Alum's Memory Remains Alive Through Plane Donation

Contact: Todd Anderson, (740) 593-1885. For questions about the Department of Aviation, contact Elaine McCoy, (740) 597-2626. Editors: A photo of Andy Ross with the Cessna can be downloaded from the Web at www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/ROSS_ANDY.JPG A photo of David Hoover with his Coors Light jet can be downloaded at www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/HOOVER_DAVID.JPG

ATHENS, Ohio (May 5, 2000) -- Friends and family of Ohio University alumnus David Hoover look to the skies when they think of the late pilot's contagious love for flying and soaring sense of humor. And, now, keeping his memory alive above southeastern Ohio is a new Cessna 172 four-seater.

A longtime friend of Hoover's, central Ohio resident Andy Ross donated the plane to the university's Department of Aviation today during a ceremony at Ohio University Gordon K. Bush Airport. The Cessna, dedicated in Hoover's memory, will be used primarily by student flight team members for regional and national competitions.

Ross and his wife, Sandy Ross, as well as Hoover's sister, Susan Hoover, spoke of Hoover's passion for flying.

"Dave was a great guy," said Ross, a retired lawyer. "He enjoyed life and, above everything, he loved flying, It's a pleasure to give the plane to Ohio University."

The plane has been detailed in the university's colors of green and white and, like the department's other aircraft, displays the school's Attack Cat logo. Its tail number is a spinoff of Hoover's own, 45DH. But because "pilots are a pretty superstitious bunch," Ross chose an apt alternative: 445DH.

Growing up together in Bexley, Ohio, Ross and Hoover shared a love for planes, cars, motorcycles, "mad scientist" experiments and general mischief. The two kept in touch during Hoover's time at Ohio University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1964, and through the years leading up to the pilot's death in a plane crash at a California air show in 1992.

Ross' stories about Hoover's humorous antics are seemingly endless, like the one about Hoover's penchant for casting his plane's shadow over cars traveling below, especially convertibles, and swinging out to "pass" slower vehicles before lining back up with the road and flying on. Or the one about a prematurely bald Hoover convincing a license bureau clerk to list his hair color as "clear."

But Hoover wasn't always so outgoing. While growing up, he suffered from dyslexia and struggled through school, his sister said.

"Dave didn't have much of an opportunity to shine as a child," Susan Hoover said. "But when he started flying, it was like a new world opened up to him. It allowed his genius to flourish. He was an accomplished mechanic, a great pilot and an artist. He called his shows Œsky dancing.'"

As a member of the Coors Light Silver Bullet Jet Team, Hoover entertained crowds with stunts in the air and humorous narratives from the cockpit. He also was a 747 captain for American Airlines for 28 years. And so the Cessna, a popular training plane, is perhaps the most fitting donation Ross could make in his friend's memory. More than 100 Athens campus students are pursuing bachelor of science degrees in aviation.

"This wonderful gift in loving memory of David Hoover has been a timely one," says Department of Aviation Chair Elaine McCoy. "Our enrollment is growing, and the aircraft will be used to teach many young people who share the love Dave had for freedom in the sky."

The presentation coincided with Ohio University's Aviation Day. Throughout the day, students participated in flight demonstrations and competitions, listened to educational speakers and met with alumni and other guests.

Another friend of Hoover's, Tom Wheeler, a 1971 university graduate and Department of Aviation Advisory Board member, announced the 2000-01 recipient of the David Hoover Memorial Scholarship. Gabriel Langenderfer of North Royalton, Ohio, was awarded the scholarship, which goes to a student who shows the most enthusiasm for flying. Established in 1993, the scholarship fund already stands at $121,800.