The San Antonio Express-News (TX)
Tuesday, August 8, 2000
Victor Neils Agather - A Missing Man B-29 Superfortress participates in tribute to WWII veteran
In what a Confederate Air Force official called an "enormous tribute," the world's only flying Boeing B-29 Superfortress flew over San Antonio on Monday in honor of Victor Neils Agather, who financed its restoration. Agather, a World War II veteran who made his fortune in Mexico, died here July 26 at the age of 87. His ashes were interred at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with full military honors earlier Monday.
Later, about 75 relatives and friends, including banker Tom Frost and Southwest Airlines Chairman Herb Kelleher, gathered in the garden of the Monte Vista home of Agather's son, John Agather, for a memorial service. Kelleher's daughter, Ruth, is married to John Agather. Friends and two of Agather's children spoke poignantly of the retired businessman and his love for his family. "The world is a better place because of Vic," said pilot Randy Sohn of Minneapolis. "He was my mentor, and I miss him."
Under a nearly perfect blue sky, the B-29 and four other World War II-era planes - Beech C-45s, including one that Agather donated to the CAF - made two passes over the Agather residence. About 1,500 feet above the trees, the C-45s flew in a missing man formation. They were followed by the B-29, named Fifi after Victor Agather's wife of nearly 60 years.
Considered the ultimate long-range bomber of World War II, the B-29s were key to the Allied victory over Japan. One of them, the Enola Gay, dropped the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945.
Guests stared at the sky as the B-29, easily recognized by its distinctive 141-foot wingspan and the drone of four eighteen-cylinder air-cooled radial engines, flew by. The Fifi and the C-45s, currently touring the Midwest, were diverted to San Antonio in honor of Victor Agather, said Ray Kinney, on the general staff of the CAF, the Midland-based nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and flying World War II aircraft.
"Having the planes do this is an enormous tribute, just because the operational costs are huge," Kinney said. "It's not all that common, but this is something we all wanted to do for Vic." Sohn, who flew the B-29 from China Lake, Calif., to Harlingen in 1971, recalled that Victor Agather was adamant about obtaining the war bird for the CAF. "It took a lot of doing, including intervention by Barry Goldwater, to get that B-29," Sohn recalled. "Vic put in more than $100,000 of his own money just to get Fifi to Harlingen."
The CAF paid $1 for the bomber, which had been abandoned in the Mojave Desert nearly two decades earlier. It was a plane Agather knew inside and out.
Born in Kalispell, Mont., on Aug. 21, 1912, Agather learned to fly in a Curtiss Jenny, John Agather said earlier. "Dad worked his way through Georgetown University giving flying lessons," John Agather said.
By the time the United States entered World War II, Victor Agather, an investment banker on Wall Street, had already been called to active duty and was a member of the team working on the development of the B-29. He worked primarily on the 2,200-horsepower engines, which tended to overheat. Agather was sent to the Marianas Islands, from which the B-29s began bombing Japan in early 1945.
After the war, Agather returned briefly to Wall Street, but in 1946 he moved to Mexico with his wife. Agather built up his company, Intercon, which had interests from auto parts to manufacturing, and he served on many boards, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce of Mexico and the American British Cowdray Hospital.
Offered Mexican citizenship by President Adolfo L¢pez Mateos, Agather turned it down, saying he was an American. Agather retired in 1994, and he and his wife moved to San Antonio.
Article Courtesy of:
C Melton (#47057822)
Tuesday, August 8, 2000
Victor Neils Agather - A Missing Man B-29 Superfortress participates in tribute to WWII veteran
In what a Confederate Air Force official called an "enormous tribute," the world's only flying Boeing B-29 Superfortress flew over San Antonio on Monday in honor of Victor Neils Agather, who financed its restoration. Agather, a World War II veteran who made his fortune in Mexico, died here July 26 at the age of 87. His ashes were interred at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with full military honors earlier Monday.
Later, about 75 relatives and friends, including banker Tom Frost and Southwest Airlines Chairman Herb Kelleher, gathered in the garden of the Monte Vista home of Agather's son, John Agather, for a memorial service. Kelleher's daughter, Ruth, is married to John Agather. Friends and two of Agather's children spoke poignantly of the retired businessman and his love for his family. "The world is a better place because of Vic," said pilot Randy Sohn of Minneapolis. "He was my mentor, and I miss him."
Under a nearly perfect blue sky, the B-29 and four other World War II-era planes - Beech C-45s, including one that Agather donated to the CAF - made two passes over the Agather residence. About 1,500 feet above the trees, the C-45s flew in a missing man formation. They were followed by the B-29, named Fifi after Victor Agather's wife of nearly 60 years.
Considered the ultimate long-range bomber of World War II, the B-29s were key to the Allied victory over Japan. One of them, the Enola Gay, dropped the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945.
Guests stared at the sky as the B-29, easily recognized by its distinctive 141-foot wingspan and the drone of four eighteen-cylinder air-cooled radial engines, flew by. The Fifi and the C-45s, currently touring the Midwest, were diverted to San Antonio in honor of Victor Agather, said Ray Kinney, on the general staff of the CAF, the Midland-based nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and flying World War II aircraft.
"Having the planes do this is an enormous tribute, just because the operational costs are huge," Kinney said. "It's not all that common, but this is something we all wanted to do for Vic." Sohn, who flew the B-29 from China Lake, Calif., to Harlingen in 1971, recalled that Victor Agather was adamant about obtaining the war bird for the CAF. "It took a lot of doing, including intervention by Barry Goldwater, to get that B-29," Sohn recalled. "Vic put in more than $100,000 of his own money just to get Fifi to Harlingen."
The CAF paid $1 for the bomber, which had been abandoned in the Mojave Desert nearly two decades earlier. It was a plane Agather knew inside and out.
Born in Kalispell, Mont., on Aug. 21, 1912, Agather learned to fly in a Curtiss Jenny, John Agather said earlier. "Dad worked his way through Georgetown University giving flying lessons," John Agather said.
By the time the United States entered World War II, Victor Agather, an investment banker on Wall Street, had already been called to active duty and was a member of the team working on the development of the B-29. He worked primarily on the 2,200-horsepower engines, which tended to overheat. Agather was sent to the Marianas Islands, from which the B-29s began bombing Japan in early 1945.
After the war, Agather returned briefly to Wall Street, but in 1946 he moved to Mexico with his wife. Agather built up his company, Intercon, which had interests from auto parts to manufacturing, and he served on many boards, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce of Mexico and the American British Cowdray Hospital.
Offered Mexican citizenship by President Adolfo L¢pez Mateos, Agather turned it down, saying he was an American. Agather retired in 1994, and he and his wife moved to San Antonio.
Article Courtesy of:
C Melton (#47057822)
The San Antonio Express-News (TX)
Tuesday, August 8, 2000
Victor Neils Agather - A Missing Man B-29 Superfortress participates in tribute to WWII veteran
In what a Confederate Air Force official called an "enormous tribute," the world's only flying Boeing B-29 Superfortress flew over San Antonio on Monday in honor of Victor Neils Agather, who financed its restoration. Agather, a World War II veteran who made his fortune in Mexico, died here July 26 at the age of 87. His ashes were interred at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with full military honors earlier Monday.
Later, about 75 relatives and friends, including banker Tom Frost and Southwest Airlines Chairman Herb Kelleher, gathered in the garden of the Monte Vista home of Agather's son, John Agather, for a memorial service. Kelleher's daughter, Ruth, is married to John Agather. Friends and two of Agather's children spoke poignantly of the retired businessman and his love for his family. "The world is a better place because of Vic," said pilot Randy Sohn of Minneapolis. "He was my mentor, and I miss him."
Under a nearly perfect blue sky, the B-29 and four other World War II-era planes - Beech C-45s, including one that Agather donated to the CAF - made two passes over the Agather residence. About 1,500 feet above the trees, the C-45s flew in a missing man formation. They were followed by the B-29, named Fifi after Victor Agather's wife of nearly 60 years.
Considered the ultimate long-range bomber of World War II, the B-29s were key to the Allied victory over Japan. One of them, the Enola Gay, dropped the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945.
Guests stared at the sky as the B-29, easily recognized by its distinctive 141-foot wingspan and the drone of four eighteen-cylinder air-cooled radial engines, flew by. The Fifi and the C-45s, currently touring the Midwest, were diverted to San Antonio in honor of Victor Agather, said Ray Kinney, on the general staff of the CAF, the Midland-based nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and flying World War II aircraft.
"Having the planes do this is an enormous tribute, just because the operational costs are huge," Kinney said. "It's not all that common, but this is something we all wanted to do for Vic." Sohn, who flew the B-29 from China Lake, Calif., to Harlingen in 1971, recalled that Victor Agather was adamant about obtaining the war bird for the CAF. "It took a lot of doing, including intervention by Barry Goldwater, to get that B-29," Sohn recalled. "Vic put in more than $100,000 of his own money just to get Fifi to Harlingen."
The CAF paid $1 for the bomber, which had been abandoned in the Mojave Desert nearly two decades earlier. It was a plane Agather knew inside and out.
Born in Kalispell, Mont., on Aug. 21, 1912, Agather learned to fly in a Curtiss Jenny, John Agather said earlier. "Dad worked his way through Georgetown University giving flying lessons," John Agather said.
By the time the United States entered World War II, Victor Agather, an investment banker on Wall Street, had already been called to active duty and was a member of the team working on the development of the B-29. He worked primarily on the 2,200-horsepower engines, which tended to overheat. Agather was sent to the Marianas Islands, from which the B-29s began bombing Japan in early 1945.
After the war, Agather returned briefly to Wall Street, but in 1946 he moved to Mexico with his wife. Agather built up his company, Intercon, which had interests from auto parts to manufacturing, and he served on many boards, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce of Mexico and the American British Cowdray Hospital.
Offered Mexican citizenship by President Adolfo L¢pez Mateos, Agather turned it down, saying he was an American. Agather retired in 1994, and he and his wife moved to San Antonio.
Article Courtesy of:
C Melton (#47057822)
Tuesday, August 8, 2000
Victor Neils Agather - A Missing Man B-29 Superfortress participates in tribute to WWII veteran
In what a Confederate Air Force official called an "enormous tribute," the world's only flying Boeing B-29 Superfortress flew over San Antonio on Monday in honor of Victor Neils Agather, who financed its restoration. Agather, a World War II veteran who made his fortune in Mexico, died here July 26 at the age of 87. His ashes were interred at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with full military honors earlier Monday.
Later, about 75 relatives and friends, including banker Tom Frost and Southwest Airlines Chairman Herb Kelleher, gathered in the garden of the Monte Vista home of Agather's son, John Agather, for a memorial service. Kelleher's daughter, Ruth, is married to John Agather. Friends and two of Agather's children spoke poignantly of the retired businessman and his love for his family. "The world is a better place because of Vic," said pilot Randy Sohn of Minneapolis. "He was my mentor, and I miss him."
Under a nearly perfect blue sky, the B-29 and four other World War II-era planes - Beech C-45s, including one that Agather donated to the CAF - made two passes over the Agather residence. About 1,500 feet above the trees, the C-45s flew in a missing man formation. They were followed by the B-29, named Fifi after Victor Agather's wife of nearly 60 years.
Considered the ultimate long-range bomber of World War II, the B-29s were key to the Allied victory over Japan. One of them, the Enola Gay, dropped the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945.
Guests stared at the sky as the B-29, easily recognized by its distinctive 141-foot wingspan and the drone of four eighteen-cylinder air-cooled radial engines, flew by. The Fifi and the C-45s, currently touring the Midwest, were diverted to San Antonio in honor of Victor Agather, said Ray Kinney, on the general staff of the CAF, the Midland-based nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and flying World War II aircraft.
"Having the planes do this is an enormous tribute, just because the operational costs are huge," Kinney said. "It's not all that common, but this is something we all wanted to do for Vic." Sohn, who flew the B-29 from China Lake, Calif., to Harlingen in 1971, recalled that Victor Agather was adamant about obtaining the war bird for the CAF. "It took a lot of doing, including intervention by Barry Goldwater, to get that B-29," Sohn recalled. "Vic put in more than $100,000 of his own money just to get Fifi to Harlingen."
The CAF paid $1 for the bomber, which had been abandoned in the Mojave Desert nearly two decades earlier. It was a plane Agather knew inside and out.
Born in Kalispell, Mont., on Aug. 21, 1912, Agather learned to fly in a Curtiss Jenny, John Agather said earlier. "Dad worked his way through Georgetown University giving flying lessons," John Agather said.
By the time the United States entered World War II, Victor Agather, an investment banker on Wall Street, had already been called to active duty and was a member of the team working on the development of the B-29. He worked primarily on the 2,200-horsepower engines, which tended to overheat. Agather was sent to the Marianas Islands, from which the B-29s began bombing Japan in early 1945.
After the war, Agather returned briefly to Wall Street, but in 1946 he moved to Mexico with his wife. Agather built up his company, Intercon, which had interests from auto parts to manufacturing, and he served on many boards, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce of Mexico and the American British Cowdray Hospital.
Offered Mexican citizenship by President Adolfo L¢pez Mateos, Agather turned it down, saying he was an American. Agather retired in 1994, and he and his wife moved to San Antonio.
Article Courtesy of:
C Melton (#47057822)
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