Author: Roberta Dunn
Roberta Dunn
After graduating from Bard College with a major in languages, Roberta spent a year in Germany and France before joining Trans World Airlines in the early 70’s. At TWA she became the Ambassador and Constellation Club supervisor at JFK. An interest in food fostered by her international travel lead to “Deliciously Dunn”, her catering and gift basket business for 20 years, while still working at TWA. After the demise of the airline, Roberta became the North American sales rep for La Source, a 5 star resort in Grenada. When hurricane Ivan destroyed the island, she went on to work for Airport Press. Most recently Ms. Dunn is the Skating Director at the City of Long Beach, NY skating rink. Roberta is a US Figure Skating Gold Medalist in ice dancing and has skated since she was 17. Another of her passions is photography and her photos have been used in several publications. Roberta still travels extensively, enjoys cooking and entertaining and skates practically every day.
Although November 12th was a chilly evening, inside the Cradle of Aviation Museum, it was hot, hot, hot at the Pan Am Museum Foundations’ fifth annual gala. Themed “Flying Down to Rio” commemorated Pan Am’s presence in Brazil, starting in 1930 with its flying boats to Rio and continuing until the last Boeing 747 in1991 when Pan Am’s operations ceased.Caipirinhas and Cariocas evoked the Carnival theme, and guests were also entertained by the pianist United Airlines Captain Beau Brant. This year’s honorees were Dorothy Kelly and Ed Trippe. Dorothy was the Pan Am inflight purser on one of the worst…
Although the skies were drizzly and overcast, the Crest Hollow Country Club atmosphere was anything but. After a three-year hiatus, about 300 guests gathered in person to eat, drink, socialize and support the Catholic Guild and those individuals nominated for their service. After opening remarks from Father Chris Piasta and Al Dephillips, the Yolan J. DePhilips scholarship award for children of JFK airport employees was given to Kyle McKenzie and Samantha Rose Groark, whose father, Jim Groark, accepted on her behalf. Honored this year were, Woman of the Year, Teresa Rizzuto, JFK Airport General Manager; Man of the Year, Francis…
The Pan Am Museum Foundation and Holt International celebrated the 47th anniversary of Operation Babylift on April 24, 1975, at the Cradle Of Aviation Museum. Linda Freire, Chair of the Pan Am Foundation, welcomed the audience and spoke about the operation. In her words. “So what is Operation Babylift? It is the name of an evacuation mission set in motion by President Gerald Ford in April 1975 to evacuate thousands of Amerasian babies and children housed in orphanages throughout South Vietnam. Pan Am’s involvement arose upon the tragic crash of the military cargo C-5A aircraft on April 4, 1975, the…
The Bishop Wright Awards Luncheon took place on April 6, 2022, at Russo’s on the Bay, live, much to the joy of all who attended, after the 2021 virtual event. This year’s luncheon honored all aviation industry workers after a particularly difficult period in the industry as a result of COVID and its far-reaching effects.William Huisman, Executive Director of the Aviation Development Council served as Master of Ceremonies and opened the afternoon’s program. Teresa Rizzuto, interim Deputy Manager JFK Airport, welcomed the group, speaking of the challenges of the past year, and urging us to celebrate the beauty of life…
On December 5, another piece of Pan Am’s history was added to the airline’s permanent exhibit at the Cradle of Aviation in Garden City, NY. “The Pan Am Saga”, a historical timeline, traces the beginning of Pan Am in 1927 to its slow demise and fall in 1991, highlighting moments in the company’s history. John Luetich, the curator and historian, spoke of the difficulty in distilling 64 years of this iconic airline into the events pictured on “my wall” as he lovingly called it. Ed Trippe, son of the Pan Am founder Juan Trippe was present for the unveiling and…
Our Lady of the Skies 2021 Cocktail Social took place on August 26, 2021 at the Manhasset Bay Yacht Club, a fitting location due to its aviation history. Manhasset Bay was ( and still is) a seaplane landing area, used as Pan Am’s New York base from 1939 to 1940 for their transatlantic Boeing 314 flights. The cocktail hour, followed by dinner, began with opening remarks from Catholic Guild President Alfred de Phillips and an invocation from Father Chris Piasta. In lieu of the customary Man and Woman of the Year nominees, this year’s event was dedicated to the revival…
The Cradle of Aviation held its’ 11th Annual Air & Space Hall of Fame luncheon on June 29, 2021, honoring aerobatic pilot David Windmiller, founder of GSE Dynamics Daniel J. Shybunko and test pilot Robert Smyth, recognized for their achievements in aeronautics and technology and their passion for aviation. Cradle President Andrew Parton welcomed the sizable group, smiling while remarking “You don’t know how happy we are to be here today,” a sentiment met with thunderous applause from all present. And promised a new experience “Lunch!” -referring to the first of in-person events held. Now a little about the Class…
Key West is a magical, mystical place I’ve been told, and after my recent visit I have to agree. Situated at the outermost tip of Florida, Key West is 90 miles from Cuba, a 3 hour nonstop flight from New York on JetBlue and Delta, or a 3 &1/2 hour scenic drive from Miami through the charming Keys. Key West has beautiful beaches, incredible fishing, sailing and all sorts of watersports in abundance. A sunset cruise is a must, and ours on Captain Denis’ the Breezin, an intimate 42 foot sailboat, was breathtaking! But party boats, booze cruises and floating…
The T4 JFKIAT/JFK Chapel New Year’s celebration was held in appreciation of the employees, sub-contractors, vendors and others who work to provide superior passenger services in a safe and secure environment. Reverend Romeo Dabee began with a prayer for all present with Father Chris Piasta and Rabbi Ari Korenblit in attendance as well. Roel Huinink, CEO of JFKIAT welcomed everyone and thanked them for making T4 a premium travel experience at a world class airport. He noted some new services from T4: A partnership with Google, providing real time translation in 29 languages, the first terminal in the world to…
The twelfth annual Secretaries of Kennedy Airport Airlines Management Council (SKAAMCO) Holiday luncheon, held on December 12th, was hosted by the JFK Hilton Hotel. Some 70 members attended the festive event and enjoyed a sumptuous luncheon, as well as receiving a holiday gift provided by sponsors, Airway Maintenance, API, Golden Touch, JFKIAT, KAAMCO and Sheltair. Once again the annual party was a great success thanks to the hard work of the Skaamco board members, Paula Ostuni, Rose Hickey, Christina Kreuzman and Hope Clarke. President Paula Ostuni ended the luncheon with wishes for a safe and happy holiday season to all.