Garms left a great legacy

My brief and warm acquaintance with Irvin Garms in these past few years revealed a gentle, humble man -- one not self-impressed with his magnificent global stature. My sadness on his passing is mixed with the twinkle I vividly recall in his eyes whenever we discussed our common passion for general aviation. His lifetime of global project engagements meant he had to be at job sites spread all over the world -- working on tight schedules often beyond the reach of airliners.

He grinned with his typical good humor as he told me of night flights across North Africa between projects in Saudi and locations spread across Europe and North America in his Lockheed Lodestar. He delighted in telling of the unglamorous night flights he regularly took between locations so he could do his on-site work during daylight hours. He chuckled aloud as he recalled calling his company, "fly-by-night airline" -- which his was anything but.

We have all lived with this gentle and quiet giant in our midst, and few have or will ever leave such a positive mark on earth as Mr. Garms.

T. ROBIN COLE III, Jackson