(1905-1994) SSA Director; Editor SOARING; National Competition; Author
Silver #215 1954; Symons One Lennie #148
Eugart Yerian learned to fly in a Curtis "Jenny" in 1922 and began soaring in California in 1939 at Rosamond Dry Lake on the Mojave Desert. When WW II began he worked at the Briegleb Sailplane Corporation building BG-6's and BG-8's until the contracts were canceled due to the emergence of hundreds of light planes without engines. These became the TG-6's, etc. Eugart then went to Twentynine Palms Air Academy and accepted the post of "Charge-of-aircraft-maintenance."
With the discontinuance of this work, Eugart went to Los Angeles and worked for Kroehler Furniture Company as a tool designer for the manufacture of bomber aircraft parts. At WW II's end, Eugart moved back to Memphis, Tennessee and involved himself in several activities. He purchased 20 surplus Schweizer TG-3A's which he sold as trainers to new clubs and individuals, principally in the central United States, thus helping soaring develop in a number of states around his home town of Memphis.
However, it was necessary to fund his soaring activities and so Eugart returned to work at the "Little Theater." He also worked with Memphis State University and WMC radio.
Eugart fascinated his students with his flying tales and together in 1947, they formed the Memphis Soaring Society, the first gliding club in the Southeast. From 1951 - 1953 Eugart was a member of the SSA Board and Editor of Soaring magazine. In 1967 when mountain "wave riding" was being pioneered, he became one of the first 100 glider pilots to reach 30,000 feet in altitude during a flight over Pike's Peak in Colorado. The longest Eugart had flown was nine hours on a summer day in Memphis when rising hot air created ideal gliding conditions.
C. W. Shaw, a Memphis Soaring Society member and WW II glider instructor, said, "He has done a world of good in promoting our sport as an art form. He's been the backbone of our club. We never would have gotten off the ground, so to speak, if it wasn't for Eugart."
While his soaring activities continued, Eugart took time to direct, act, build sets, etc. He had a background prior to WW II of directing the old "Memphis Little Theatre" from 1932 to 1939. He was a man who had many trades and, last but not least, was soaring which he continued through age 87!
Even with all of his flying, directing, building sets for the "Theatre Memphis," Eugart found time to direct nearly 200 plays and to marry Virginia, his wife of 46 years. When he left the "Theatre Memphis" at the close of the 1960-61 season, he went to work for 15 years writing, directing and photographing training films for Holiday Inns.
Eugart's avocation was soaring and he found time to be editor of Soaring magazine for 14 issues between March, 1950 and April, 1951.
Eugart Yerian earned Silver #215 in 1954 and was awarded the Symons One-Lennie Pin #148.
From Soaring magazine July, 1994, page 15: In Memoriam by Gus Briegleb