Richmond, Virginia

Inducted in 1994, Kenneth A. Rowe began his flying career in 1942 as a 19-year-old WWII pilot flying B-24s. He was shot down on a bombing mission in Germany and finished the war in a German POW camp. In the 1960s, Rowe started a 30-year span of aviation service to Virginia, which included piloting duties during the terms of eight governors. He was Assistant Director of the Department of Aviation for 21 years and Director for 10. His accomplishments were highlighted by a tenfold increase in aviation funding in 1987 by the Virginia General Assembly, airport terminal development, a statewide computerized satellite weather dissemination network, the nation’s first recycling of an air traffic control tower (for Manassas, Va.) and new General Aviation airports in Louisa and Tazewell counties. Rowe’s service to aviation beyond the duties of his office have been recognized by nearly a dozen national organizations, making him one of the most honored aviation personalities in Virginia.