Wakefield, Virginia

Inducted in 2002, Vernard “V.L.” Worrell, Jr. soloed in 1940. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1943 and received his private pilot license in 1945. In 1962, he approached the town of Wakefield about developing an airport on a vacant parcel of land owned by the town. Approval was granted with the exception that no town funds be used for the project. With the help of many volunteers, V.L. directed the efforts to build an airport with a 4,400-foot runway. In 1965, the airport was officially open. The town appointed V.L. Chairman of the Wakefield Airport Committee, a position he held for 28 years. It’s easy to see how V.L. earned the deserving title “Mr. Wakefield Airport.”