Ronald Ray (Ron) Alexander

Ronald Ray (Ron) Alexander, age 74 of Griffin passed away November 17, 2016. Ron Alexander was born in 1942 in Bloomington, Indiana. At the age of 14, he took his first airplane ride in a military C-119 as a member of the Civil Air Patrol. When Ron was 16 years old, he soloed an Aeronca Champ. Ron worked at the Bloomington, Indiana airport during high school and obtained his private license at age 17. He entered Indiana University in 1960 while working for a fixed base operator to obtain his commercial license. Ron enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program and was accepted into the flight training program. He graduated from Indiana University as a Distinguished Military Graduate in the ROTC program. After graduation from flight school, Ron was assigned to Military Transport Service flying C-130E aircraft to virtually every continent in the world. In November 1966, Ron was assigned to South Vietnam to fly the C-7 Caribou supporting the Marine Corps and the Army Special Forces. He was based in Danang located in the I Corps area in Vietnam. For most of his flying time, he flew in the area around the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in support of Army Special Forces units and the Marine Corps. He flew for a total of 12 months in Vietnam. During the one year of service in Vietnam, the Air Force awarded Ron the Distinguished Flying Cross and two Air Medals. He then returned to the United States in November 1967 to Sewart AFB, Tennessee to instruct in the C-7. Ron held the rank of Captain prior to his honorable discharge from the Air Force 1969. In 1969, he was hired by Delta Airlines where he worked until he retired in 2002 with 34 years of service as a chief pilot. Ron was an entrepreneur having owned and operated several businesses since 1979. In March 2004, Ron founded the Candler Field Museum a 501c3 organization. He centered the creation of the museum on the history of the old Atlanta Georgia Airport that was originally named Candler Field. This museum is currently being expanded and developed at the Peach State Aerodrome located near Williamson, Georgia. Ron was a regular speaker at numerous aviation related functions including AirVenture, Sun N Fun, numerous EAA Chapters and civic groups. He had been responsible for several Theaters in the Woods programs and presentations at AirVenture. Ron was also a member of the Griffin Spaulding County Airport Aviation Authority and many other organizations. He is preceded in death by his parents, Orland and Stella Alexander. He is survived by his wife Regina Alexander; daughter Julia Alexander and her husband Eric Lund, and their son Alexander; daughter Jane Smith and her husband Rod Smith, and their children Luke and Grace. Visitation for Mr. Alexander will be Sunday, November 20th from 6-8 P.M. at the Conner- Westbury Funeral Home, 1891 W. McIntosh Rd, Griffin, GA. A celebration of life will be held later at Candler Field in Williamson, GA. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please consider making a contribution to the Candler Field Museum, 349 Jonathan Roost Rd, Williamson, GA 30292 or www.peachstateaero.com

Ronald Ray (Ron) Alexander

January 12, 1942 - November 17, 2016