My career began in 1969 working as a clerk-typist in the Manual Department (located in the hangar) of Hughes Airwest.  After 4 years I transferred to the Planning Department (secretary) where I stayed for approximately 5 years and left the company in 1980.  Life went on ......and today I am single, have a daughter who is turning 18 in a few months, live in Millbrae and  am the VP of Administration for a company in Burlingame.  So besides a couple of overseas trips -- I never left the bay area!

Thomas R Elleray
thoselle1@verio.com
 

Jeanne (Koreltz) Elliott
Djelliottsea@aol.com
 

Hired in 1968 with Airwest, Inc. and have now endured four mergers - and still flying now with the 'new Delta'.  I've been married for 26 years and happily call Bellevue, WA home.  I continue to be dedicated to advocating for flight attendant safety and health improvements and legislative initiatives impacting our workplace and working lives.  My safety work has transcended four airlines and three Unions.  I currently serve (and for many years previous) as the MEC Chair - Air Safety, Health & Security for the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA).   We are currently immersed in a campaign to ensure the Delta flight attendants gain Union representation - with an election to be conducted by the end of summer.  Without a doubt, the best years of this fabulous career were with Hughes Airwest.  We are all so blessed to have such wonderful memories!

Gene Empey
gempey@cox.net
 

Alan Erickson
sundown35@msn.com
 

Began with West Coast Airlines, Seattle Revenue Acctg. dept., September, 1963.  Moved with the merger to San Francisco in June, 1968.  Managed the Refunds Section.  In 1982 I moved to Chico, California as Director, Revenue Accounting for Pacific Express.  Pac Ex filed for bankruptcy two years later.  Joined America West Airlines March, 1984 in the Phoenix Revenue Accounting Dept.  Last position was Director, Revenue Acctg., Sales Audit and Accts. Rcvbl.  Purged out in June, 1997.  Bought a direct mail advertising franchise (Money Mailer) which I sold to the Arizona Regional office.  Now employed as Senior Account Executive for Money Mailer.  Married to Nanette and our son is 20 years old, a Junior at Arizona State University.  I have the best memories of San Mateo, the beautiful wood offices on the hill and working with the finest bunch of folks I could ever have known.   

Chuck Esterley
cesterley@coldwellbanker.com

I started my flying days with RW in 1978 and ended with NWA in 1990, well not ended exactly as I went on to fly as a Purser for Evergreen Airlines until they stopped with pax service. That was a nightmare!  For a short time, I was a corporate F/A for Paramount Pictures Fun, Fun, Fun, but way too unstable. Next, I moved on to become the personal F/A for recently deceased billionaire Marvin Davis on his 727 (which oddly enough had formerly been in the NWA fleet. I had very interesting and high profile guests on that ol’ 727 although never easy when Mr. Davis was on board… Next, the Morris Air years with Bob Weleba, Michele Edwards and Gene Key, all former RW/RC people that I must say made Morris Air attractive enough for Southwest to buy them out. I think we scared the daylights out of them with all the experience we had, so they didn’t bring any of us with management connections along to the Southwest Family. From there I went to my final stop in the world of aviation, World Airways, as a wet lease F/A Instructor. I was out of the country for months at a time and must say it was a wonderful end to my career in flying. One day while working for Aer Lingus in Shannon Ireland, I woke up and said, “Time to move home to Southern Californiaand do what you have talked about for years, become a Realtor.” So there you have it, I’ve been a more than full time Realtor for Coldwell Banker in Dana Pointfor the last 5 years and love every second of it. I miss the people from my past and hope some of you will see this and want to contact me. Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes! We were all Top  Bananas!

Glenna (Walker) Evans 
gwehiker@msn.com
 

I was a Phoenix based Flight Attendant from 1973 to 1985.  I still live in Phoenix.  I am now a Dental Assistant at the VA Medical Center in Phoenix.  Although I really enjoyed my years with the airline, I now really like working for the VA.  I returned to school recently and I am working on getting a College Degree.  In my spare time, when I can find any, I enjoy hiking. 

Bruce Evertz, known officially as Alexander B., hired in October 1967 as a co-pilot on the "Miniliner". That was the Piper Navajo WCA operated on some thin routes in Oregon and Idaho. The FAA made them put a second pilot aboard so, lucky me. I was based in BOI and PDX until furloughed for awhile. Loved flying low and slow around the Northwest. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever work for NWA let alone live in Detroit!  I retired in October 1997 (4 years early) as a Captain on the A-320.   I now live in Anacortes, WA and avoid flying. My wife, Margaret, and I are enjoying small town life and boating along the coast.

Chuck Fallon
OurHouseLasVegas@aol.com
 

I was hired on by West Coast Airlines on December 7th, 1966 in Twin Falls, ID.  After many mergers......I  finally ended with Northwest Airlines when I finaly retired in May 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  My wife (Dawn) and I are enjoying retirement living in our 40' 5th wheel...pulled by our F550.     We look forward to seeing many of you on the road.. 

"Fitz" Fitzsimmons
hfitzsi501@aol.com
 

Captain Fitz here.... I live in Napa, California.  I have been retired since 1980 and sold the Donneybrook, my sailboat.  Now, I have a fishing boat to fish for the big ones on the Napa  River.  Would love to hear from old .friends from the skies.

Betty (Hansen) Foster
betty@uisreno.com   

 I was hired on with Bonanza Airlines in 1968.  I began as a teletype operator in the tiny back room of LAX reservations, along with Jay Garcia and Steve Greenwood.  After becoming Hughes Airwest and moving to the new building in El Segundo, I primarily worked the P.T.A. (Prepaid Tickets) desk and then became one of the Chief Agents in Reservations.  From there I went in to management as a Supervisor.  After Republic Airlines took over, there was a cutback in management personnel and when the cuts came to Supervisors, I opted out.  Since then, I have worked in City Government and at this time I reside in Indiana and work for the County in the Voter Registration office.  I would love to hear from other former employees from LAX Reservations.

Judy & Joe Franklin
heyjude6162@msn.com

 I was a flight attendant, based in Phoenix except for the last year when I commuted to MSP.   I started in 1966 with Bonanza. I am still living in Phoenix, same house Currently, I am the Activities Director at the Sheraton Desert Oasis in Scottsdale.  I've been single for the last 15 years. My daughter, Tiffany, is 22, and going to school part time.  Just recently received my bachelor of science degree in Recreation/Tourism Management. would love to hear from everyone.

Barb Fulmer
barb.fulmer@sbcglobal.net
 

I worked for BAL in 1966 at ONT Res, PSP Res and was around for the merger to Airwest.  Glen Bottamiller was my immediate boss.  I was hired under the name of Barbara Hevel, later married a BAL passenger, Bill Todd and after PSP, left airlines and became a instructor for Airline Schools Pacific.  If Glen is still in the business would like to give him a shout.

Linda (Raymond) Funk 
c.l.funk@cox.net
 

Ann Marie (Rozzi) Gahagen
amgahagen@comcast.net
 

Starting 9/23/68, I began working as a secretary at the SFO South Terminal for John Malloy, Regional Station Manager, and Paul Shoaf, the SFO Station Manager.  The first copy machine was a thermofax, messages were typed on an IBM Selectric typewriter, to make five copies meant five sheets of carbon paper, urgent messages were sent via teletype, and form letters were created on a “word processor” that created punched ticker tape (the ticker tape was looped into a circle and adhered at the ends, and then run through the machine – sort of like a player piano).  A few employees and I flew on the maiden voyage to South Lake Tahoe on Election Day (year?).  At one time I was a carrier for a sealed enveloped from SFO to LAX to an awaiting Hughes Tool Company staff member – what was in there?  It’s hard to believe that in the late 60s you could fly to Chicago first class for $12.00, or fly to Japan for a 3 day/4 night tour for just $50.00.  I left Hughes AirWest in 1971.  I’m currently working with an environmental law firm as their bookkeeper, IT manager, and webmaster, and just celebrated my 27th anniversary.  Since 1997, I’ve taught at Canada College, CSM and Skyline College as an adjunct faculty member lecturing on HTML and Dreamweaver.  My husband and I live in Redwood City, CA.  Our daughter Lisa is married, and some day I hope to be a grandmother!  My hobbies include travel, snorkel and scuba diving, organic gardening, composting, watercolor painting, tatting (form of lace making) and other handcrafts, and can still type about 90 wpm.  I have fond memories of Hughes AirWest, my first job.  Dated:  5/14/2007

Wayne Gales
wagales@gmail.com

I started with Hughes Airwest in Burbank in 1977, and moved to Las Vegas in 1978, staying through the buyout with Republic and leaving when Northwest took over.  After a year out of the business, I joined Sunworld Airlines with a lot of my other RW co-workers and stayed until it went out of business in 1988.  I joined a large wholesale tour company in 1988 as VP Marketing and Product Development and moved to Orlando Florida in 1991.  In 1994 I jumped to the hotel industry and worked in Fort Lauderdale, Key West, Fort Myers and Miami, before moving to the Embassy Suites Deerfield Beach FL in 2004.  I just got married again and im beyond happy.  Thanks to facebook, im back in touch with a lot of the RW gang, sadly it seems as we say goodbye to some great friends.  This december, I will publish my first novel  "Doorstop on a Houseboat in Key West"

Dick Garn
 garnsbarn@msn.com
 

Dana Gaston
dana.gaston@nwa.com 

Burt Gilman
roseburt@dslextreme.com
 

Coleen (O'Toole) Georgeff
stokababa@worldaccessnet.com
 

I was an employee of West Coast Airlines. I worked from l959 to  l969. I was based in Boise, Idaho and Portland, Oregon where I have  lived for 38 years.  My husband & I  are both retired and we do some traveling and plan to do more in the near future.  My maiden name was O'Toole

I am a New Englander that went to California in 1967 (after 11-1/2 years with Northeast (now Delta). I was hired by Pacific Airlines in June 1967. I worked at the Los Angeles Airport in our reservations office. I was known by the Staff and Pilots as "Captain Yellowbird". We then moved away from the airport with the merger of Pacifice, Bonanza, West Coast, to become Air West. I left Air West in June 1971 and went to work for Continental Airlines at their office building at Los angeles Airport. I worked in the Powerplant Planning, a division of the maintenance area, in an office off the hangar floor. I stayed with Continental until June 1981. I decided to return to New England and hoped for a transfer back East when they were planning on opening a office there. The transfer did not come through so I resigned and returned back East. I went to work for Stone & Webster Engineering company for 3-1/2 years, then went to work for a financial company, The Boston Company, who has since been acquired by Mellon Bank. I retired from The Boston Company/Mellon Bank this past December. I am an avid animal lover and am "owned" by a few furry felines in Plymouth, MA. I am very active with the local Animal Welfare group. I was invovled in the rescue of a pure bred German Shepherd that Animal Planet did a story on and has recently aired it on the Cable Channel Discovery/Animal Planet/Pet Story/'Wild Tasha". It was a good story with a wonderful ending. It should air again, so any employees that may have worked or known me, can see me on another airing of the show. Check their monthly listing on 'A Pet Story". I am still friends with many of the girls I started working with in 1967 and we frequently keep in touch. I would love to hear from anyone else that worked or knew me during my time at Pacific/Air West.

Morgan Godare
morgan@morgangodare.com

 

My name is Morgan Godare:morgan@morgangodare.com      My employee#was  originally with Bonanza, FA class of 1965 I think-#6340 I flew out of all bases-retired in 1984-0r it might have been'85...thought I'd remember these things forever, not so!

II’m delighted to find this site! Carolyn (Branchfield) Varner, with whom I worked many years ago, gave me the URL for the RW home page, and I’d be happy to be listed as a former employee. Here are the gory details—
     “I was hired 13 January 65 as a temporary ground service agent in ACV, one of a flock of bewildered greenhorns brought on board to help cope with the effects of a devastating flood that left RW – or then PC – the only way in or out of Eureka. In ACV I learned all about the sort of diplomacy necessary to get a passenger to give up his seat—his VERY CONFIRMED seat—for a soggy orange bag of mail.
     “I went permanent in March ’65, and transferred to TVL in June ’65 where I worked for Don Rice. Don owned a monkey, and claimed it took a bright light and a check list to tell the two of us apart.
     “Winter came to TVL in September 65, and I left, transferring to BFL where from the likes of Weldon Jones and Lee Littlejohn I learned things like the fact that you were supposed to CLOSE the ADI door on a M-404 before you dispatched it from the gate. Eventually, in March of ’66, Lee took pity on BFL and, having himself already moved to SFO reservations, suggested that making me a Reservations Senior Agent might ease Weldon’s problems in the San Joaquin Valley. I worked in reservations until August of 66, during which time my most significant achievement was catching plague-level poison oak on a fishing trip with Don Ohler and Jim Rylander. In August, Eric Wilson sent me off to be Tom Reedy’s Assistant Station Manager in LAX, where I stayed until I moved to SCK as the Sales/Service Manager in February ‘67. I managed to hide out there for almost three years, until I became the Telecommunications Manager, working for Bud Donohoe in San Mateo, arranging for the land-line telephone and teletype links for our stations.
     “I left RW in 1971, moved to northern Utah, and have recently semi-retired from a career as a technical writer and program manager for Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory. It’s been an exciting career—but I find when I tell my kids and grandkids ‘war stories,’ they’re far more likely to be about loading fish in the belly pit of an M-404 during a rainy one-engine stop in Arcata than putting an experiment on the Space Shuttle. Some things just never get out of your blood.”

Margie Gostyla
mgostyla@reynoldsla.com
 

Hi, everyone,
    In June of 1968, I joined Hughes Airwest, newly merged from Pacific, Bonanza and West Coast Airlines.  It was a pleasure to work there in various categories in sales including Mexico Product Development manager.  I met my wonderful husband, Ric Gostyla, at Hughes Airwest and we have a son, Chris, who is now in business school at Dartmouth--we're very proud.  Though Rick and I are no longer married, we continue as good friends and parents to our pride and joy (trite but so true)
   On leaving Hughes Airwest, I spent nearly eight years with Mexicana Airlines in promotions and advertising management for the U.S. and Canada, later joining an advertising agency in Los Angeles, HDM, which has led me to my current position at Reynolds & Associates in Manhattan Beach, where I oversee our Mexico tourism business, which includes Los Cabos Tourism Board, hotels in Mexico and some work for AeroMexico
  My days with Hughes Airwest were among the best days of my life and look back to the "family" we formed there with great fondness.  Hope to catch up with some of you at the next reunion.  And thanks to Tom Bailey for helping to "keep us all close" at a time when closeness counts so much in our lives.  Hugs to all.