2023 Hall of Fame Inductee Announced

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The Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame and the Wyoming Aeronautics Commission have named Thomas H. “Tim” Coleman the 2023 inductee into the Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame. Awarded posthumously, Coleman is recognized for his many efforts to advance aviation in central Wyoming by providing vital air service to the area for nearly 50 years.

Soon after arriving to Riverton in 1948, Coleman purchased his first Piper Super Cub and created an airstrip on his farm in Hidden Valley. It is believed that in 1957, he established Coleman Flying Service and operated from his airstrip. In about 1959, he purchased a large hangar at the Riverton Airport and expanded his operation as a Fixed-base operator. Services included aircraft maintenance and mechanical, charter flights, crop spraying, aerial photography and surveying, air ambulance service, and search and rescue, including in the rugged terrain of the Wind River Range. He was also a certified flight instructor and an authorized Cessna aircraft dealer.  

Coleman was an active member of the Flying Farmers and Ranchers Association and held numerous positions with the Wyoming chapter, including being elected vice-president in 1957 and president in 1959. Coleman also was the airport manager at Lander from 1961-1962. His aerial spraying included crop spraying for area farmers as well as mosquito spraying for the local municipalities. Coleman was actively involved in predator control throughout his flying career in several counties, including Fremont, Natrona, and Sweetwater. After selling his Flying Service business in August 1971, he continued to fly on contract with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wyoming Game & Fish Department, and for Fremont County Predator Control, which, in 1994, awarded him for 43 years of dedicated flying for the organization.

He was actively involved in the community, including hosting Air Education field trips for school students from around Fremont County, offering flights for kids, and participating in numerous organizations. He helped form the Riverton Sertoma Club; was a member of the Kiwanis Club, including serving as president; and was a member of the Riverton Chamber Commerce. He received the chamber’s Certificate of Appreciation for Meritorious Civic Service Award, and, in 1966, received the Industrial Achievement Award for his contributions in helping to develop industry in the area.

Coleman was born on May 28, 1923, in Canadian, Texas. He was raised on the family dairy farm. He began flying in about 1938 and served in World War II as a pilot and flight instructor from 1941-1945. Coleman came to the Riverton area in 1948 after he was selected in a lottery for military veterans to receive a homestead settlement on Bureau of Reclamation Riverton Project land in the Hidden Valley north of Riverton. He logged around 30,000 hours of flying before selling his farm and retiring in Riverton in 1995. He and his wife Joyce had three children – Thomas, Sharon, and Kathy. He passed away on February 1, 2005.

The Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame was founded in 1995 as a non-profit, publicly supported, tax-exempt organization dedicated to honoring individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the establishment, development, and/or advancement of aviation in Wyoming. The organization comprises a board of directors and operates in conjunction with the Wyoming Aeronautics Commission. Board members include Kent Nelson, retired USAF colonel and former Wyoming Aeronautics Commissioner; Dean McClain, who operates an aerial spraying business in Torrington; and John Waggener, a University of Wyoming archivist and Wyoming transportation historian. For more information about the WAHF, to nominate an individual, or to make a donation, please contact WAHF President John Waggener, in Laramie, at 307-766-2563.  

 

Photos courtesy of the Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame. 

Above:  Tim Coleman with one of his Piper Super Cubs, circa 1990.

Below: Tim Coleman and his children Kathy and Tim, ride in a towed Piper Cub in a Riverton parade circa 1955.

 

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About the Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame

The Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame is a nonprofit, publicly supported, tax-exempt organization dedicated to honoring individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the establishment, development, and/or advancement of aviation in Wyoming. The organization comprises a board of directors and operates in conjunction with the Wyoming Aeronautics Commission.

The Hall of Fame was established in 1995 through efforts of R.R. "Red" Kelso, a veteran Wyoming pilot. Those who assisted in forming the hall of fame include Gerald Adams, who was a retired USAF colonel from Cheyenne; Toni Brown, of Gillette, who was the secretary of the Wyoming Pilot’s Association; Curt Kaiser, who had an investment firm in Cheyenne; Kristi Feusner, who was assistant manager of the Cheyenne Airport, and Dick Spaeth, who was the State Aeronautics Director.

The initial selection of inductees was made by the Wyoming Aeronautics Commissioners, which included Ray Hunkins, of Wheatland; Carol Lewis and Brad Mead, of Jackson; Bill Hallam, Lander; Gene Bannister, Gillette; and Mike Vase, of Rock Springs. The first four honorees, who were inducted during a ceremony in Cheyenne on August 11, 1995, were Ralph Johnson, Dillard “Pic” Walker, Harold “Slim” Lewis, and Samuel Phillips. Since the inaugural 1995 induction, the number of inductees is limited to one to enhance the honor of being selected. Breaking from that tradition, in 2020, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame, the board selected two individuals for induction into the hall of fame, Doyle Vaughan, of Jackson, and Daniel Hawkins, from Greybull.

The Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame also collects aviation historical artifacts for display to educate the public on Wyoming's significant role in aviation's early days. The Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame also maintains an archive, which includes nominee biographies. The archive is available for researchers in Laramie at the University of Wyoming’s American Heritage Center.

Current board members include Kent Nelson, retired USAF colonel and former Wyoming Aeronautics Commissioner; Dean McClain, who operates an ag flying business in Torrington; and John Waggener, a University of Wyoming archivist and transportation historian.

The Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame is dependent upon individual contributions to finance its operations. Charitable, tax-deductible donations can be sent to the president at the address below.  Anyone wishing to submit a nomination can contact John Waggener, president of the Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame.

Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame
Attn: John Waggener
1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3924

Laramie, WY 82071
Telephone: (307) 766-2563

 

 

 

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Fueling a Ford Tri Motor in Casper in 1928.  Courtesy Herman C. Bretschneider Collection, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.