ERAU Presents Sam Goldman with Honorary Doctorate

Daytona Beach, Fla., May 28, 2008 – Dr. John P. Johnson, president of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Dr. Richard Heist, provost, will present a posthumous honorary doctorate to Samuel M. Goldman on Saturday, May 31, at a private ceremony in the University's College of Aviation atrium. The 11:30 a.m. tribute will be followed by a luncheon.

Goldman's daughter and son-in-law, Barbara and Roger Schwarz, will accept the degree. Also attending the ceremony are Gregory Schwarz (Goldman's grandson and an Embry-Riddle alumnus), his wife, Angela, and their children, Sydney and Alec; as well as Daniel Schwarz (Goldman's grandson), his wife, Michelle, and their children, Michael and Jessica.

Sam Goldman, who died in 2007, started Chesapeake Airlines in 1947, one of the earliest airlines in the United States. It was eventually purchased by the Du Pont family and evolved into Allegheny Airlines, the forerunner of US Airways. In 1949 he founded Chesapeake Airways Service Corp., one of the largest dealers of used aircraft parts in the country. Throughout his working career of more than 50 years, he donated aircraft and parts to museums around the nation, including the Smithsonian Institution.

"Sam's initial connection with Embry-Riddle began in 1965," said Bob Rockett, dean of the University's Heritage Project. "He was flying a Cessna 310 from the Bahamas when he lost an engine. He landed in Daytona Beach, where he met Embry-Riddle's first president, Jack R. Hunt."

Goldman, who advised Hunt on aircraft acquisitions and issues facing the aviation industry, was impressed and humbled that he could count the "president of the finest aviation school in the world" as one of his friends. When asked to help the University, he generously donated several airplanes, whose sale generated more than $1 million.

In recognition of his relationship with and contributions to Embry-Riddle, the Samuel Goldman Center/Aviation Maintenance Science Complex was named as a tribute to him in the mid-1970s. A special place of honor will be dedicated to his memory in the Aviation Maintenance Science department in the University's new state-of-the-art Aviation Complex.

Other Embry-Riddle faculty, staff, and guests who will be attending the presentation of Goldman's honorary doctorate include Philip Elliott, Board of Trustees member; Dan Montplaisir, vice president of institutional advancement; Jeff Davis, director of development, College of Aviation; Fred Mirgle, department chair, Aviation Maintenance Science; and Marci Stappung, Heritage Project consultant.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. The university educates more than 34,000 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through its Worldwide Campus at more than 130 centers in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu.

Additional Biographical Information on Sam Goldman

Samuel M. Goldman was born in New York City on June 5, 1921. He was a first-generation American, the son of Jewish Russian immigrants who arrived here in the early 1900s. Sam's enthusiasm and passion for aviation developed early. He grew up in an exciting era when flight was a rapidly changing adventure, and he loved being on the cutting edge. His aviation career started in 1936 at age 15 when he attended the Harren School of Aeronautics in New York City and later graduated from the Casey Jones School of Aeronautics. He was the national champion for free-flight, gasoline- powered model airplanes, and earned his pilot's license and his Aircraft & Engine license prior to high school graduation. Sam married his junior high school sweetheart, Charlotte, and they had two children.

Sam was very proud of his 10-year service in the U.S. Army Air Corps, which really developed his aviation expertise. He was a chief warrant officer and was part of a team that opened Dover Air Force Base. He served as crew chief and flight engineer for General Cannon and General Hudnell, and he trained thousands of flight personnel. After leaving the military, Sam started Chesapeake Airlines in 1947 and served as manager of maintenance. One of the earliest airlines in the United States, Chesapeake was eventually purchased by the Du Pont family and evolved into Allegheny Airlines, the forerunner of US Airways. His experiences taught him a great deal about airplane parts, and he created the Chesapeake Airways Service Corporation in 1949. His company became one of the largest dealers of used aircraft parts in the country, supplying the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard. The company remained in operation for over 53 years, throughout which time Sam redesigned planes and engines and held patents. He donated aircraft and parts to the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum in Anchorage, the Naval Museum in Pensacola, the Pima Air & Space Museum in Arizona, the Smithsonian Institution, and Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum.

He died on Dec. 26, 2007.