Deceased February 5, 2017
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In Memory
Mike died on Feb. 5, 2017. As an undergraduate, Mike majored in biology, was a member of Phi Psi fraternity and was an active thespian with the Masquers. A picture of The Crow’s Nest, which he directed, hangs in Kirby Hall. He was also in The Merchant of Venice. Mike was very appreciative of the many opportunities Amherst gave him to reach out to others.
Upon graduation, Mike applied to and was selected to be a navy pilot at Pensacola, but his mother wanted him to go to medical school, so devoted son Mike went to the NYU School of Medicine. He then headed to California, where he earned his pilot’s license and spent the rest of his life flying. Although Mike’s practice was primarily in the fields of allergies and asthma, he particularly enjoyed practicing air medicine. Mike set up the first air ambulance companies, one in California and the other in Hawaii. He was a consultant to airlines and aeromedical transportation services. Mike had his pilot’s license for 50 years and received an award for flying those 50 years accident-free—over 14,000 hours! He was a senior flight examiner for the FAA and cleared air traffic controllers. Mike was a good tennis and squash player and an excellent bridge and chess player. He was a die-hard San Francisco 49ers fan and went to all their home football games.
In 1961 Mike married Honey Honick. They had a marriage that lasted more than 50 years. He is survived by his wife, three children and four grandchildren. Mike was an adored husband, father and grandfather. They lived in Auburn, Calif., from which Mike would fly his plane into the Bay Area, where he would practice air medicine three days a week and then fly back to Auburn.
Beth Cowan ’85
Rob Sowersby ’55