Blue Angel celebrates Adm. Towers
The ceremony honoring the Father of Naval Aviation includes Adm. John H. Towers’ descendants.
Descendants of Adm. John H. Towers, the Rome native known as the Father of Naval Aviation, took advantage of a visit to Rome by the iconic Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron to present a model of a Wright Aircraft Engine Cyclone radial engine used in Towers’ aircraft that crossed the Atlantic in 1919 to Leigh Barba, director of the Rome Area History Museum.
Two of Towers’ granddaughters, Diana Towers
McNamara and Lily Towers Laing, made the trip to Rome from out of town for the ceremony and were joined by Blue Angel 2 pilot Lt. Damon Kroes and Public Affairs
Officer David Gardner.
Retired Rear Admiral Ernie Christenson, whose grandfather was on the transatlantic crossing with Towers, was also present for the ceremony Friday morning at Admiral Towers Memorial Plaza in front of City Hall.
Christenson was a commanding officer at the Miramar Naval Station near San Diego, California, home of the Navy’s Top Gun school from 1981-1983 and the last Navy pilot to fly a mission in Vietnam. He flew over 350 combat missions in Vietnam and the Middle East prior to his retirement.
Roman Howie Lowden pointed out during the ceremony that Towers designed the gold wings that are presented to naval aviators upon their graduation from flight school. Towers was also responsible for introducing the concept of flight pay.
Towers was also instrumental in the founding of the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, home base for the Blue Angels.