Sawmill broad has posted on the tales thread the passing of Duke Elegant.
Thoughts and prayers are with Les's family. God speed Les, blue skies. He will be missed.
The Duke Has Passed
Moderators: sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, lilfssister, North Shore, I WAS Birddog
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Snow Monkey
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I'm so sorry to read those words. I'm only glad to have known him briefly through these threads, may his excellent stories live on forever.
Condolences to the family, if you're on this threat now, know that a lot of us respected your father/husband/brother/friend for his way to bring out the enthusiasm and adventure for aviation, something we all seem to forget.
Condolences to the family, if you're on this threat now, know that a lot of us respected your father/husband/brother/friend for his way to bring out the enthusiasm and adventure for aviation, something we all seem to forget.
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Bushdriver
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duke passed
Per Ardua Ad Astraia Duke is on his way there I loved reading his stories and I am as well passing my condolances to the family of the man I knew only as Duke
ULTOR UN UMBRIS
So long, Les. I am greatful that I was able to have met you, your sense of humor and stories are ledgendary of course, but your love of aviation and dedication to fueling and furthering the careers of others in the industry will never be forgotten. There will be people talking about you for many, many years to come. Condolences to Kathy, his kids and grandkids.
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lilfssister
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I am another one who only knew him as "Duke Elegant", and I enjoyed every minute of it. His stories will be missed, as he will be to those who really knew and loved him, I'm sure.
My condolences to his family and friends.
And a big thanks to Sawmill Broad for keeping us updated these last few months.
My condolences to his family and friends.
And a big thanks to Sawmill Broad for keeping us updated these last few months.
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Siddley Hawker
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Good Bye to a friend and role model to many of us. A man of great dignity and hounour has left us, on his timetable and nobody elses. My condolence to his family from my family. We will both miss him, but I am sure he will live on in our lives through the memories of time spent with him.
It is with some irony that I discovered the “Duke Elegant” story today. It’s a cold dark, damp and gloomy day in Texas, the battleship gray clouds hang heavy, threatening to rain any minute. Not wanting to engage in any of the tasks around the house, garage or yard, I started paging around the forums and came upon the Duke’s story on http://forums.flightinfo.com/forum , Twenty nine pages later, (starting with the announcement of his impending illness until his death today) I was saddened to learn about his death. My sympathies go to all his friends and family. Oh but what a life! I have been flying for forty years, helicopters and airplanes and all over the world, however, I can’t hold a candle to his adventures and his great story telling abilities. Well it’s late in the day, and time for a glass of wine and I will toast “ The Duke….to more adventures and story telling were ever you are….here’s to you Duke”.
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Big Pistons Forever
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Mitch Cronin
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Stuck for words... acutely aware that, as a nobody, any words from me are meaningless in any case... but still... I have to say:
Thank you "Duke Elegant"! Your tales brought many smiles to many faces.
Sincerest condolences to his family and all his friends.
...and thank you, Sawmill Broad, for letting us know.
Thank you "Duke Elegant"! Your tales brought many smiles to many faces.
Sincerest condolences to his family and all his friends.
...and thank you, Sawmill Broad, for letting us know.
One of the finest men I ever had the privelege to meet, in this or any other industry. He made a tragic day for many of us a little less tragic. Strange as this may sound, I hope others make the same attempt to make your funeral as light-hearted an affair as you attempted to do on that day two summers ago. I wish your family all the time in the world. Godspeed. Lowering our flag to half-mast.
Aviation- the hardest way possible to make an easy living!
"You can bomb the world to pieces, but you can't bomb it into peace!" Michael Franti- Spearhead
"Trust everyone, but cut the cards". My Grandma.
"You can bomb the world to pieces, but you can't bomb it into peace!" Michael Franti- Spearhead
"Trust everyone, but cut the cards". My Grandma.
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turbine works fine
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I was one of those fortunate enough to have met Les, but I had known him as "The Duke" well before we actually met.
I can still remember flying into Chilliwack on my first cross-country and meeting him at the airport cafe and telling him how much I loved his stories. We sat at a table outside and he told story after story over lunch and we talked lots about sailing, which was another great passion of his. I had lost my own father to lung cancer a year before and Les just seemed to know exactly what that must have been like and we had e-mailed back and forth through the summer. He was a guy who I really looked up to and admired greatly. I only wish I could have met him much earlier in life.
But I think the most important thing that Les did was to remind us (especially those pilots that have long forgotten) that aviation still has a soul.
I can still remember flying into Chilliwack on my first cross-country and meeting him at the airport cafe and telling him how much I loved his stories. We sat at a table outside and he told story after story over lunch and we talked lots about sailing, which was another great passion of his. I had lost my own father to lung cancer a year before and Les just seemed to know exactly what that must have been like and we had e-mailed back and forth through the summer. He was a guy who I really looked up to and admired greatly. I only wish I could have met him much earlier in life.
But I think the most important thing that Les did was to remind us (especially those pilots that have long forgotten) that aviation still has a soul.
I hope someone close to the family can print off a few copies of these pages for the family to see and read. I wonder if they knew what a following he had created for himself? A thousand groupies. I think his posts were the only ones that didn't end in some heated argument.
He'll be sorely missed.
He'll be sorely missed.
