Meet Our Board of Directors

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Pam is a native of the Kansas City area and has lived here most of her life. She was hired by TWA in 1964 and started her Hostess training in August of that year. She was blessed to have such a long and wonderful career with TWA and thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of her job, whether it was as a Hostess/Flight Attendant, On-Line Instructor or Flight Service Manager. She flew two years under American Airlines until all TWA Flight Attendants were furloughed by July of 2003, and retired in January of 2005

Matt has been volunteering at the TWA Museum since March 2019 and can be found there most Saturdays. He currently serves on the museum's social media team and enjoys sharing his love of TWA and aviation history with the public. His dream life goal would be to earn four gold stripes with a major airline.

Chris is the CEO/Owner of Picture & Frame Industries in Kansas City, Kansas. Chris is married to fellow Museum volunteer Dr. Sandra Funk, whose ancestry includes the famous Funk Aviation Company.

Dianna's career at TWA lasted sixteen years, culminating in 1986. She was based in JFK, MCI and eventually STL. After she left TWA, Dianna then bought a travel franchise that grew to three agencies in Missouri and Kansas. In 1999, she closed them and was hired by Delta Airlines in 2000. Dianna remained at Delta until 2014.

Larry started at TWA  in 1973 as an International Flight Attendant, based at JFK. Over a 27 year career, he also served as a Director, Customer Service, In-flt. Supervisor, Purser, and Service Manager. He was based at JFK multiple times, as well as Kansas City and St. Louis. He later accepted a several month assignment at the St. Louis Training Center, and stayed for four years.. There, he taught various In-Flight procedures courses before being asked to become assistant to the Director, In-Flight Communication Systems. In that role, he wrote procedures for the first in-aisle wheelchair, SPIL (Special Passenger Information Lists) for cabin crews, the In-Flt. Services newsletter, FAA-approved emergency flight announcements, and customs/immigration information for The Ambassador Magazine. His only star turn was as the (badly bruised) Service Manager in “Hijack at KCI,” produced by TWA, the FBI, and various police SWAT teams. After being shown in recurrent training for Air Transport Association member airlines, it was (he hopes) retired forever.  Larry returned to flying before retiring in 2000. He served as Treasurer of the Metropolitan Aviation Association, a non-profit flying club. He holds a private and commercial pilot's license and is instrument-rated.

Judy has proudly served as a volunteer and a member of the TWA Museum Board of Directors. She was appointed to the TWA Museum Board of Directors in 2020. Judy began her career with TWA in 1965 as a Flight Attendant and was fortunate to serve as a Flight Service Manager, flying Domestic and International. She enjoyed teaching in TWA training centers, both new hire and line Flight Attendants, and found it to be very rewarding. Judy was honored to receive the TWA Flight Attendant Award of Excellence. She was a member of TWA Clipped Wings International Inc., and served in several positions on the International Board. Her last position of service was as International President. Judy is a part of a TWA family who are all devoted to the history and memories of the company and she is committed to the preservation of the TWA history for the Kansas City community and the world.

Jim is a native of Kansas City. His connection to Wheeler Airport goes back to 1970 when in high school Jim worked as a valet car hop at what was then Kansas City Municipal Airport. Jim began his professional career in the radio and television news business. He later retired after 30 years as an attorney providing legislative and regulatory representation for the life insurance industry.

When Museum visitors ask Don how long he was with TWA, he tells them that he started in 1942. Don's father started with TWA as a mechanic in 1940 in Kansas City. Don was born in 1942 and has been here mostly ever since. Don worked in the Engineering department for about 6 months in 1961 , then returned to college. He went back to work for TWA as a ticket agent in May 1964. Don moved to the MCI Overhaul base in January 1965 in Production Control working twilight in the Metal shop. He was accepted for Flight Engineer training in February 1966, checked out June 30, 1966, and was assigned to JFK. In 1969, he was accepted in the Purchasing department in MCI. Don served in a number of positions, buying everything from nuts and bolts, sheet metal, airframe, interiors, avionics, electronics, and systems. Don retired from TWA Purchasing in 1995. Don first started volunteering at the Museum in 2012, just after the move to the current location. He served on the board previously as the museum was working toward getting their own 501 (C)3 determination. We at the museum are very fortunate to have Don as part of our museum family.

John Miller’s iWerx facilities have assisted the development of dozens of businesses and have been the center of hundreds of community events. Miller, the founder of North Kansas City’s Stor-Safe Warehouses, launched the family-run storage, distribution and management company in 1973. His were the first indoor storage facilities in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Today, the company owns and manages eight buildings in Clay County, comprising more than 1 million square feet of commercial property. During the past five years, Miller has been instrumental in impacting the landscape of the business community in North Kansas City and Gladstone beyond just his property holdings. His efforts have created an environment in which new businesses can establish themselves and grow. Consistent with his favor for small business, he was a founding investor of the Northland Angel Investment Network, designed to provide access to capital for local startups. The Clay County Economic Development Corporation named John F. Miller as the recipient of the 2020 Look North Award.

Shelley is a former TWA Flight Attendant and a Flight Attendant instructor at Breech Academy and Jack Frye Training Center. She flew for TWA from 1973-1989. Shelley was involved in training new hires, Pursers, Service Managers, returning mothers, Ozark and Lacsa Flight Attendants as well as a two day training program for active Flight Attendants called Turning Point. Shelley served on a task force developing the service procedures for the 747-SP. She wrote many of the lesson plans and study guides for Flight Attendant Training.

Shelley became a teacher after her flying days and worked in public education for thirty- two years. She volunteered at Project SHARE, a food bank in Carlisle, PA, and served on the Clean Air Board of Central PA.

Shelley and her husband, Bob, moved back to Kansas City in 2022 after seventeen years in Central Pennsylvania. She is thrilled to be back and a part of TWA again through the museum. Shelley also serves as the museum's Volunteer Coordinator.

Jay has always been an enthusiast for aviation and local history. He grew up around aviation; his father was a B-17G pilot during WW2 and flew 49 missions out of Foggia, Italy (15th Air Force). His mother was an officer in the Women’s Army Corps and was in charge of aircraft, equipment, and supplies as part of Air Materiel/Air Force Logistics Command. Also, his uncle was a Pilot for Pan Am for 37 years. Jay flew TWA often in the late 80’s-90’s related to his traveling sales position, and he has his private pilot’s certification as well. Jay is an Army veteran and a graduate from Kansas University with a Bachelor’s degree.

Alice recently retired after years of service with Signature Flight Support. She has served as a Museum volunteer for several years and is always willing to assist at the Museum, to include fulfilling duties at the ticket counter and in our office.