Walsh Not Demoted

Like the Mark Twain adage about the reports of his death being greatly exaggerated, the headline in The Times on March 30 about Rear Adm. Bill Walsh being “demoted” at Air/Space America was not correct by a long shot (“Air/Space America Demotes Admiral in Bid to Keep Troubled Air Show Flying”).

Bill told me on March 27 that he was so pleased with the new management team we have put in place for Air/Space America ’90 that he would like to be relieved of his duties as president so that he could have more time to pursue other interests.

We talked it over and he suggested that he be shifted to vice president for operations, where his experience and background in having produced the 1988 show would be available to our management team. The team and I agreed.

While I had the dream of putting on America’s Air Show as an answer to the Paris and London shows, that dream became a reality only because of Bill Walsh’s drive.

Bill deserves to spend a little more time with his family and on the golf course, until he goes on a double shift to reach the goals and solve the problems with the next show at Brown Field, May 4-13.

I am positive that Air/Space America Board of Directors will promote him--to become chairman, when I step down in the next few years.

BOB WILSON

Chairman and chief executive officer

Air/Space America

(Editor’s note: The story included Wilson’s comments that Walsh was not demoted.)