Today I received a note from Richard's colleagues at RACCA, a professional association with which he was long active - Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association. Here is what they published in their newsletter upon his death last March:
In Memorium – Richard
Alan Mills Honored by Scholarship
It is with deep sadness we report the passing from liver
cancer of Richard Mills, after a short illness.
“Richard will be sorely missed,” said RACCA President Stan
Bernstein. “His years of dedicated service to RACCA as director of
communications for the past decade, previously, as the Safety Committee Chair,
and in so many other ways, cannot be underestimated. He was dedicated to safety
and quality assurance throughout his career and has contributed a great deal to
his RACCA colleagues. RACCA has named one of its $2,500 scholarships in Richard's name in honor of his many years of
faithful service and dedication to the association.”
Richard was born March 18, 1947 in St. Louis, MO, to John
and Dorothy Mills. He graduated from the University of Arkansas with the
Bachelor’s Degree and then as an Aviation Maintenance Technician from Spartan
College of Aeronautics and Technology. He would later receive the AMT-Gold
Award from the Federal Aviation Administration. Between 1966 and 1972, he
served as a Sergeant in the US Marin Corps serving in Vietnam.
For the past 17 years, he has worked at Empire Airlines
which he considered his second family. He held posts as director-quality
assurance and chief inspector and director-safety and compliance. Prior to
that, he was vice president-technical services for National Air Carriers
Association (NACA) after working as director-flight safety at Kitty Hawk International.
Professional associations include former chair of the
air carrier section of the Coordinating Agency for Supplier Evaluation (CASE)
and Chair of the Cessna Caravan Icing Workshop.
He leaves a his wife of 42 years, Carolyn, four step-children, 10 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Checks for the
Richard Mills Memorial Scholarship should be made out to RACCA with a note in
the Memo line: Richard Mills Memorial Scholarship. [Here is the link to learn about the scholoarships, apply or donate. You might roam around the RACCA site, it's interesting if you're an aviation buff.]
A celebration of Richard’s life will be held at a later
date. In the meantime, tributes can be sent via the website at
English
Funeral Chapel."
Here is a link to Richard's amazing CV which I hope you will read and appreciate his many talents.
