking the plunge.  Thom accidently discovered Lakewod SPC center one day when he was doing a student cross country flight in a J-3 Cub and stopped in to visit Kip and Lee at the airport.  His FJC instructor and JM was Dusty B. Smith.  After 10 months jumping at Lakewood he graduated high school and joined the Air Force in June 1964.  In 1965-66 he was founder and captain of the Altus AFB team.  The Team & Club jumped demos in Oklahoma and did most of their fun jumps at Ft Sill in Lawton or Frederick Airport SPC which he co-opened (Demo Photo). In Viet Nam he worked with the Saigon Sport Parachute Club and the very small National Team.  After discharge and over the years he started Golden Parachute Systems and worked on ejection systems as well as sport gear.  He worked for Security as a dealer and then Guardian.  In 1980 he returned to Orange and Lakewood while on a National Tour demonstrating the Guardian Fox Pig system.  He emigrated to Australia in 1988 and jumps with Commando Skydivers at Pakenham, Victoria near Melbourne, where he served on Commando's Board of Directors for two years.  He is temporarily self-grounded due to economic conditions but is ready to go up again soon.  In the mean time Thom has been borrowing para-gliding gear ( a 35 meter rig) and soaring around Appollo Bay and the eastern mountains of Victoria near Bright. 

Drop zones include: Lakewood and Orange, Applegarth (NJ), Ft Sill (OK), Frisco Ridge (OK), Frederick (OK), Post Field (OK), Elk City (OK), Ap Dong (Viet Nam),  Schelleville (CA), Livermore (CA), Santa Ynez (CA), Lake Elsinore (CA) Perris (CA), Yolo Co. (CA), Littleton (CO), Columbine (CO), Longmont (CA), Canon City (CO) and Pakenham and Berick in Australia just to name a few. 
Steven Manning
Steven is the son of Denny manning and the grandson of "Spud" Manning.  He was a Hemet jumper.
George E. Reseter
C-4724
E-Mail		 George worked at Lakewood as a desert rat and shagger in 1966 and ??.  He is found in more detail in the emplyees section.  Go there
 Ken Skcorzy
Ken, like Kip and Lee Zervos, was a member of the CAP squadron at Lakewood Airport and became a "desert rat" or "pink" at PI Lakewood when it opened.  He worked there from 1963 to 19??.  He is shown here helping one of the "boy jumpers" off with his reserve in 1963. 
Doug Seed
C-6045

1968
Taken at the Inn

2001
E-mail: 
dougseed@aol.com		 Doug is from Salem, NH (about 70 miles from Orange).  He made his first jump on Aug. 8, 1968 at age 16.  Nate Pond was his FJC Instructor.  Doug bought an early ParaCommander (SN# 64425, in red, white and blue) used - directly from Lew Sanborn. Lew wasn't too thrilled when he found out he had just sold a rig to a high school junior!  Doug also had one of the very first Pioneer Tri-conical reserves (Pioneers' first steerable reserve).  After his first jump Doug virtually lived at Orange - from the minute school got out on Fridays until he'd reluctantly have to make the hour-and-a-half drive home on Sunday night.
As an Orange "regular" he eventually ran the "Target Tours" to the Bowl and performed other duties.  He usually slept at the INN on Friday and Saturday nights! 
Doug made 125 jumps - most at Orange - including several at the Inn, plus of course the obligatory pilgrimage to Lakewood where he had a malfunction and cut-away.  He also made a few jumps in winter at Norfolk, Massachusetts where he smashed his knees up landing on ice. 
His jumping career ended in 1971 while he attended the Art Institute of Boston.  He moved on to fly sailplanes out of the Northeast Gliderport in his home town of Salem, NH.  Many Orange jumpers will remember the model of 36C (Cessna 180 in PI blue and white) in the showcase in the administration building at Orange.  Doug built it and would love to find it and get it back.  Any leads?
Today, Doug is a freelance graphic designer working from his home in Salem.  After more than 30 years, his cars still bear the vanity license plate "LEAP" that he first got in 1968!
Kip Zervos
D-????		 Kip started jumping and working for PI when Lakewood opened in the summer of 1963 as a "desert rat".  Don West was his FJC instructor and JM. (Kip & Lee got to meet Don's Sister in early 1964) 
     Kip joined the Air Force in 1963 and after tech school spent most of his military career at Malstrom AFB where he co-founded the Big Sky Parachute Club in Great Falls.  He taught ground school and packing most of the time.  He was transferred to Thailand in 1966 and was there the same time as Thom Lyons but they never knew it and they never met.  At one point when Thom was doing a TDY at Udorn, they were only a few miles apart.  Kip reflects: 
"When I went to Thailand in 1966  I jumped  with Thai and American GI's for the METRAPAP FOUNDATION to raise money for schools in the provinces.  We jumped a Caribou in the north at a huge soccer field were there were no roads in, no airport and  most of the people had never seen an airplane much less a person with blonde hair and blue eyes.   The Thai's thought I was the reincarnation of BUDDHA. There were some  60,000 people on the ground for that jump.  We dropped out of the back of a CARIBOU in 5 sticks of 6 people each.  When I got to the ground I just missed a guy on a bicycle.  When I took off my helmet and goggles, the crowd started bowing down to me thinking that I was some kind of Divinity.  (Webmasters' Note: This is of course the correct way that all skydivers should be treated at all times!  :-) AND do we possibly have here the true origins of the term "Sky God"!)  Then they carried me off the field with the other lesser mortals for lunch! 
    We got out by train that was three hours late.  We had started out from  the town of LO PURI at a Thai airstrip.  They flew us to Ubon in Northeast Thailand to pick up our lift in the CARIBOU whose pilot was drunk the night before , but flew real well in daylight.  The Thai's got us to Ubon in a C-119 whose starboard engine died on final with all of us waiting anxiously in the cargo bay for the port engine to join its' dead brother.  In another aircraft the Thai military had a number of their troops drop in a perimeter around the DZ for our protection since there was ongoing "enemy" troop movement in the area (on Thai soil).  Of course, we weren't armed ourselves which was typical for a place we weren't technically in.   Anyway we got out safe and alive.
     I jumped an  H-13 at  DON MUANG (BANGKOK  INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT) during children's, The King's Yearly Festival for the children of his subjects. It was like jumping off of a tall building with a giant fan on top blowing a big wind down on top of you.  An interesting experience."
After discharge Kip went to Embry Riddle Aero University and is currently working for various civil engineering firms designing sanitation systems for subdivisions.  He no longer jumps.  He moved to Colorado in 1976 with the Zervos Clan.  Kip and Thom Lyons lived within 40 minutes of each other for more than 12 years and never knew it. 
Webmaster's note: The Metrapab Education Foundation sponsored and built some 235 rural schools over a period of about 15-20 years in Thailand by making parachute demonstrations.  These demonstrations were supported by the US and Thai Armed Forces, and the Thai Police. 
Lee Zervos
One of the few "girl skydivers", Lee (Kip's Sister), made her first jump at the age of 16 when the Lakewood DZ opened in summer 63.  She infected Thom Lyons (a friend of Lee and Kip from the Civili Air Patrol) with the WUFF virus which developed into full blow skydiving.  Lee married and had two children and later moved to Colorado in 1967 with the Zervos clan.  Lee, Kip and Thom Lyons lived within 40 minutes of each other in Colorado for more than 12 years and never knew it.  Lee died of natural causes in 1983.  She was 36 and is greatly missed by family and friends. (Photo 1962)
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ADULT JUMPERS
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ABC
Mel Acuff Orange pilot, mechanic and skydiver who jumped with a prosthesis.
Pete Adams
Orange, early 60's.  Click to enlarge whole photo.
Bill Avison
D-??
Orange Jumper, made over 300 jumps there alone.  He was in the ski equipment business.
Chuck Ayers Chuck jumped at Hemet as well as with the LA based Rumbleseat Sky Divers
Ruth Ayer Lakewood and also jumped a lot at Orange.  She once filled Dan Poynter's main with flower for an interesting opening scene.
Jim Bates
B-2005; C-1405; 
D-4758; GW 989
ParaHistry@aol.com		 Jim started jumping in July 1961 at Orange.  He is covered extensively in the Riggers' section of this page.  Go there
Marge Bates Orange jumper and also a rigger and on the awards presentation staff for the 6th World Meet.  She is a USPA Judge and has over 600 jumps.  She won Overall in the 1964 in the Northeast Conference Meet on Long Island and qualified for the Nationals.  She trained for the Nationals at Orange under the direction of Bill Taft and Bill Jolley.  Marge is currently living in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, USA and is married to Jim Bates.  Marge has contributed an awful lot to the people page, especially filling in the details on names found in various magazines and we are most greatful indeed!  She is organizing an Old Timers Reunion in Tampa, Florida the last weekend of Oct 2001.
Annie Batterson Orange jumper and US Team member.  Annie is married and lived/lives in Canton, Connecticut. She is still piloting, and was 
setting up and leading groups on treks in Nepal.
John Bergguist
113 West River St.
Orange, Ma  01364
(978-544-6828)
jmb@mtdata.com		 Orange, from 1968 thru 1980.  Further details in Pilots/Mechanics section. Click to go there.
Jerry Bird Orange Jumper, "Wings of Orange" Team Leader
Ron Blake
C-3582		 Also known as "Thunderchicken" Blake he was a late 60's Orange jumper.  The "Thunderchicker" nick name came from the Thunderbird canopy design he jumped. Ron was a CPI member and served at least one term as president, he now lives in  Veernon, CT. where he is or was town manager.  He and his wife Sharon are into running and get into the papers now and again for various runs.
Dick Blume
D-1079		 Orange jumper from the mid-60's on
Darrell Bransetter Late 60's Orange jumper.
Lonnie Brown
D-1364		 Lakewood jumper
Sherri Buck Sherri was a Hemet jumper and was in the worlds first three-way baton pass involving a woman along with Bob McDonnell and Lew Sanborn.
Lyle Cameron Lyle was a well know aerial photographer, especially movies.  He was also the editor and publisher of SKYDIVER magazine.  He jumped at all the the PI DZ's at one time or another but mostly Hemit and Elsinore.  He died a few years ago in an unfortunate Cessna 180 crash in South America.
Charles Carney  Orange jumper, early 60's.  Chuck was from Trubull CT. PHOTO 
Dave Carotti Lakewood jumper
John Carlson
John made his first jump at Orange in 1968.John is still jumping reasonably actively.
Phil Chicacco Lakewood jumper
Dave Churchill Dave has left us from non-jumping causes.
Ludlow Clements Lud was very well known in the late 50's and 60's.  He was a regular at Hemet but we are not sure if he was an employee or not.
Suzie Clements A very well know jumper in the 50's, 60's and 70's.  Hemet jumper.
John Clark Late 60's Orange jumper.  John was a National champion, he won accuracy one year without scoring a deadcenter, but he was so consistant that he swept the meet. He lived in Nahant Mass.
Henry Collison Henry jumped at Hemet as well as with the San Jacquin Sky Divers
John Conover John was a member of the L. A. Sky Divers and jumped at Hemet
David Coombs David was stationed at Ft. Monmouth, N.J. (Eatontown) in 1965-66 and drove to Lakewood to jump almost every weekend with Jim Kalergis and 2 others.
Ben Cowie Late 60's Orange jumper.  He stated late in life and was a great INN party animal.  He was from Boston.
(Ms) Jean Cousins Hemet jumper
Tom Craighead
Website
By 1959 when Orqange opened Tom had already served a three year hitch in the Army's 11th Airborne Division, had a family and was an original American skydiver. 

He came from a family of airborne pioneers and daredevils.  His brother was an Orange original desert rat (above) and is now a TWA Captain.  His mother flew in air races around pylons and was very successful, often beating her male counterparts. She was a great lady 

Tom was a professional lecturer during his early years. He was in the public relations department of a large corporation and was dispatched to various groups interested in their products, to lecture on the subject requested. As a part time 'thing', he was a newscaster on radio station WPUT 'The Voice of Putnam County', Brewster, NY in the mid sixties. Later in life, he was hired as a radio talk show host on radio station WGHQ in Kingston, NY. He is now retired living in Lubbock, Texas. 

More recntly,  Tom should have been killed in his ultralite airplane crash when he was fifty years old. He may be the only pilot ever to survive an absolute vertical crash from over ten stories high. But he is still here and wrote a book on skydiving in 1999 (go to website) .  He has also has put together a movie based on film shot in the 50's and 60's.
Darrell Creighton Darrell jumped at Hemet and was a member of the LA based Rumbleseaters
Johnny Crews Lakewood jumper
Charlie Crocco
C5049
ccrocco@rr.com		 Charlie started jumping at Lakewood in 1965 and obtained his C in 1968.  Charlie was one of the students on board a Norseman when it had an engine failure.  Rich Picarilli put all of the students out safely.
James "Curt"
Curtis 
D-1407
(PHOTO)		 Lakewood jumper.  He took the FJC at Lakewood and advanced to working at Lakewood.  His name was in the Parachutists for years after with his many skydiving accomplishments.  He competed heavily and went on to become  president of the USPA and owned POPE VALLEY super center in Northern California.  Curt has done quite well and sold his seat on the NY Stock Exchange to finance POPE VALLEY. Its unknown if he still jumps.
John Cullen
D-
John started jumping at Lakewood Sept. 4, 1971 with Bern Jurgiel. John and Bern now live 30 miles from each other not far from Zephyhills, Florida (i.e. Skydive City) where he still jumps.  Some of the color photos on this page are his.  (Click for more photos)
Bobby Deagan Elsinore
Duane Deckert Duane was a California jumper who came east for a couple of months in April 1964 to try the Eastern Style of jumping.  He jumped mostly at Lakewood.
Vic Deveau Orange jumper.  Vic strated in the early 60's and just missed being a Charter Member of CPI.  He is still jumping with CPI at Ellington and is a boyhood pal of Gary Hayes
Dave Dewolf Dave Dewolf is still active, very well know for his riggers school 
and just being Dave. Jumps with the herd in Penn.  Lakewood jumper
J.D. Dodson
D-873		 J.D or "Old Man" Dodson was an early POPS member and an Orange jumper
Lewis Doolittle
B-479		 Orange jumper and later a Norseman pilot.  Nicknamed "Skippy". Lewis has left us from non-jumping causes.
Wally Dorris
C-3943		 Lakewood jumper
Ray Duffy Ray made most of the wind dummy jumps at the 1962 World Meet.

DEFG

Jim Erender
(Sgt., US Army)
D-13		 Born in 1941, he became the Overall 1962 World Champion at the age of 21!  He jumped at both Lakewood and Orange.  He was on the US Team for several years and slowly took title after title in various internation events and eventually took the World Overall.  He was most recently seen jumping in a demo jump in Hampton, New Hampshire and is a now a Park Ranger.  He is from the Tulsa, OK area and now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 
Kim Emmons
Kim recently started jumping again after many years (Click here to enlarge to full photo).  She was originally an early Orange jumper and married Milian Knor.  She now lives in Denver.
Bill Edwards D-974 Elsinore
Dick Ethier
D-993		 Dick was a mid-60's Orange jumper.
Hal Evans Hal jumped at Lakewood and Orange. He was on the PCA and USPA Board for many years and was a very well liked and well known personality in the sport for decades.  Your webmaster has fond memories of his generosity at Applegarth DZ, in NJ.
Joyce Parker
Evans		 One of the very early female jumpers at Orange.  She is still living in Lake Placid NY
Gene Feeney Orange 1962
Peter Fusari Orange, late 60's
Helen Ford
1962 US Team Member
Dick Fortenbury
 
2002
Doing a section on Dick is one of the hardest I've had to do except for the amazing people that founded and worked for PI.  What can we say about this pioneer of the sport and do him justice?
Elizabeth Foster
B-3126		 I made my 1st jump June 1960 at Valley Forge Country Club with Bob Spatola as jumpmaster-Steve Snyder pilot. The only competition I really cared about was a MEPA (mid eastern Para Asso.) meet at Lakehurst,N.J. I won 1st accuracy/1st style/1st overall, but did not go on to nationals.  I just wanted to jump out of that DC3-my favorite jump plane. Never considered myself an outstanding jumper mainly because I wasn't, but from the very beginning I adored and admired these "pioneers" who were almost all like a bunch of Sir Edmond Hillary's".  That pioneer spirit lured me in and I wasn't going to  be a camp follower, so I made an effort to sincerely be part of this special CLUB.  I 'Prayed for rain, low ceiling, high winds-because I was scared to death.  Made close to 160 jumps (157 logged) and consider the whole experience the highlight of my life (along with two healthy, happy daughters).  Now I am into REUNIONS and if the next one is half as spectacular as the first I'll be HAPPY.  I organized a PIONEERS REUNION A FEW YEARS AGO.  We had over 200 early parachtists at Nate/Jill Ponds farm in Vermont.  Another reunion is in the works to be held at Orange, Massachusetts (which preeceeded Lakewood). Yes!!! I jumped many times at Lakewood! 
Pete Fusari Pete started in the mid-60's but gave it up recently.  He lived in New Britain CT.  He visits Ellington occassionally and also is seen skiing in New England. When Pete first started jumping he had also just bought a new car. Dick Brber, and Ron Blake persuaded Pete to drive them west to the US Nationals. Pete got a real introduction to the magical wonderful world of sprot parachuting. Dick Barber can better  detail the events of that trip including a stop in Vegas.
Bev Galloway Bev was a PI employee in 1962 and played his guitar and sang at
the Inn after hours.  He was a big part of the VI World Meet and he sang and played at the Pioneers Meeting in Florida 2001. 
Doug Garr
B-8027, D-2791, SCR-442
SCS-202, CCR-870
I'd be glad to be listed on the people page!  Some particulars below.  PS: my favorite PC was the Church Window.
Thanks, Doug
Doug Garr
490 West End Ave. 5E, New York, N.Y. 10024-4330
212-787-5490 (phone) 212-787-4920 (fax) douggerg@aol.com

(Photo taken in 2002)
John Gorham 
B-1118		 Orange 1962
Ted Gibbon(s) Ted was a late 60's Orange jumper, since emigrated to Australia.  His address one/60 Wallace Street, Chermside, Queensland, Australia  4032  E-Mail ted@cyberspl.com.au
Claude Gillard
(Australia) F-4
Now in his 70's Claude was a frequent visitor to America and jumped at both Lakewood and Orange.  He is past FAI president (just retired) and was President of the Australian Parachute Federation for over 27 years.  He resigned in early 2001. 
  Claude made the 1962 Australian Team but was unable to make the meet in Orange.  He is the only male member of the team still living. 
  He is a pioneer in Australian Skydiving and was a PI/Pioneer, Para- Flite and Security Dealer.  He brought many new designs including prototypes to Australian that might otherwise have taken years to work their way down here.  If it ever flew, Claude jumped it!  He also ran two DZ's in Victoria. 
  Claude was knighted for his services to skydiving (Order of Australia) in 1990 and enjoys the name GOD or "Gillard of Doveton" which the blokes would call him.  Sir Claude recently became a father again!  Well done Claude!
Patti Gilette
B-4194		 Lakewood jumper
Frank Gleason Orange, late 60's
Floyd Glover
D-1851		 Elsinore Jumper
Dave Goldberg Dave was an Orange jumper and CPI member at Orange in the 60's.  He was an iron worker by profession and remembered as a nice guy.
Don Grant Don was a US Naval officer on a nuclear submarine, the USS Lafayette.  Don was a Connecticut Parachutists Inc. member as well as an Orange jumper.  He married Linda Chapman and relocated to Corvallis, Oregon after he left the navy and finished his MBA at Harvard (his undergraduate degree from Annapolis was in Electrical Engineering)
Don was on the team that brought you the first HP programmable calculators and wristwatch calculators in the mid-70's. 
web site here: http://www.hpmuseum.org/journals/01.htm
Bob Gross Orange jumper and possibly a PI or Pioneer employee.  He test jumped the Volplane and Hornet (both early squares) at Orange in the early 70's.  Now runs a used book store in New Hampshire.
Joe Gonzales
(Sgt. US Army)		 Everyone from those times remembers Joe.  He was well known for his pioneering work in air-to-air skydiving photography and he was the official photographer to the 1962 World Meet at Orange and the Golden Knights.  We believe he passed away in 2001.
Pat Gorman
D-556
Orange jumper.. He lived in Nah when jumping at Orange.  He quit jumping at age 60 after 1500+ jumps and an accident.  He and Irene now live in Florida.
Pete Goulding
D-19178
Master Rigger 
1957858 (JVS)		 Made my first jump at 16... at Orange in 1965. 
Rigger in the loft for a couple of years at Orange after completing Ted
Strong's rigger course in Quincy, Mass.
Did a year as chief pilot at Orange... lots of Norseman time in 1977. 
Finally ended up as the "last" Equipment Division Manager of P.I.....
and Center Manager of Lakewood, NJ the summer of 1978.

Just thought I'd say hello.  Lots of familiar faces in your web site.

Best regards... blue sky.

Pete Goulding
D-19178
Master Rigger 1957858 (JVS)
Pat Graham
D-556		 Lakewood jumper
Steve Graham
C-953
D-479		 Orange 1963
Phyllis Griffith Crawfordsville Jumper, Nancy's sister
Nancy Griffith Crawfordsville Jumper, Phyllis' sister
Jon Guignard
Mid-70's Orange
 

HIJKLMNOPQR

Najeeb Halaby
Najeeb was the loacl FAA Administrator in the 1960's when the photo at left with N13340 in the background.  He went on to head the FAA.  Bill Ottley got him involved in jumping. Najeeb is a good example of why you always invite the manager to a party you throw in your apartment!  :-)  His daughter is Queen Nur of Jordan.Najeeb Haleby and he was also the President of TWA.
Maxine Hartman
Maxine was a 1000+ jump Lakewood jumper.  CLICK here to see photo of her making her 900th jump.
Gary Hayes Early Orange jumper that lasted well into the late 60's.  May still be jumping in Arizona where he moved to after he retired from the East Hartford Fire Department.
Ray Heald Elsinore
Norm Heaton Norm was president of the PCA and USPA for many years.  He lives in Montery California and jumped at all the western DZ's including Elsinore and Hemit.
Katherine Ann 
Henderson
 
Jumped at Orange with the Australian Team and the only living contestant from Australia Team left.  She went on to become the first Australia female commercial pilot and was flying in the Northern Territory when last heard from her.  She is from Adelaide, South Australia.
Daryl Henry
C-324 (Canada)
D-3 (Canada)
Captain of the 1962 Canadian Team that set the FAI record for group accuracy at the 1962 World Meet in Orange.  He is the aurthor of the "Command the Commander" series of articles on PC accuracy.  He was also the author of a treatise "The Baton Pass" which was widely distributed to all of the parachute clubs here in Australia in the early sixties.  That article had a profound effect on the early development of relative work in Australia.

In researching this website we found dozens of articles he wrote published in jumping magazines.

He went to work for Pioneer or PI in the Mid-60's and eventually moved to California and became a successful screen writer. 
Bill Henry
D-921		 Lakewood jumper
Bob Hoffman
C-3352		 Mid-60's Orange jumper.  Now a surgeon in San Francisco
Jeff Hoffman Mid-60's Orange jumper and Bob's brother (above).  He later  became an astronaut
Bob Hollar National Champion and Lakewood jumper  Bob died in 2000 from Liver failure.
Jim Holston
E-Mail		 70's Orange "Boy Skydiver".  See full details in DZ support area 
Click
John Hudak John started at Orange in the late 60's and was a CPI member while they ere still actively doing all their jumping at OSPC. He worked for Pratt and Whitney in Connecticut. He left Connecticut to go to California, he dropped out of sight and no one has heard anything from or about him in years. 
Gladys Inman
Gladys was from Renton, Washington, and employed by Boeing Co..  She was on the 1962 Woman's US Team.
Tom Irwin Orange, late 60's
Ed Ivas Early 60's Lakewood jumper
Dan Ivey
Mid-70's at Orange
Peter Jackson
B-4886
Orange jumper.  He was a student at Middlebury College.  We think he was also a JM and a D-license holder.
Jake Jacobson
img1.gif
mid-60's Lakewood jumper. CLICK to enlarge photo.
Rob Jenks
D-1693		 Lakewood jumper
Dave Jansen
D-1 Norway
D-194 US
D-271 UK		 Mid-60's Orange jumper
Bernard Jurgiel
Bernie started jumping at Lakewood on Sept. 25, 1971. with his best friend John Cullen.  Unfortunately, he dislocated his  shoulder (twice) upon exiting the DC-3 and had to hang it up.

 John continues to Skydive today and after 30 years, they wound up living 30 miles apart and not far from Zephyhills, Florida (i.e. Skydive City).  John is featured elsewhere on this page.  (CLICK here for full photos)

 
Jim Kalergis
C-2307
D-1791		 Lakewood jumper.  He e-mailed us after he found his name on the site: 
Hi Tom,
Wow, what a neat site. Brought back a lot of fond memories. Found it by doing a search on my name. Lots of familiar faces. Pond signed off on my D license at Lakewood. 
I hung it up in the early 70s, but bought myself a square in 1982 and jumped for a couple more years before hanging it up for good.  Anyway, thanks for the memories.
Jim Kelly Jim started in 1961 and was very active with CPI at Orange.  He hung it up for a while but is back jumping again with His old club CPI. He is in the Hartford fire department, 
Deborah King
C-4695 		 Lakewood jumper
Dave King
C-1545		 Lakewood jumper
Kim Knor See Kim Emmonds
Milan Knor
Yugoslavia D-20
Milan Knor was a pioneer in skydiving in the former Yugoslavia.  While a memmber of the 1962 Yugoslavian National Team he managed to defect at the Orange World meet despite security measures by the KGB at the meet.  He stayed in the area till at least 1964, obtained a Degree From Tuffs University and worked for Pioneer.  (Full Story)
Peter Lake Orange jumper.  Peter was also the photographer that did the National Geographic South American Expedition jumps where the Pioneer Paracommander canopy was first seen by the public in 1963.  Peter later went on to do many other photo assignments. 
Moniqué LaMarr
Moniqué LaRoach LaMarr was the women's world champion in 1950. The photo was taken at the Orange Sport Parachute in 1958 when she was about 30 years old.  Moniqué returned to Orange in 1962 for the world skydiving championships.

This is obviously a very interesting person and we'd like more on her.
Alan Lance 
B-5276		 We regret to tell you that Alan was the victim of a fatal robbery and stabbing in New York City.  He was a Lakewood jumper.
J.N. Lance B-? Lakewood, 1966
Keith LaRiviere Started at Orange in the mid-60's he is a Pilot, jumpmaster, Master Rigger, tandem master and an  I/E.
Reuben R. Lee 
B-6250		 Orange, late 60's.  Reuben made the 100,000th jump at Orange. (Story)
Terry Le Vay
 
Terry made her first jump in May of 1965 at Lakewood.  She remembers  many fun evenings spent at the "Red Lion".  She lived in NYC and commuted to Lakewood on weekends.  She married Bob Freeman and divorced in the early 80's.  They had two children.  Terry remarried ten years later to Mike Higgins and lives in Queensbury, NY.
Terry also had what she calls her "15 minutes of Fame" when a magazine that was published by Time called "EYE" did a special on the Lakewood Sport Parachuting Center.  The reporter took pictures but also used the PI archive and picked Terry.  She says that "Lee told me the reporter picked my picture out of hundreds that were taken exiting the Norseman because I was the only one smiling!  . (Enlarge Photos)
Wes Liu Orange jumper as well as Norseman and Cessna pilot.  He owns a Swift as well as C182, and still does demojumps.
Barbara Manning Hemet jumper.  Barbara is the daughter of "Spud" Manning and Denny's sister.  CLICK for photo of both.  She made her first jump in the summer of 1960 with her husband and baby watching.  She was partially trained by her brother.
Andy Mattingly Andy was the first student to make a jump at Crawfordsville (1973).  Dan Ivey put him out of the Norseman on his 1st jump., 
The following year, Andy moved to Southern California and eventaully started jumping at PI's Elsinore Center and again jumped with Dan Ivey whow as running Elsinore by then..and eventually made jumps at Elsinore PI
center, managed by Dan Ivey. Do you know where Dan is
now?
If you want more info on the C'ville center, you should
contact Gail Blackwell, in Crawfordsville. He was an early
jumper and also became a jumpmaster in C'ville, the 2nd
year they were open. He is still an active jumper, he still
lives in C'ville, and is probably in the phone book.
Hope this helps a little. Thanks for the memories !
Ciao'
Maximilian
Miensopust
D-2339
Max is an early 70's Lakewood jumper. He still activily jumps today at Skydive City in Zephyrhills, Florida,and will be turning 72 years in Feb 2003.  He has about 6800 jumps.  Photo was taken in 1972.  (More Maxi Photos)
Carl Meuse
D-??
Early 60's Orange Jumper.  Click to enlarge photo of the "Century Jump".
Bill Molloy
Bill jumped at Orange with the Australian Team in 1962.  He was later in Viet Nam Veteran where he quickly rose to the rank of Major.  He was also a partner in the Labertouche Sport Parachute Centre with Claude Gillard.  He was killed in a car accident while traveling home from a Queensland (Australia) dropzone.  He was about to take command of the Australian Army Parachute School when he died.
Maryann Markson Lakewood and possibly others (PHOTO)
Gene Malito Lakewood jumper from the mid-60's.  Gene was always willing to help students though he didn't work there.  He had an accident in a swimming pool that left him nearly paralyzed and he eventually moved to Arizona.
Pam Matthews
E-Mail		 A Lakewood jumper, she married Bob Pope.
Bill Mayier Orange.  Originally a Lakewood jumper and famous for his Porsche, he now lives in orange and drives a SAAB.
Mike Maythen
D-1194		 We regret to tell you that Mike was killed by a Drunk Driver in Oklahoma City.  He was a Lakewood jumper.
Mac McCraw
C-1556		 A member of the USN Parachute team, the Shooting Stars, he now has a crop dusting service in Florida. Lakewood jumper.
Kay Munson
Kay and Connie Mc Donough had one of the great drop zone romances of skydiving history at Lakewood in 63-64.  They live in Mass. now and have been attending reunions.  (Click on photo to enlarge... its a great old shot)
Anita McMillian
D-?
"Nugget" McMillian was a professional model, proudly sporting a 37-25-36 body.  She wasn't, however, what used to be called in the 60's, a "Miss brains in your bra" type.  Nugget was intelligent, fearless and once she set her mind to something, nothing could stop her.  She made her first jump on September 7, 1963 with the goal of having a D-License within a year.  She showed up at Orange with 144 jumps logged but serious problems with style, accuracy and occassionally stability.  She laid her cards on the table about what she wanted and with the help of the PI staff ironed out all her problems AND did in fact obtain her D on September 7th, 1964!  Well done Nugget!!  We are proud to have you on the page.  Another Photo)
Chuck McRaw Lakewood jumper
George McCullogh
Click 
to enlarge photo
 "George and Harriet (Below) are a book unto themselves. Both are now deceased.  George is perhaps most famous for the  jump when he was dangling beneath the plane, elected to pull his main, and in so doing pulled the seat from under the pilot and out the door of the plane; leaving the pilot seated on the floor. All ended well for all concerned. George did get gold wings (Enlarge the photo to the left).  They were wonderful people, personal friend of Jim and I and we could tell you many interesting stories about them. Not only jumping but many other activities well into their later years."
Marge Bates 2001
George was also the oldest active D-License jumper Orange ever had.
Harriet McCullogh Harriet was George's wife and made one jump at Orange.  She also discovered the "DIVE" fire and saved the INN from burning down.
Jim McDonald Jim was from San Diego.  He jumped at Hemet as well as a local San Diego club.Sherri Buck
Bob McDonnell Bob was a Hemet jumper and was in the worlds first three-way baton pass involving a woman with Sherri Buck and Lew Sanborn.
Joy McDonald Hemet jumper
Gene Malito.  I know he is in Chris's movies playing
> with Lee's dog.  He was always willing to help students though he
> didn't work there.  He had an accident in a swimming pool that left
> him nearly paralyzed and he eventually moved to Arizona.
Bill Mehr Bill lives in Orange, where he operates an aircraft business including flying a King Air at Orange this year. His sons, Billy and Danny, worked at Jumptown this year fuelling aircraft and shagging canopies.
Charles Montague Charles jumped at Hemet and with the San Marcos Sky Divers
Jim Morin Orange, late 60's
Joe Morgan Joe started jumping in Texas in 1960 and later moved to Elsinore and lived in the "Elsinore DZ ghetto" when it was still Skylark Aviation.   Joe was part of the early parachuting scene: Style, accuracy, baton passing, early RW, early sequential and black death. He eventually moved to Casa Grande and then back to Texas.  He died in 2004
Tom Morrison Tom Morrison is still an active jumper after almost 40 years in the sport!  He jumps with the Herd in Pennsylvania and recently visited old friends at CPI at the Ellington DZ in spring 2001.
Hector Nunez Elsinore
Carolyn Olsen
1962 US Team Member
Joyce Parker see Joyce Parker Evans
Grant Perry
 B-963		 Orange, 1962
James Perry
62 World Meet Judge
Nona Pond
 
An Orange resident, Nona was on the US Womans' Team for several years including for the 62 World Meet.  She is the former wife of Nate Pond (D-69) and mother of Gary Pond (D-6969)  We are seeking further history.  A photo of her and her two young children can be seen by clicking here.
Scott Pond Scott was the nephew of Nate Pond and part of the great family that did so much to found this sport. 

The "Pond Family Skydivers" have been doing airshows since 1974, and Scott was lost on his first demo at Lebanon, NH in July 1993.  They were doing a jump that was to include two biplanes encircling three parachutists (Nate D-69, Gary D-6969 and and unknow jumper) as they formed a tri-plane.  Gary went out third but Mary McGrath, pilot of one of the biplanes had gotten out of position. 

The three planes were lined up on jump run, the jump plane far left, a red biplane, then Mary's biplane. When the jump plane slowed, the red biplane slowed with it, and Mary wound up out ahead. So she circled back around to get behind and instead came around right under the jump plane. Scott was the third to exit, (from 3500) and was hit 1.5 seconds after leaving the plane. She lost both wings of the left side of her plane and Scott died instantly. 

Scott's reserve broke open and he landed about 100 yds from the 3000 spectators, while the plane crashed behind the local K-Mart. Amazingly, very few spectators witnessed it, or understood what they had seen. This had been the first act of the weekend. Nate and Gary continued to jump the rest of the weekend, Gary is reported saying "We came back and made the jump for him."
Bob Pope
D-2162
E-Mail
phone
214-363-4236		 Bob was stationed at Naval Air Station Lakehurst and jumped with the Shooting Stars/US Navy Parachute Team, as well as Lakewood between 10-66 and 9-7-68.  Originally from Arkansas, Bob married Pam Matthews, who also jumped at Lakewood.  His beach house in Point Pleasant was a popular hangout.  Bob made 1000 jumps and then hung it up for 15+ years.  We are happy to say that 6 years ago he came back and has made about 400 jumps a year since. 
He currently lives in Dallas, Texas and would love to hear from the ole gang.  He reports that his fondest memory of the area was jumping the Barrish Sail Wing {stupid/scarey} and the first jump into the Inn at Orange.
Dan Poynter Dan Made his first jump at Calistoga, California which is at the end of the Napa Valley.  He jumped at Orange and Lakewood and moved onto become the manager of "Tri-State", a New Jersey DZ located where the 3 States meet.  He is the author of the famous and very excellent Poynter Manuals and currently lives in Santa Barbara (where your webmaster went to college).
Lynn Pyland
D-14, I-9 (Canada)		 Orange 1962
Ray Rabadough Orange, late 60's
Sue Rademaekers Late 60's Orange jumperand was also a CPI member.  She was on the US Team the year it was decided to insist that team members use certain canopies.  CPI raised the money to purchase her canopy for her. Sue Lived in Mass.  We hope to see her at the Oct 2001 reunion but can't find her so far.
Jud Raymond
Jud in the 70's
Jud in 2002
Orange jumper.  Jud retired from the Merchant Marine (Tankers) after many years and then became an airline pilot after which he ran an airport in New Hampshire, and now lives in Florida.  Its a pleasure to see him at recent reunions.
P. Reimglas Lakewood Jumper
Don Richards Hemet jumper and judge.
Joe Richardson
Orange area lawyer, 1960's.  Joe died of old age several years ago.
Ray Roubeau Ray jumped from 1961 to just recently when he passed away.  He was last seen jumping at a POPS Meet in Pennsylvania.  He was living in New York at the time.
Butch Rubb
Butch has left us from non-jumping causes.  He was an Orange JM and a very active jumper especially in the late 60's..
[ST]
Don Sataline Orange, late 60's
Lennie Schember Lakewood and Orange.  Lennie was one hot jumper and competitor.  She was later killed in a midair at a meet at Pepperril Ma. (PHOTO)
Mark Schmidt
D-21		 Orange and Lakewood, early to mid-60's
Clayton 
Schoepple 		 Golden Knight and World Champion numerous times.  Last seen skiing at Alta. He was a Lakewood jumper.
Dan Schultz
D-826		 Lakewood jumper
Howie Schrager See pilots section
Bill Sear Elsinore
Vin Silvia Vin was a 70's Orange jumper and now lives in Florida with is wife Patsy. His son Frank is an accomplished jumper, lives the MA. area and jumping either at Jumptown or at Pepperell.
Hank Simbro Well known in the west and is the husband of Murial (below)
Murial Simbro No one from the 60's and 70's has not heard of Murial.  She was one of the great jumpers in the sport's history and was on the 62 US Woman's Team.  She is the first Woman D-License holder and made the first RW hook-up (ever) involving a woman while at Orange.  Hank and Murial are from Van Nuys, California.  They were usually seen at Hemet and Taft DZ where their daughter made her first jump. (Photo)
Judy Simpsom
D-334		 An Orange jumper, Judy was/is a free lance artist, she lived in Boston. 
Mark Schmidt Orange jumper from the early 60's on.
Jim Schultz
D-339		 Lakewood jumper
Tom Slocum Early 60's Lakewood jumper
Dana Smith
D-3		 Dana became an attorney but is now deceased, an untimely death (not related to parachuting).
Tod Smith Orange, 1962
Crocker Snow
Orange, early 60's.  Long time director of the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission.
Deke Sonnichsen Late 60's Orange jumper.
Sandy Spatola
Bert St. Louis Orange, 1962
R.W. (Dick) Stout
D-1177		 Orange
William H. Taft
B-1391
C-1167
D-733
1963
2000
Bill started at Orange in 1962. 
Thom: 
I had to search through my log books hoping I still had my B license number somewhere. I did, along with my  C-1167 and D-733. Of course I'll never forget my D number. It meant so much to reach that plateau.
As Marge mentioned, I, along with Marge and Jim, were among the founders of CPI. I think there were about thirteen to start with. Our logo, if you are familiar with it, is actually a depiction of my third jump, drawn by a friend. It was a feet in the air, flat on my rear landing. That wasn't a very comfortable thing to do at 220 lb. and jumping a T-7  Hustler.  Thank God it was in the sand bowl at Orange. 
Later, with experience, I became one of the weekend Jump Masters at Orange. I think that Pat Gorham and I were the first two. We didn't teach the first jump course but we did put out many first time jumpers. I also made exhibition jumps for PI as well as CPI. 
For some time I was the ASO for Eastern Conn. I was in Tahlequah
when we changed the name from PCA to USPA. 
I stopped jumping in 1970 without any real reason other than I seem to have a ten year span of interest. I've done the same thing with CUBA diving and Downhill skiing. I had 600 jumps without any injuries and only used the reserve once. At the time, that was a fair amount of jumps, nothing to the number of the people currently. 
I still see Pat and Irene Gorham, at least once a year. I have seen Lou and Jackie Sanborn , Nate and Jill Pond, Dick Barber, Judd Raymond, Vic Deveau and Jim and Marge Bates over the years. It was a great time in my life and I enjoyed every adventure and everyone I met.
I spent a delightful after noon with Jim and Marge Bates a few days
ago and I attribute that happy occasion to your reminding me of a great time in my life. 

Continued success with your project, Bill
George Theriault
C-3234		 "Terry" was a Mid-60's Orange jumper
Dennis Timm
Dennis jumped at Lakewood and occassionally Orange (where the photo was taken in 1972.)
Mike Todd
D-483
Orange jumper from the mid-60's
Dan Toohey Orange, 1961
Bill Unthank Hemet jumper and PCA judge.

[VWXYZ]

Ruben Veley Lakewood jumper
W.D. Viets
C-622, ASO 120		 Early 60's jumper and Norseman pilot
Darius Vakaria Darius was an Orange jumper and Norseman pilot.  He was killed in an auto accident in the early 90's.  He was originally from India
Cesar Villanueva
B-????
Captain Cesar Villanueva is the father of Skydiving in Peru.  Cesar was from the Escuela de Paracaidistas of the Peruvian Army.  He has several hundred military static line jumps and journeyed to Orange to learn freefall parachuting.   Villanueva took to the new concept eagerly even in the unusually poor weather that year.  In no time he was making thirties and driving a red and white custom PC (Peru's national colors).  He returned home and started the sport in Peru first training other military jumpers.
Marge Wallace
C-1978		 Orange Jumper early to mid-60's
Bud Walz Orange, late 60's. 
(Ms) Lee Weekly Hemet jumper
Eddie Weile
C-3492 		 Lakewood jumper who has gone to a better world where jumps are free.  Details unknown.
Tim Wells Tim was a "chute shagger"/ground crew at Orange and the 1962 World Championships, plus "cook/bottlewasher and underage cardinalpuff" at the inn.
Howard Wheaten Hemet jumper
Danny Wheeler Orange, late 60's
Grahm White early 60's Orange jumper and competitor.
David Wilson
D-1144		 Elsinore
Nancy Wrenn Orange Jumper
"Spider" Wrenn
D-459		 Nancy and Spider Wrenn were a somewhat well known couple in Eastern jumping.  Spider was a master at hand painting canopies.  Using the sponge and Rite dye technique he used to paint design's on surplus C-8 (all white) canopies and his own canopy had a huge black spider painted on it.  If you looked up at him it looked like a giant arachnid was falling on you!

WHO is this???
Can anyone indentify these folks?


 Who Is #01 was photographed at Lakewood in 1963
Who Is #02 was photographed at Lakewood in 1963
Who Is #03 was photographed at Lakewood in 1963
Who is #5 was photographed on opening day at Hemet DZ.
Who is #6 was photographed on opening day at Hemet DZ.  He appears to be in the military based on his haircut.  Is it possibly Walt Pica?

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Project PI is an online collaborative effort to document the first commercial parachute company, Parachutes Incorporated, its 6 DZ's, it's 15+ aircraft and as many of the personalities that worked or jumped there that we can find.  Anyone may contribute with stories, information and photographs and are encouraged to do so. Click on the logo above to send e-mail to Thom Lyons, Project coordinator in Melbourne, Australia