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On the
occasion of the retirement of Admiral James L. Holloway III as
Chairman of the Board of the ANA and his elevation to Chairman
Emeritus status it is more than appropriate to note that he more
than any other individual, is responsible for the reconstitution of
the Association of Naval Aviation. In the aftermath of ANA’s decline
due to funding difficulties and membership shortfalls of several
years ago, he stepped forward and led the way up and out. Jim
Holloway rightly perceived that our organization needed a rebirth in
order for it to be able to regain its status as an effective
advocate for all of Naval Aviation. He almost solely engineered
that rebirth by first enlisting the support of active duty Naval
Aviation leadership. Then he convinced Vice Admiral Bob Dunn, former
Deputy Chief of Operations for Air, to add to his responsibilities
the presidency of ANA. Next, he arranged for an outstanding
attorney to guide us along the way to legal reconstitution as a
non-profit corporation. Then he exercised his considerable powers
of persuasion to convince a stellar group of retired flag officers
to join the reconstituted ANA Board of Directors. Finally, he
dedicated the proceeds from signed copies of his acclaimed book,
Aircraft Carriers at War, to the ANA. All the while he
continued as a vigorous and inspiring spokesman for our organization
and for all of Naval Aviation.
Jim
Holloway had already “done his time” with ANA having been president
and chairman of the board of our organization a generation ago. But
his belief in and support of ANA in the ensuing years has never
wavered. His second tour as chairman may have been brief but it
certainly represents a milestone of magnitude for ANA. To have at
the helm of ANA a man of such accomplishment – CO of USS
Enterprise, Commander Seventh Fleet, Chief of Naval Operations,
to mention but a few highlights of his remarkable career - has been
of unlimited value to ANA. His service as chairman of the board in
2007, engineering ANA’s rise from the ashes will not be forgotten.
As Vice
Admiral Dunn has explained elsewhere in this issue, Admiral Holloway
stepped down on January 16th, 2008, and the board of
directors has elected Admiral John “Black” Nathman to relieve him.
The
membership of ANA owes Admiral Jim Holloway a Bravo Zulu and a
collective salute! We wish him Godspeed.
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