Special Guest Speaker and
Lifetime Achievement Honoree
Jack Elliott
Wings Over Jersey Columnist
Also honored this evening will be:
Ed Hoffmire
(1909 - 2007)
MAPA Founding Member and Past President
C&W Aero Services
2007 Corporate Citizen
Warren recognizes its own distinguished aviation writer
By DENIS J.KELLY, Editor
Published: Mar 13th, 5:16 AM
WARREN TWP. — Mayor Carolann Garafola and the Township Committee recognized the contributions to the worlds of aviation and journalism by Jack Elliott Shapiro on Thursday, Feb. 26.
Shapiro accepted the Certificate of Recognition accompanied by his wife, Esta-Ann, and said he was proud to call Warren Township his home town for more than 40 years.
During that time I had the privilege of writing an aviation column titled Wings Over Jersey, under the byline Jack Elliott, for the Star-Ledger for more than 38 years and publishing a book, Adventures in Flying, containing the best of those human interest aviation stories, Shapiro said in a letter to the editor that appears in this weeks edition of the Echoes-Sentinel.
The certificate noted seven national writing and journalism awards which the column won as well as his induction into the New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame in 1986, Shapiro said.
He has won three journalism awards from the NBAA (National Business Aviation Association), a Presidential Citation and the Max Karant Award for Lifetime Excellence in Aviation Coverage, from the AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association), a Journalism Award from NATA (National Air Transportation Association) and a Writing Award from the Aviation/Space Writers Association, among others.
He holds a commercial pilots license with instrument, glider and single-engine seaplane ratings.
I am deeply grateful and highly honored to receive this recognition from the township which has been my home for more than 40 years, he said.
He said it was especially nice to be recognized by his neighbors.
Shapiro told the audience at town hall when he received the certificate that he was always happy to write stories that emphasized the positives in aviation, and in particular the kind of everyday pilots who love to fly the Cessna and the piper cub airplanes.
Adventures in Flying, published in 2007, is a collection of aviation stories, some of which seem unbelievable. The stories focus in on every aspect of the world of flight: fixed wing aircraft, gliders, ultra-lights, balloons, helicopters, blimps and dirigibles. There is even a chapter on sky diving.
I like to emphasize the spirit of people who want to go further, faster, higher and seek new horizons, he said.
He also never tired of telling the stories of pilots who are willing to volunteer to transport people who are in need of medical assistance, often without wanting or getting recognition, he said. Thats his kind of story, he said.
His wife, Esta-Ann edited, proof-read and indexed Adventures in Flying. She is also a member of the Warren Township Library Board and the Watchung Hills Adult School Advisory Council.
Shapiros daughter, Amy Shapiro, is an author as well. She wrote in 2003, Millicent Fenwick: Her Way, a biography of the late Rep. Millicent Fenwick of Bernardsville, who was called by Walter Cronkite, the conscience of the Congress, and inspired the character, Lacey Davenport, in the cartoon strip Doonsbury by Gerry Trudeau.
The books forward was written by former Gov. Thomas Kean Sr.
Amy Shapiro works at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. She is considering writing another biography.
Jack and Esta-Anns son, Stephen, runs the Chicago office of Aids Marathon.
Both Adventures in Flying and Millicent Fenwick are available through Amazon.com.
October 11, 2007
Hanover Manor
Hanover, NJ
www.midatlanticpilots.com
Time: 6:30 PM - 11:00 PM
Mail to:
Douglas Fields
MAPA Treasurer
80 Morristown Road PMB 343
Bernardsville, NJ 07924
Friends:
Apparently word has gotten out that I have just published a book based on columns I wrote in the Star-Ledger over a period of 38 1/2 years. It's titled, "Adventures in Flying." I've had a number of inquiries about it. I have a website, www.adventuresinflying.net which has a lot of information on it and should answer most of your questions. You might want to pass the website along to friends. If you still have questons, I can be reached at 908-647-5680 (which is listed on the website).
Thanks.
Jack Elliott
27 Upper Warren Way
Warren, N.J. 07059
908-647-5680
wingsover@optonline.net.
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