Andrew Young Dawson died peacefully from influenza during the early morning of Wednesday, December 31, 2014, at the age of 93. He follows his beloved wife of 68 years, Louise, by only three months. He is survived by five children: Melinda Dawson, Cynthia (Dave) Blumgart, Michael (Ellen) Dawson, James (Janet) Dawson and Sandra (Mike) Crown, nine grandchildren: Matthew (Alissa) Turnbull, Christi (Cailean) Turner, Keith (Jen) Dawson, Jessica (Kent) Benes, Ben Blumgart, Ashley (Joe) SanFilippo, Jackson (Sarah) Blumgart, Casey Dawson and Madeleine Blumgart and nine great-grandchildren: Addison Turnbull, Ian and Gavin Turner, Cameron and Jayden Dawson, Kaia and Lucas Benes, and Joseph and Lila SanFilippo. Andy also leaves his twin sister, Agnes Bynum of Minnesota and is pre-deceased by his brother, Hugh C. Dawson. He will be missed by many nieces and nephews.
Andy lived a remarkable life. In 1941, at age 20, fresh out of aviation technical school, Andy joined the President of Pan American Airways and 1,200 other Americans to build and operate the Trans African air route that helped supply the British war effort in North Africa. It took 50 years for the Pan African contingent to be recognized by the United States government (US Air Force). His career with Pan Am allowed him to serve in areas such as the Gold Coast, Khartoum, Casablanca, Calcutta, Prague and Brussels and later based at Pan Am headquarters in the New York area. He became supervisor of mechanics for the Boeing Stratocruiser and later the chief representative to Pratt and Whitney on engine overhaul. During the 1960s, he was responsible for designing and implementing Pan American’s Affirmative Action program. He retired from Pan American World Airways in 1982.
While working and traveling all over the world, Andy also made the time to help guide his children as they grew up, and by coaching many Little League Baseball and Basketball teams, as well as participating in countless Cub and Boy Scout activities. After retirement, he founded AYD Enterprises, an organization development consulting and training company with international clients from Austria, Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as Grumman Aerospace, the Turkish Airport Authority, North Yemen Airlines and the Social Security Administration. He enjoyed sharing his knowledge of business practices with people and organizations worldwide, and his expertise was also appreciated and called upon at various American universities, like Michigan State and Queens College.
He was a founding member of IFTDO, International Federation of Training & Development Organization, President and received the first international service award in 1996 presented at the 25th anniversary conference of IFTDO in Cairo. Other professional honors include American Society of Training and Development Director (1986 award winner), listed in Who’s Who in International Human Resource Development and Director Emeritus of American Society of Training and Development International Group. He presented at professional conferences in Canada, Holland, Australia, Kuala Lumpur, New Zealand, China, India, Great Britain, Argentina, Austria, United Arab Emirates and the United States of America. Those are just a few of the places. Andy joined the PAA-Pan Africa Ltd. Alumni group in 1983 and organized annual reunions around the country for many years.
Other affiliations included volunteer firefighter in North Merrick, NY, School Board member at North Bellmore, NY and he was an active service volunteer with Head Start and Little League. Andy was a Kiwanis member in Stroudsburg, PA, Williamsburg, VA and Cary, NC, Rotary member and volunteered in many local activities. He was a deacon/elder/session member and was a devoted member of Presbyterian churches in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina. He co-authored a book, Pan Africa: Across the Sahara in 1941 with Pan Am, which is about the contributions of Pan Am employees in Africa during the war.
While living in Williamsburg, Andy and his wife were strong supporters of the William & Mary athletic teams. They enjoyed traveling all over the world and attended many activities of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Andy loved feeding the birds, enjoyed his yard work and worked on house projects. What will be remembered about him was his love of family, his religious faith, compassion and love for people of all cultures. He will be missed by his loving family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Pan Am Historical Foundation, which is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Funds should be sent to the San Francisco office: 1275 Fairfax Ave., Suite 747, San Francisco CA 94124 or to the Activities Program at Crabtree Valley Rehab Center, 3830 Blue Ridge Rd, Raleigh, NC 27612.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2014 at 1:00 PM at Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church (200 High Meadow Drive, Cary, NC 27511), with receiving to follow in the Fellowship Hall.
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