By Emme Hornung
A lot can change in 50 years. EAA Oshkosh 1976 saw about 9,200 aircraft and 300,000 visitors on the field, 162 booths were filled with exhibitors, and Canada’s Snowbirds were the first military jet team to perform at an EAA fly-in. Fifty years later, AirVenture now welcomes more than 10,000 aircraft and 700,000 visitors, nearly 1,000 exhibitors, and many (many) more military jet teams have wowed the air show crowds.
Though, one thing that hasn’t changed has been the beloved family tradition of the Rounds family, who made their first trip to Oshkosh in 1976.
The late Don Rounds, EAA 76393/Warbirds 1638, and his wife, Mary, started their family of four in Little Rock, Arkansas, with son Chris, EAA Lifetime 387062, and daughter Pam Woods, EAA 461367. With a Cessna 172 and a T-hangar, aviation has always been part of their lives, but it wasn’t until Chris met a hangar neighbor returning from EAA’s fly-in convention that they learned about Oshkosh. That neighbor just so happened to be prolific aviation writer Richard Collins.
The Rounds family soon moved to Tennessee, where they lived among an active antique aircraft community, with many traveling to Oshkosh each summer. In 1976, they packed up the family station wagon and made their first trek to experience the convention for themselves.
That one trip was the hook, and coming to Oshkosh became an annual tradition.
“As a kid, it was like Disneyland almost. It was one of those places where I could meet new people, and a lot of those people are still friends of mine,” Pam said. “We got to ride in airplanes, do things that you could really only dream of. Even as we grew up and got older, coming to AirVenture was our annual family vacation still.”
Over the past five decades, the family has made countless memories. Mary, now 90 years old, was a dedicated Warbirds volunteer of 40 years. She has missed a couple years recently, but she was able to make a brief visit this year. “I wouldn’t give anything for the memories,” Mary said. “It’s just been very, very fulfilling.”
While Pam compares it to Disneyland, Chris sees it as the most wonderful time of the year. “I compare it to Christmas. I’d rather do Oshkosh than Christmas,” he said. “One of my fondest memories was sitting here, watching the Red Devils with my dad, eating Shakey’s pizza. It was just so cool.”
Today, Chris is an accomplished professional pilot, ferrying aircraft and flying formation flights, and he even owns a Canadair T-33. Pam, while not a pilot herself, revels in sharing the passion and magic of Oshkosh with others, and her husband now joins in the annual tradition.
“Every year I always meet somebody new and there’s always someone who this is their first year, and just to see that awe. It really makes me feel that again, seeing it through their eyes,” she said. “It’s just a common interest, common bond, and we love coming back. People are always friendly and welcoming, so it is truly a tradition that I want to keep going as long as possible.”