Warbird Information Exchange

CAF disagreement brings down two directors
by Bob Campbell
Midland Reporter-Telegram
Published: Monday, January 18, 2010 8:07 PM CST
An 18-month power struggle between the Commemorative Air Force and its affiliated American Air Power Heritage Museum has escalated into the removal of two museum board members and the possibility of a legal fight.

According to participants on both sides, the labyrinthine conflict began when the CAF General Staff, or board of directors, sought executive authority over the museum for CAF President-CEO Stephan Brown. Then, the museum board tried to reduce the number of general staff members on the museum panel to fewer than their current majority of six.

Both attempts failed and Saturday at CAF headquarters north of Midland International Airport, nine general staff members toppled Graham Robertson of Oklahoma City and Floyd Houdashell of Mesa, Ariz., from both boards, replacing them with Charles Hutchins of La Marque and Randy Wilson of Midland.

Museum board member LuAnn Morgan, a former Midland city councilwoman, said she is "concerned that merging separate corporations into one would cause us to lose major funding.

"We should be good stewards of donations to the museum and until I can get further information, I feel like it's best to keep them separate."

Morgan said she referred to the CAF's non-compliance to her request for a long-term plan justifying a reorganization that could result in mixing money for the CAF's "flying assets" and the "non-flying assets" at the museum.

"The main thing is legality and I don't see how you can filter donations made to the museum and use them toward the flying assets," she said. "If I'm going to vote on hiring Steve as executive director of the museum, I'd like to have his resume and know more about him."

Museum Executive Director Tami O'Banion said she is "familiar enough with the CAF bylaws to know they include the specific criteria of missing meetings or malfeasance in office for removing members from the general staff.

"I wasn't there because it was done in a closed session, but in my opinion it didn't rise to the standard of malfeasance," O'Banion said. "There was a difference of opinion and two good board members were removed for not voting like somebody wanted them to. To me, that doesn't make a good board member."

She said the CAF board "is trying to impose more control over the museum than it has ever had since the creation of the museum (28 years ago).

"The museum board gave them every opportunity to explain, but the vote failed twice in a row last February and June because nobody explained why. A lot of people out there want to boil it down to the money, but I cling to the hope that good men can still make good decisions."

Brown said the ruckus has its origin in the late 1980s, when the CAF divided into separate entities but required a majority of the museum's 11 board members to be from the general staff. "The general staff took back control and maintained the status quo when they became concerned that the two members and others had attempted to change the bylaws regarding changing the membership to less than a majority," he said.

"It was always intended and had always been a fact that the general staff would control the museum."

When asked if the dispute is financial in nature, Brown said, "No, it isn't.

"In fact, the CAF gives a significant amount of funds to the museum each year."

Asserting there is nothing to reports the CAF might leave the Permian Basin, Brown said, "It's always regrettable when an internal matter gets brought forward as being improper.

"What I'm afraid of is fear tactics with rumors about location and money."

Museum Board President and general staff member Gordon Stevenson of Dallas respects the position the CAF board took but strongly disagrees with its decision. "After discussions with my board, we have contacted legal counsel to see what our options are," the former CAF chief of staff said.

"We look at the museum as a separate (non-profit) 501 C-3 entrusted with the care of non-flying artifacts owned by the people of Texas and the U.S.," said Stevenson. "We have such a wonderful relationship with the people of Midland and Odessa and with the state that our goal is to ensure we don't jeopardize any of the good will we have developed over the years.

"This has been a difficult two years, culminating in the events of Graham's and Floyd's being asked to step down. You cannot find finer individuals with more integrity and I find it extremely disappointing the general staff took the action they did."

A CAF spokeswoman said board members who took part were Chief of Staff Mark Novak of Dawson, Neb., Bill Coombes of Midland, Neils Agather of Dallas, Steve Barber of Camarillo, Calif., Charles Wood of Seagoville, Tom Rush of Oklahoma City, Ted Short of North Richland Hills, Keith Wood of Locust Grove, Ga., and Clay Lacy, who voted by conference call from Van Nuys, Calif.

Bob Campbell can be reached at campbell@mrt.com.

Commemorative Air Force: A nonprofit educational association which collects, restores and flies vintage historical aircraft.

American Air Power Heritage Museum: A nonprofit organization devoted to collecting and displaying records, photos and historical volumes related to American military aircraft.