Born in the farming community of Wolverton, Minnesota on May 25th, 1932, Ellickson enrolled in the Spartan School of Aeronautics after high school, becoming a certified aircraft mechanic. He worked on Douglas DC-3s for Wisconsin Central Airlines beginning in 1951, served in the Army, and then went to work for North Central Airlines. Ellickson spent most of his professional career in the Detroit area, primarily with Republic Airlines.  Ellickson was Republic’s night foreman at Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, becoming Regional Maintenance Manager until his 1985 retirement.  Norm was hired by the National Transportation Safety Board to help assess and manage the clean-up of the crash of Northwest Flight 255 in August 1987, and then a 1990 ground collision between two Northwest jets.  His task for NW 255 was coordinating the removal of the aircraft’s wreckage with a crane and truck near Metropolitan Airport – a difficult and challenging task from one of the deadliest crashes in U.S. aviation history. Ellickson operated Young Airport in Ann Arbor from 1958 to 1962 and was one of the co-founders of the Detroit Institute of Aeronautics (DIA) in 1968. A passionate and dedicated member and volunteer of the Yankee Air Museum, Ellickson donated over 50,000 hours of time to the museum, most of that being in the acquisition, restoration, and maintenance of the museums’ C-47 and B-17. Ellickson received the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award from the Federal Aviation Administration, honoring mechanics with over fifty years of outstanding service. Norm Ellickson passed away on November 12th, 2020.  

Originally from Ohio, Peg Kirchner was one of the first women to fly U.S. military aircraft, including the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. While attending Youngstown College, Margaret and seven classmates bought an airplane and earned their private pilot’s licenses through the Civilian Pilot Training Program. She was one of 1,830 pilots out of the 25,000 applicants to be accepted into the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program during WWII. On Easter Sunday, 1943, at 22-years old, she reported for basic training at Avenger Army Airfield in Sweetwater, Texas, where she was chosen to advance to B-17 Bomber Training at Lockbourne Army Airfield in Columbus, Ohio. As one of only 13 WASP to pass the training, Peg helped prove that women could fly every type of plane in the military. She and three others were selected to stay at Lockbourne for advanced training, where they completed the B-17 Instructor’s Course and received their instrument and altitude ratings. They were the first to fly the unpressurized bomber above 25,000 feet. Following her service, Peg moved to Michigan, married Thomas Stevenson, a USAAF lieutenant, and became the mother of four. As a single parent in 1955, she earned a master’s degree in education from Central Michigan University and taught for 30 years with the Saginaw Public School District as a reading specialist, adult education director and elementary principal of five schools. Peg received honorable discharge certificate in May of 1979 after the 95th Congress officially recognized the WASP as a military organization, qualifying her for long overdue veterans’ benefits. In 1984, she was awarded the World War II Victory Medal and the American Theater Ribbon/American Campaign Medal. She passed away on July 12, 1998.

Dennis Bowdoin purchased his first helicopter, a Robinson R22, in 1982. He received his Private Rotorcraft helicopter rating in 1988, his Commercial Rotorcraft helicopter rating in 1990, and his CFA rotorcraft helicopter rating in 1991. He was appointed FAA safety counselor in 1994. He was Michigan Helicopter Association safety officer from 1983 to 2010 and became president of the Michigan Helicopter Association in 1991. He purchased the land and built the public Maple Grove Heliport and became the heliport manager in 1992, taking over the airport the next year. He wrote the helicopter program and syllabus for the Western Michigan University College of Aviation and ran the program for nine years, turning Romeo Airport into a working classroom for WMU’s Airport Management Curriculum, subsequently earning the Michigan Aeronautics Commission Award of Excellence for doing so. He was awarded Robinson Helicopter Insurance Program Authorization to conduct safety audits in 2000 and ran a Robinson Helicopter Company Service Center and Overhaul Center in 2001. He earned a Michigan Aero Science certificate for instructing teachers in teaching methods and the Airport Manager’s Workshop certificate for teaching airport managers how to deal with helicopters and parachutes in 2003. In 2009 Bowdoin was the FAA General Aviation FASST Team representative of the year for dedication to safety through education which has been his major concentration throughout his career.

Born in Lansing, Michigan on May 5, 1943, Colonel Gary Copp was served with a delayed draft notice and signed up for the Army Aviation Rotary Wing flight program. Getting his wings in June 1967, WO1 Copp was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division in the Republic of Vietnam and was later transferred to the 9th Infantry Division Artillery, flying single pilot observation missions. He was then transferred to the Division Air Mobile Company flying Huey missions and was selected as maintenance Platoon Leader and test pilot as a Chief Warrant Officer. Next, he was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division in Germany as a pilot for Division Artillery and was chosen as pilot and Aide de Camp to the Assistant Division Commander. Accepting a direct commission as First Lieutenant in Air Defense Artillery, he was transferred to the States for Instrument Examiners training and fixed-wing multi-engine qualification. Returning to Vietnam in 1971, he was assigned to fly observation and reconnaissance missions in the L19 Bird Dog in 1st Corps. He was then selected to command the Headquarters Company of the 11th Combat Aviation Group responsible for approximately 500 soldiers. His next assignment was to the 21st NORAD Region Headquarters in Syracuse, New York as a Battle Staff Officer and later assigned to command a nuclear surface-to-air missile site in Massachusetts until he resigned from active duty in 1974. Continuing his military career, he joined the Michigan Army National Guard holding several administrative positions before commanding the 238th Attack Helicopter Battalion at Grand Ledge. He was appointed as the State Aviation Officer. His decorations include the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, the Meritorious Service Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, fifteen Air Medals and five Republic of Vietnam campaigns. Colonel Copp achieved 950 hours of combat flying duty in his 33 years of combined military service. Colonel Copp continues to fly and has logged over 4000 hours in rotary wing, fixed wing, gliders, a balloon, and a jet.

Born and raised in Lansing, Michigan, Lyle Forcia graduated from Eastern High School in 1965 and later obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree at Spring Arbor University. Forcia entered the U.S. Army on active duty in 1968. After completion of flight training, he was awarded the designation of Army Aviator with the rank of Warrant Officer. Immediately following Flight School in 1969, he was assigned to the 190th Assault Helicopter Company in the Republic of Vietnam. During that assignment, Forcia served as Aircraft Commander and Mission Commander of a 4-man crew UH-1 Transport Helicopter, flying Air Assault and Direct Combat Support missions, accumulating 1300 hours of combat flight time. Forcia was awarded 40 Air Medals, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart for wounds received in action. After rotating back to the United States in 1970, Forcia was assigned to duty as a Flight Instructor for the rotary wing Instructor Pilot training Course at the Army Aviation Center at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Forcia entered the Michigan Army National Guard in I971 and served until retirement in 1997. Forcia was awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal for conducting a lifesaving rescue mission during a natural disaster. Upon retirement in 1997, he was awarded the U.S. Army Meritorious Service Medal for 26 years of significant contributions to the Army Aviation mission. From 1987-1989, Forcia served as Captain at the Hospital-Based Helicopter program at Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids Michigan. Lyle entered service with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Flight Inspection Operations Group in 1997 as an Airspace System Inspection Pilot. He served as Flight Inspection Pilot on Helicopter Flight Inspection missions for RW Instrument Flight Procedures and ensured the safety and integrity of instrument approaches and airway procedures across the National Airspace System (NAS). Lyle retired from the FAA and from flying in 2008 after accumulating over 14,000 accident-free military and civilian flight hours. 

I have always loved science-related topics and science classes; they taught me to look further than what I can see. In science, I always felt engaged and encouraged to understand why I should believe in the beyond. When I started my senior year of school, I was unsure about which specific field of science I wanted to pursue. Soon I discovered my love for planes and aviation in general. This newfound interest sparked my continued passion for a special career path. I love airports, I love watching the planes fly over my head, and I love everything about the atmosphere of airports. I don’t love being stuck, I don’t love not having leisure, and I don’t love boring workplaces. While I was a kid, I was privileged to be able to fly to multiple destinations. These trips silently showed me my passion for aviation. Through my influenced passion I was able to fly a two-seat plane with an instructor. I felt in control, and I knew I had to pursue this education. The fact that the plane can propel itself up in the air amazes me. The ability to control where to lead the plane. I was in awe. I am meant to be in aviation. 

As a fellow lover of science my passion is fueled by my love of learning. In elementary school my principal got two 3D printers that she asked me to help assemble, and every day I would spend at least an hour designing things to print on Tinkercad. It wasn’t until 2020, however, that I was able to use my resources and skill to make a difference. During the pandemic my mother showed me how people were creating personal protective equipment using 3D printers, and I had the idea to use my elementary school’s 3D printers to create face shields and ear protectors for the local nurses and doctors. Even more recently I started to compete in programming competitions at local colleges, taking home several top ten finishes including two top five finishes. I also started competing in the American Computer Science League (ACSL), United States of America Computing Olympiad (USACO), LeetCode, and Codeforces competitions. Just this year I started to share my love of math and programming with a fifth grader who has autism. I volunteered to teach him pre-algebra two times and have started to teach him some basic C++ programming. My unwavering passion for math, science, and computer science is deeply rooted in my body and I love to influence others to do the same. 

At a young age, among other personal traits, there was one that particularly stood out from the rest—I was the peanut allergy kid. Growing up with food allergies, I was constantly interacting with different doctors and specialists, who assisted me tremendously. Through this process, I was able to witness how science can be used to help people. In the present day, the motive remains: using science as a modem to help people. During my freshman year, I was tasked with conducting a literature review project on the enrichment and detection of Circulating Tumor Cells using magnetic nanoparticles. At first, this was daunting to say the least; but through a persistent effort, and many trial and errors, I was able to achieve a relative ‘mastery’ of the subject, and this was one of the most rewarding experiences throughout my academic career. Being able to accomplish something that once seemed impossible was a fuel to my fire and showed me that I am capable of more than I believed. This is what I love about science: through enough exploration, even the most inexplicable mysteries can be solved. Furthermore, I have taken great pride in sharing this love for science with my community. I have volunteered as a math and physics tutor for my fellow classmates and participated in Kids in Science, where every other Friday, we go to our local elementary school and conduct science experiments for third grade students. Seeing the kids develop a curiosity and passion is a forever-fulfilling experience.  I plan on majoring in biomedical engineering, continuing to delve into these topics. Then, I hope to use this knowledge, and use these possibilities of innovation, to ultimately find a way to improve the lives of millions of people around the world.