Originally published in 2006
By Mark Grady
LAGO VISTA (Oct. 2005) – When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, Bob and D’Anne Gloris were moved to do something to help.
But the couple, who own Lakeview Aviation at Rusty Allen Airport (5R3) in Lago Vista, Texas, weren’t sure what to do. D’Anne proposed adopting a family left homeless by the storm, but Bob pointed out that was impractical as the couple live in a home behind the hangar that houses their aircraft repair business. The answer came the next day when two pilots, Steve Watkins and Derrick Pollock, who keep their planes in the Gloris’ hangar, flew 1,500 pounds of food donated by their church to hurricane victims in Tylertown, Mississippi.
When a church volunteer brought the food to the airport, he asked, “If we brought mare food, do you think you could get more pilots?” That was all the couple needed to hear. Within moments, D’Anne was on the phone with Tre Deathe, executive director of the Texas Aviation Association (TXAA). Deathe immediately sent an e-mail to all TXAA members, asking for volunteers. Within a few hours, pilots from Texas and many points beyond were calling to volunteer their time and flying machines.
Some pilots networked even more, posting messages on Web sites dedicated to their particular aircraft or type of flying. One of those postings, on a site for Cirrus SR22 pilots, brought volunteer pilots from as far away as Washington State and Monterey, Mexico.
As of Sept. 29, the couple’s efforts had resulted in more than 170 flights and the delivery of more than 35 tons of food and supplies to hurricane Victims in Louisiana and Mississippi.
That same day, D’Anne accepted a special certificate of appreciation from the TXAA and the Texas Department of Transportation, Aviation Division (TxDOT).
Jay Carpenter, TXAA president, says he was amazed at the total dedication the family put into the effort.
“Since they started this effort, they have put their entire business, their income on hold.”
Carpenter, who made relief flights in his Grumman Tiger, was initially surprised when he found his first flight carried bathroom tissue and feminine products. He felt these were low on the priority list until he saw how appreciative the recipients were.
“That’s when I realized that what I was bringing was important,” he said. “It made me imagine what it would be like to go days without bathroom tissue. The simple things are really important at times like this.”
D’Anne agrees. “We spoke with one church that was preparing 2,000 meals a day in a really small kitchen and it was incredibly hot. When the pilots delivered the fans, you could almost hear a collective sigh,” she says.
The Gloris’ attention to detail made the relief flights a safe endeavor, Carpenter notes. “When pilots arrived, Bob came out and asked, ‘How much can you carry?”‘ he says. “They had already weighed each package of items and had them marked.”
Bill Gunn, director of systems and training for TxDOT’s Aviation Division, was not surprised it was the Gloris’ who created such a successful mission.
“Aviation is like a family,” he says. “Pilots who wanted to help were like the guy in the tuxedo in the desert – all dressed up wondering where to go. What Bob and D’Anne did was become the touchstone to make this work, at no small sacrifice to themselves in time and revenue from their business. It’s the kind of people they are.”
(Reprinted with permission: Mark Grady and the Southern Aviator, Nov. 2005)
