Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame to induct new members Nov. 7

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Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller’s advisor and pilot, a Black Pilots of America leader who helped bring the organization’s annual “Operation Skyhook” event to Pine Bluff, and the only flag officer to be awarded a Distinguished Service Cross during World War II make up the 2024 class of Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame inductees.

Ticket sales for the 2024 Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame event will fund college scholarships for students pursuing careers in aviation at Arkansas institutions.

The Arkansas Aviation Historical Society will honor the three new members for their contributions to aviation and aerospace history in Arkansas on Thursday, November 7, at 6 p.m. at the Ron Robinson Theater in Little Rock.

Marion B. Burton was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1930. He attended Penn State University on an ROTC scholarship and entered naval flight training immediately following his graduation in 1952. Following his naval service, Burton earned a law degree from the University of Michigan. Burton was a close advisor to Winthrop Rockefeller and directed Rockefeller’s successful 1966 gubernatorial campaign. He went on to serve as a trustee of Governor Rockefeller’s Charitable Trust and co-executor of his estate. As a pilot, Burton flew Rockefeller’s business jet and set several world records for speed, including a record for crossing the Atlantic Ocean. He was a prolific civic leader and served on the board of directors of various non-profit organizations. Burton died on January 27, 2024, at 93.

Kenneth Wayne Johnson, a native of Rison, Arkansas, was introduced to flying in 1981 at Grider Field while a student at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. The experience would spark Johnson’s lifelong passion for aviation. He would go on to earn Commercial, Multi-engine, and Certified Flight Instructor (Instrument) pilot license ratings. In 1993, Johnson was appointed to the Arkansas Aeronautics Commission where he served for twelve years, including two years as chairman. As a member of Black Pilots of America (BPA), Johnson was instrumental in bringing the organization’s annual “Operation Skyhook” event to Pine Bluff. Each year during the event pilots introduce Pine Bluff youth to aviation by donating more than 300 free airplane rides. Johnson was inducted into the BPA Hall of Fame in 2022. He serves as General Manager of the Pine Bluff Wastewater Utility Department and chairman of the Pine Bluff Aviation (Airport) Commission.

John Dale Price was born on May 18, 1892, in Augusta, Arkansas. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1916 and was designated a naval aviator in 1920. With his Naval Academy classmate and friend, Spig Wead, Price set five world records for Class C seaplanes with a Curtiss CS-2 biplane in 1924. In 1925, Price was credited with the first planned night landing on a U.S. aircraft carrier. During World War II, he commanded Fleet Air Wing One as a rear admiral and was awarded the Navy Cross for his leadership against enemy forces at Okinawa. Following a successful mission in the Pacific Theater in 1944, Price became the only flag officer to receive a Distinguished Service Cross during the war. Following World War II, Price served as Commander of the Naval Air Forces in the Pacific from 1947 to 1948 and Vice Chief of Naval Operations for Air from 1948 until 1950. He was promoted to four-star rank upon retirement. Price died in 1957 at the Naval Hospital in San Diego and is interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

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