The formal obituaries on the death of John Winant recount his education, occupational history, achievements and awards but say little about the kind of man John was. Perhaps I can add a human-interest factor based on having worked with and for John for 13 years as a member of the NBAA staff.
John joined the NBAA Board of Directors in 1957 as a corporate executive representing Sprague Electric, of North Adams, Mass. As such he was a rarity and had the distinction of being among the few Board members who were not aviation department managers or chief pilots. There were other Board members who were corporate executives. John Bean of International Multifoods, James Nields of Ware Knitters and Harry McCreary of McCreary Tire and Rubber come to mind, but they had also been pilots. As corporate secretary I was present at a number of Board meetings and I noted that John was able to join in the deliberations without fear or trepidation while lending a different point of view.
