The Greater Miami Aviation Association (GMAA), South Florida’s longest-standing aviation organization, has announced that it will honor Miami-Dade Aviation Director Dr. Emilio T. González with the prestigious Juan Trippe Award later this year. Named for the man who founded Pan American Airways in 1927, the annual award recognizes an outstanding industry professional who has made significant contributions to the development of international aviation in South Florida.
Trippe was an original member of the GMAA – also founded in 1927 – and became a pioneer of international air travel soon after Pan Am’s iconic floatplanes took flight from South Florida. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan and the Yale University School of Management is home to the Juan Trippe Professor in the Practice of International Trade, Finance and Business. In receiving the namesake award, González will join an impressive list of Miami-based aviation leaders who have left a positive mark on the local aviation community, including American Airlines Senior Vice President Art Torno and LAN Cargo CEO Cristián Ureta.
“We look forward to recognizing Director González with the 2015 Juan Trippe Award at our 88th Annual Gala,” said GMAA President Victor Bontorno. “His focused, strategic push for new international air service at MIA is in close keeping with the spirit of this award and with the aviation pioneer it was named for.”
“I’m deeply honored that one of Miami’s preeminent industry organizations has selected me for this award,” said González. “The aviation industry is an absolutely indispensable part of our local economy, and I join the GMAA and its membership in doing all that I can to promote its continued success.”
The 88th Annual Wright Brothers Memorial Awards Gala will take place on October 10 at the Trump National Doral Miami Resort. Proceeds from the event will go to the GMAA’s college aviation scholarship fund, which directly supports financially needy college students who are pursuing higher education in all aspects of aviation.
For more information on the GMAA, click here.
For more information on the GMAA’s Annual Gala, click here.