[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 21]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 28613-28614]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING THE LIFE OF LT. COL. (RET.) RICHARD KLEIN DERRIDINGER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GUS M. BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 19, 2009

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Madam Speaker, I want to pay tribute to retired LTC 
Richard Klein Derridinger of Tampa, Florida, who passed away on 
September 4, 2009 after a long illness.
  Dick was a successful businessman, decorated military veteran, and 
devoted family man. Born on March 4, 1932, in Easton, Pennsylvania, 
Dick grew up in Chambersburg. He was a hard working young man and a 
devoted Eagle Scout. He attended Corpus Christi School and played 
football at Chambersburg High School. Dick then attended Gettysburg 
College and joined the Air Force to fly in Vietnam.
  Returning to the United States, Dick continued to serve as an 
instructor pilot for single engine fighters and became Captain of an 
air-refueling tanker for 6 years. His last assignment was Chief of 
Flight Tests at Rome Air Development Center where he earned the Flying 
Safety Award for saving the crew, passengers, cargo, and the aircraft 
after the KC-135 he was piloting experienced multiple mechanical 
failures. In addition to earning other decorations, he was awarded the 
Distinguished Flying Cross and the Bronze Star for Valor.
  Dick earned his masters degree in Systems Management from the 
University of Southern California, and after retiring from the Air 
Force, he became President of Air North in Vermont, and then president 
of Dolphin Airways in Tampa, Florida. Dick was an avid entrepreneur and 
started several additional businesses in Florida including a gift shop, 
a sheet metal business, and an interior landscaping company.

[[Page 28614]]

  Our hearts are with Dick's wife, Dawn, and his children and 
grandchildren in this time of sorrow. I hope my colleagues will join me 
honoring this remarkable man who was a lifelong patriot dedicated to 
his country and his family. His humility, kindness, and compassion 
continue to inspire those who knew him and he will be greatly missed in 
our community.

                          ____________________