PROVIDENCE – Ten individuals who flew during various wars for the military will be inducted into the Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame on Nov. 19 in a ceremony at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Cranston.
The hall of fame says the group of inductees includes a living World War II bomber pilot, a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot from Barrington killed in action in Grenada, and four servicemen from Vietnam: three living U.S. Army helicopter pilots who flew hundreds of hours of combat, plus a deceased pilot from the U.S. Navy’s only assault helicopter squadron.
Rhode Island FC To Offer Local Businesses Top-Notch Networking Opportunities in 2025
The perfect atmosphere for entertaining clients or hosting employees, The Stadium at Tidewater Landing will…
Learn More
Additionally, Edmund D. “Ted” Fuller III, who founded the statewide Gregg’s Restaurants chain, will be posthumously presented with the 2022 President’s Award, which is given to a Rhode Islander who was involved with aviation but who made his primary mark in another field.
The hall of fame inductees are:
- Fredrick R. Bartlett (posthumous)
- Allen P. Bourdon (posthumous)
- Lawson W. “Topper” Durfee
- John L. Enright Sr.
- William C. Harris (posthumous)
- William H. Pond
- Justin “Jay” Strauss (posthumous)
- Jeffrey Scharver (posthumous)
- John Stellitano
- Peter Young (posthumous)
Tickets for the event cost $65 and can be purchased by visiting the hall of fame’s website.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
