Letter from Wayne I. Fagan, Chair

Welcome,

Dee was fond of telling stories and he never missed an opportunity to learn from others. When we founded The Dee Howard Foundation (DHF) I was reminded of one of Dee's stories that stuck with him throughout his career and guided him in every aspect of running his businesses and in developing innovative, cutting edge technology.

The story as told to me by Dee was that in the early days of Howard Aero Dee would personally go on sales trips to demonstrate his Howard aircraft to prospective customers who would often be the president or CEO of major companies. On one such trip Dee was demonstrating his aircraft to the president of a very large, successful U.S. corporation. Dee took advantage of his time with the company's president to ask him if he had any advice for a young businessman just starting out in his career.

According to Dee, without hesitation the president replied "know when to cut it off" and then went on to explain that most people either work a problem too long or do not work a problem long enough. Whether it is a personnel issue, a relationship with a customer or supplier, or the development of a new product, the key is knowing when to stop working the problem.

The Dee Howard Foundation believes there is more work that should be done, can be done, and will be done (in collaboration with our community partners) to preserve and build on the legacies of Dee Howard, Ed Swearingen, and other San Antonio aviation pioneers by improving access to and the quality of education, technical skills training, and employment opportunities in the San Antonio Region and continuing the legacy of innovative technological leadership in the global aviation and aerospace markets.

We at The Dee Howard Foundation invite you to join with us in preserving the rich aviation history of the San Antonio Region and in building on it for the benefit of our community today and for future generations.

Wayne I. Fagan
Chair, The Dee Howard Foundation