Laughter and Tears
Presented to His Royal Highness

(Pictures are video stills)

On June 3, 1998, a ceremony was held near Colchester, England, at Wormingford air base, where my father's fighter group, the 362nd, was based. The occasion was the opening of the Essex and Suffolk Gliding Club's new hangar. His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, a patron of the British Gliding Association, cut the ribbon to open the new facility. During the ceremony a wreath was laid in honor of the fliers of the base who were killed during the war. Here Prince Philip (on the right) is talking with Mort Magoffin, commanding officer of the 362nd, 1943 - 1945.

Jeff Lucash, son of Martin Lucash, a member of the 377th fighter squadron, presented the Glider Club with the Lucash Trophy in honor of the American servicemen at Wormingford. Jeff generously carried an inscribed copy of my book of my father's artwork, Laughter and Tears, to the ceremony and personally presented it to Prince Philip. Here Jeff presents the book.

Here the prince leafs through the book. His secretary promised Jeff that they would peruse the book during the helicopter ride back to London later in the day. We received a nice thank-you note from him, expressing Prince Philip's appreciation. Good show!