Conklin & de Decker in association with the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), announced the third annual Alan H. Conklin Business Aviation Management scholarship winner is Richard Valentine. This award is being presented at the 2010 NBAA Annual Meeting and Convention in Orlando, Florida. 
Richard Valentine (pictured right) is a senior at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and is majoring in Aerospace Maintenance Management and is a candidate for the Airframe and Powerplant Certificate under Title 14 CFR Part 147. Richard’s academic success has earned him a place on the MTSU’s Dean’s list every semester since his freshman year. He has served as President and Vice-President for the Aerospace Maintenance Club at MTSU and has led the club in numerous community outreach and aviation industry activities. Richard’s enthusiasm for the general aviation industry is boundless and he expresses it with his own personal project of building an experimental kit bi-plane in his spare time.
This annual scholarship honors Alan H. Conklin, founder of Conklin & de Decker, a US Air Force veteran, author, father, husband and business aviation leader for more than 60 years who passed away in 2006. The $5,000 scholarship is awarded to a student attending a University Aviation Association (UAA) affiliated college and who is specializing in aviation management.
Alan Conklin was an active member and supporter of NBAA for many years and served on the Operations Committee until his retirement in 2003. His aviation career spanned more than six decades. After flying as an instructor pilot in the US Army Air Corps and as a USAF transport pilot in Korea, Conklin’s career took him to business aviation where he sold aircraft for several companies before meeting Bill de Decker and creating the first Aircraft Cost Evaluator program. Then in 1984 he founded what became Conklin & de Decker.
“We are very impressed with Richard Valentine’s passion for business aviation and his career goals that involve maintenance management,” commented Bill de Decker, President and co-founder of Conklin & de Decker and long time friend of Al Conklin. “On behalf of the family of Alan Conklin and the entire staff at Conklin & de Decker, we congratulate Richard as this year’s scholarship winner and wish him all the best that our industry has to offer.”
