[MilCom] Capt. Roy "Butch" Voris, an original Blue Angel, died

[domyers at voicenet.com]

>From Larry Shaughnessy
CNN
Friday, August 12, 2005; Posted: 4:37 p.m. EDT (20:37 GMT) 
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A man whose pioneering flying career with the U.S. 
Navy began in the age of biplanes and ended in the jet age has died. Retired Navy 
Capt. Roy "Butch" Voris, an original Blue Angel, died at his home in Monterey, 
California. He was 86.
Voris began his naval aviation career flying biplanes, and by the end of World War 
II, he had shot down at least eight Japanese fighter planes, earning himself the 
status of an "ace," as well as three Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Purple Heart 
and more than a dozen other medals.
In 1946, Adm. Chester Nimitz hand-picked Voris to organize a flight 
demonstration team to showcase naval aviation. He led the newly named "Blue 
Angels" in their first public performance that year in Jacksonville, Florida. In 1952, 
he once again was asked to lead the Blue Angels after they returned from combat 
duty in the Korean War.
He retired from the Navy as a captain and went to work with Grumman Aircraft 
Corporation, where he was instrumental in the early development of the F-14 
Tomcat, which is still a key part of naval aviation.
His last career was as a spokesman for NASA during the historic 1970 Apollo 
moon missions.
Voris died on Wednesday.
He is survived by two daughters, their husbands and three grandsons. He is also 
survived by two brothers. His wife, Thea, passed away in 2003 after more than 50 
years of marriage.