MEMORIES: PAN AM 1927-1991

Yesterday, on this BLOG SITE I posted an emotional story about the end of an American institution that grew up along side of this country and it's development. Pan Am aided the United States in it's most desperate hours of World War II, The Korean War, Vietnam and The Persian Gulf War. If you haven't had a chance, please go back ad read the editorial loaned to me from the good people at The Miami Herald. Today, I'd like to share just a few quotations from the people of Pan Am.

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MARY GOSHGARIAN: Mary held the position of "Clipper Skipper". Whenever Pan Am carried a high profile personality from Burt Reynolds to Roger Moore, Sophia Loren and her husband Carlo Ponti or Julio Iglesias, (to name just a few) Mary was assigned to greet them at the Gate and guide them to their next connecting flight or limousine. I became friends with Mary over the telephone by sheer luck in January, 1991 and we've been close friends ever since. She worked with Pan Am from 1956-1991 and is Manager of the spectacular MIAMI AWARE Store in Florida where Pan Am memorabilia is sold. Incidentally, AWARE is an acronym created in 1974 for "Airmen Worried About Remaining Employees". Today, Mary is truly the face and the spirit of Pan Am.

"You know Michael, we're all volunteers. And not a day goes by where people don't ask me 'Why do you do this?' I tell them the truth. First of all, Pan Am was the most wonderful job I ever had. It was a wonderful company and I can't do enough for them. We were just ordinary workers, but when you said you were with Pan Am, you were treated like royalty. I made so many friends all over the world. If I went to Thailand now, just to give you an example, I'd know just who to call. I mean that's how close we were. I met Burt Reynolds once. I went down to the gate to meet the flight and he was the last one off. I said , "Burt Reynolds!. My first cousin Val Avery made a movie with you". A year later, I met him again at the gate and as he was walking into the airport he looked at me and said, "Oh, here's cousin Mary!" What a memory. But the store is open Monday through Friday 11 am to 3 pm (1-305-871-1028). And you should see the people who visit from all around the world. Asia, Europe, especially Frankfurt where we had a base and London of course, the Middle East, Latin America, South America, Central America, Africa, China, New Zealand, the Caribbean, oh my goodness-- just all four corners of the globe!. And once in a while they walk in and just get overwhelmed with the merchandise and the memories start up and they start crying and we say. "Oh, please. Now you're getting us started' and we have to get our hankerchiefs out. And they tell me how much they miss us. That makes it so special for me".

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JEFF KRIENDLER: From 1968-1991 Jeff Kriendler held a variety of positions with Pan Am ascending to Vice President of Corporate Communications. Throughout the 1980's to the end, Jeff was the face and voice of Pan Am.

"The company was the Queen. Without going into all the historic 'firsts', Pan Am was a pioneer. It was absolutely number one worldwide in commercial aviation. I had so many memories, as I had the opportunity to travel on White House charters. I flew with Jimmy Carter, with President Reagan, with George Bush Sr., to Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield. I flew with George Bush on Thanksgiving Day to Dhahran. I flew on a number of international trips, and on presidential campaigns. I had the occasion to fly with heads of state, presidents, kings, many inaugurals--so many exciting things that occurred in my life because of my association with Pan Am, including the great honor of traveling with Mother Teresa of Calcutta".

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PETE RUNNETTE: Today, Pete is the President of the Pan Am Historical Foundation. A former Navy aviator, Runnette spent 21 years with Pan Am. He was Managing Director of Pan Am's Berlin-based IGS (Internal German System) for five years and Vice President of Pan Am's Atlantic Division in London with the additional responsibilities of worldwide marketing and sales as Senior Vice President of Marketing.

"Our website is www.PanAm.org. We have thousands of files of materials at the University of Miami Richter Library. However, they don't have all of the resources that they would like to be able to catalogue and make those available to researchers and scholars. So, we'd like to be able to supplement their funding wherever we can. How do we get our children interested in it? That's what we're working on right now, trying to come up with more of a forward-looking agenda that has some appeal, not just historically to young people today but something that is related to the current environment. And I think there's a lot of different ways to do that."

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Authors Note:

I would like to close now with a final word from Captain Mark Pyle as he looks back and captures for so many of us, the afterthoughts of "The World's Most Experienced Airline" and our nation's "Chosen Instrument", PAN AM:

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CAPTAIN MARK PYLE: Pilot of Pan Am's Last Flight on December 4, 1991:

"I think I would best describe Pan American as a elegant, majestic lady who in the years of her Glory was very beautiful. And then towards the end of her existence, when she wasn't so beautiful anymore she was put up at auction--similar to how a slave would be put up to auction. And she was stripped of her clothing, one garment at a time. The Pacific, The Shuttle, The Atlantic, The Pan Am Building (at 200 Park Avenue in New York City), the insurance company, the hotels (The Inter-Continental Hotel Chain was founded by Pan Am)--one garment until she stood there essentially naked. But before they could sell the final piece and auction her off, she simply died of shame and embarrassment. An elegant lady now of history. And that thought has stuck with me---what a grand lady she was in her time".

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Authors Final Note: For current information on the Pan Am Historical Foundation, tax deductable membership opportunities and procedures for donating historic materials, please contact :

Pan Am Historical Foundation

P.O. Box 747

Bethpage, New York 11714-0747

Email: foundation@panam.org