Poage

The Jack B. Poage Airshow in Westminster this weekend will feature a plane modified for aerobatics 32 years ago by the veteran pilot who was killed when he crashed a plane during an air show in 1990.Bel Air pilot Ned Surratt will fly the MidWing Special that he and Poage co-owned. June Poage, Jack's widow and president of Westair Inc., which operates Carroll County Regional Airport, is producing the show."We flew together in many shows," Surratt said of Poage. A manager of chemical engineering at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Surratt started flying in 1963 and got into aerobatics a year later.

June Marie Poage, who took Carroll County Regional Airport from a dirt runway to a hub for corporate jets, died of cancer Thursday at Carroll County General Hospital. The Westminster resident was 63. Mrs. Poage had been president of Westair Inc., which operates the airport, for 23 years. She also was active in civic affairs as a member of numerous organizations and served on the board of the former FCNB Bank. "She was a person of high energy," said her sister-in-law, Phyllis Poage Musgrove.

Carroll lost one of its most colorful and best-known figures when Jack B. Poage was killed in a plane crash Sept. 23 while performing a stunt at an air show in Baltimore County's Martin State Airport.Poage, 62, died when his red and white 1989 Pitts S-2B biplane crashed after he apparently decided to add a fourth spin to a three-spin diving stunt and was unable to pull out of the dive.Thousands of spectators witnessed the accident on a clear, calm day.Officials closed the show following the accident.

A divided Board of County Commissioners agreed yesterday to continue leasing the Carroll County Regional Airport to WestAir II, despite the firm's struggles with debt, an embezzlement scandal and management problems.In a 2-1 decision, the commissioners approved a contract with WestAir II, a partnership of Richard Jones, a physician who performs medical exams for pilots at the airport, and June M. Poage, who has run the county-owned airport since 1979.Under the agreement, WestAir profits from hangar rentals and fuel sales.

Carroll County Regional Airport may be the site next spring of a two-day show on the history of aviation that could attract as many as 30,000 people, June M. Poage told county commissioners yesterday.Ms. Poage is president of Westair Inc., which leases the airport from the county. She said she has been working with a Severna Park man who has organized similar shows.John Tegler, president of Wings Publishing and Production Co., wants to do the show in May when the new runway at the airport should be finished, she said.

The official dedication of the Carroll County Regional Airport/Jack B. Poage Memorial Field is scheduled for April 6.The Westminster airport, located along Route 97, is to be formally renamed in honor of the aviator who died last fall during an aerobatic exhibition. Poage was the manager of the airport and president of Westair Inc., the airport's only fixed-based operator.The 2 p.m. ceremony is expected to attract the county commissioners and other dignitaries who will honor Poage. The airport is amid anexpansion program and is a centerpiece of economic development efforts in the county.

Federal and Maryland authorities today began investigations to determine the cause of a crash at Martin State Airport that killed a veteran stunt pilot.State Police, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were participating in the investigation, said Chuck Jackson, State Police spokesman. Such investigations usually take several months.Stunt pilot Jack Buford Poage, 62, of Westminster, died of multiple injuries when his 1989 Pitts S-2B single-engine biplane crashed shortly after 2 p.m. yesterday, police said.

WESTMINSTER - The Carroll County Commissioners have renamed the Carroll County Airport on Route 97 North outside the city.The new name is "Carroll County Regional Airport/Jack B. Poage Field".The addition of 'regional' into the title connotes an elevation in operation status, said officials. The name reflects the airport's expanding capabilities and will have a positive effect on economic development marketing efforts, they said."Jack B. Poage Field" was added to the name following numerous requests to recognize the late airport manager's contribution to aviation in the county.

Friends, colleagues and county officials remembered Jack B. Poage as a soft-spoken man with a keen sense of humor, an excellent pilot who preferred to let his aerobatic flying speak for him.Poage, 62, was killed Sunday when the red-and-white 1989 Pitts S-2B biplane he was piloting crashed during an air show at Martin State Airport in Baltimore County.Witnesses said the pilot apparently decided to add an extra spin to a three-spin diving stunt and was unable to pull out of the dive.The single-engine plane slammed into a grassy field near the main runway on its belly.

Long promoted as a centerpiece of the county's economic development efforts and a growing hub for corporate travelers, Carroll County Regional Airport instead is struggling to overcome debt, an embezzlement scandal and management squabbles.In a review of county budget documents and interviews with county and airport officials, The Sun found that:WestAir II, the private company that runs the county-owned airport, owes more than $90,000 to the county for fuel, rent and other bills from 1998.

Long promoted as a centerpiece of the county's economic development efforts and a growing hub for corporate travelers, Carroll County Regional Airport instead is struggling to overcome debt, an embezzlement scandal and management squabbles.In a review of county budget documents and interviews with county and airport officials, The Sun found that:WestAir II, the private company that runs the county-owned airport, owes more than $90,000 to the county for fuel, rent and other bills from 1998.

At Rebecca Poag's All Peoples Dining Room on Pennsylvania Avenue, patrons could get a helping of oxtail stew for less than a dollar, a bowl of beans for a quarter and perhaps the city's best short ribs meal for a buck and a half.With each meal came a dose of Mrs. Poag's southern hospitality. As owner of the West Baltimore restaurant, she tastefully blended good times and good food for more than 25 years.Mrs. Poag, who lived in West Baltimore for more than 60 years, died Saturday from complications of a stroke at Liberty Medical Center.

The Jack B. Poage Airshow in Westminster this weekend will feature a plane modified for aerobatics 32 years ago by the veteran pilot who was killed when he crashed a plane during an air show in 1990.Bel Air pilot Ned Surratt will fly the MidWing Special that he and Poage co-owned. June Poage, Jack's widow and president of Westair Inc., which operates Carroll County Regional Airport, is producing the show."We flew together in many shows," Surratt said of Poage. A manager of chemical engineering at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Surratt started flying in 1963 and got into aerobatics a year later.

The history of flight will come to life this weekend at the Jack B. Poage Memorial Air Show at Carroll County Regional Airport."This is a Broadway show with aircraft," said Jan Tegler of Aero Theatre in Severna Park, which is producing the show.Organizers expect as many as 20,000 people tomorrow and again Sunday if the weather is good."The crowd will be entertained continuously," said Eric Tegler, operations director for the show.More than 80 aircraft will be on display, and most will fly in, Jan Tegler said.

Harsh winter weather and a sluggish economy caused a drop in business at Carroll County Regional Airport last year, causing the airport's operator to fall behind paying rent to the county.June M. Poage, president of Westair Inc., owes the county $35,000 and must pay it by August, Director of General Services J. Michael Evans said.Ms. Poage, who has run the airport on Route 97 north of Westminster for 15 years, has been talking with county officials for almost six months.She said yesterday that business is better because this winter has been mild.

Carroll County Regional Airport may be the site next spring of a two-day show on the history of aviation that could attract as many as 30,000 people, June M. Poage told county commissioners yesterday.Ms. Poage is president of Westair Inc., which leases the airport from the county. She said she has been working with a Severna Park man who has organized similar shows.John Tegler, president of Wings Publishing and Production Co., wants to do the show in May when the new runway at the airport should be finished, she said.

Harsh winter weather and a sluggish economy caused a drop in business at Carroll County Regional Airport last year, causing the airport's operator to fall behind paying rent to the county.June M. Poage, president of Westair Inc., owes the county $35,000 and must pay it by August, Director of General Services J. Michael Evans said.Ms. Poage, who has run the airport on Route 97 north of Westminster for 15 years, has been talking with county officials for almost six months.She said yesterday that business is better because this winter has been mild.

Marie L. Morlan, homemakerMarie L. Morlan, 80, died Friday at Carroll County General Hospital. Twice widowed, she was the wife of Christopher Mason and John Morlan. Survivors include a daughter, Carrie M. Tucker of Hampstead; a sister, Helen M. Rogers of Hanover, Pa., and two grandchildren.Mildred H. Ridgely, retired from bankMount AiryMildred Hester Ridgely, 66, died Saturday at Frederick Memorial Hospital. She was the wife of Carlton Ridgely. Retired from Maryland National Bank, she was a member of the Mount Airy 55+ Club and enjoyed craft-making and traveling.