Q&A with Scott Rozzell,
Lone Star Flight Museum Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree
The Lone Star Flight Museum will honor Scott Rozzell, immediate past board chair, with a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday, Nov. 16, at the 2024 Jet Setter’s Ball. More than 400 supporters are expected to attend the gala, which will be held in the Heritage Hangar of the museum located at Ellington Airport.
This year’s Jet Setters Ball theme is Destination: Rome. Cheryl Boblitt King and Bill King, Penny and Dennis Murphree, and Diane and Steve Biegel are serving as gala co-chairs.
“Scott Rozzell has been instrumental in the growth and success of the Lone Star Flight Museum,” commented Anna Hawley, president and chief executive officer of the Lone Star Flight Museum. “His commitment to the museum has been incredible, and his leadership with our board, donors, and constituents has translated into the many successes the museum has experienced. Our goal is to encourage people of all ages to experience the wonder of flight and inspire future leaders in careers in STEM and aviation, which has been Scott’s goal. He has a passion for aviation that has been expressed through his longtime work for the museum. We are honored to recognize his efforts at this year’s gala.”
The Social Book asked Scott to share his insights and perspectives about his lifelong love of aviation and why he supports the Lone Star Flight Museum.
What attracted you to flying?
I have wanted to fly since I was a child. In kindergarten, before I learned to write my name, the symbol that I put on my pencil box was an airplane.
Describe what it is like when you fly a plane.
That is hard to describe. It is a feeling of freedom, a feeling that you are not encumbered by being earthbound. But it is also a feeling of control as you can make the airplane do what you want it to do. It is also an opportunity to see how beautiful our country is when viewed from above.
What is your favorite aircraft?
I’ve been lucky enough to fly about 35 different aircraft, and I have liked them all. But I think my favorite is the North American AT-6, a World War II military training aircraft. I owned one for over 30 years and it was both a delight and a challenge to fly.
What are some favorite memories of flying with your family?
I have lots of wonderful memories of flying with my family — two generations worth over the last 50 years. We have flown together throughout the U.S. and into the Bahamas. However, one of my fondest memories is of flying the length of the Grand Canyon about 500 feet above the rim. (This is no longer permissible.) It was awe-inspiring, although I must confess that my 7- and 9-year-old daughters may have been as interested in playing with their dolls as they were in looking at the canyon.
How did you get involved with the Lone Star Flight Museum?
I first became interested in LSFM when Bob Waltrip’s collection was located at Hobby Airport. A friend of mine was a pilot at Mr. Waltrip’s company, SCI, and took me out to the hangar to see it. I began flying my AT-6 in the Museum’s annual airshow in Galveston and got to know some of the museum’s pilots and volunteers.
Why did you join the board and later become Chairman of the Board?
Ralph Royce, the museum’s CEO at the time, was a friend of mine. He introduced me to museum founder Bob Waltrip, who was interested in adding some younger people to the Board. I believe he found Rob Parrish and me to be attractive prospects because we were both active in the community and both pilots.
How would you describe LSFM to someone who has never visited?
I tell people to envision a $38.5 million aviation history and STEM education facility with historic aircraft that actually fly among its exhibits. After asking them to imagine such a museum, I then tell them that I predict that when they visit, they will find the Lone Star Flight Museum will be very different from what they have imagined—that it will be more sophisticated, more exciting and more educational and that they will be impressed how the Museum uses to the universal fascination with flight to educate and inspire young people to become interested in a variety of STEM subjects, not just aviation. So far, no one who has visited the museum on my recommendation has disagreed with my prediction.
When you talk to friends and colleagues about supporting the museum, what do you tell them about why they should also offer their support?
I tell them that the Lone Star Flight Museum is a jewel in Houston’s educational crown and that supporting the museum is a way to use aviation to educate and inspire the next generation. If they like history, I remind them that part of the way we educate is through preserving history. Lone Star Flight Museum’s appeal to people already interested in aviation is obvious. But I tell others you don’t have to like airplanes to love the Lone Star Flight Museum.
If you could only choose one, what is your favorite thing to do or see at LSFM?
I particularly like showing young people around the museum and seeing how it sparks their curiosity. I enjoy answering their questions, even the ones that stump me!
To read more about Scott Rozzell and the Lifetime Achievement Award, please visit https://lonestarflight.org/honoring-scott-rozzell-with-the-lifetime-achievement-award-at-this-years-jet-setters-ball/. To learn more about how you can support the 2024 Jet Setter’s Ball, please visit www.lonestarflight.org/jetsettersball/ or contact Sam Waters at sam.waters@lonestarflight.org or 346- 352-7678.
