On July 28th, 2021 Edward L. Shields, age 92, of Green Cove Springs Florida got his heavenly wings and went to be with the Lord. He was a Pan American Flight engineer for 38 years. Born in Union Port Ohio, he got his love of flying at the age of 14 from the local crop duster unknown to his mother Mae. He finished his schooling in Ohio and went on to join the Navy to serve in the Korean War on an aircraft carrier USS Tarawa CV-40. Then onto to Parks Aeronautical College in St Louis Missouri, and hired on by Pan American World Airlines He married his sweetheart Janice and went on to raise a family of 8 children. Married 65 years, until her death do part.
He had an amazing career with the airline and developed many lifelong friends in the company. Some of his adventures included being on the ground floor of the introduction of the 747 into the company. It was his great honor to have been chosen to be part of the crew that flew the Clipper Liberty Bell on the first round the world fight May l5t, 1976 on the 747 SP. And then again on the Clipper New Horizon for the 50th anniversary flight from Pole to Pole round the world flight Oct 28th, 1977. He volunteered for the flights to evacuate Americans out of Tehran, Iran in 1978 which kept us all very worried. His travels all over the world, experiencing all different cultures, people’s differences and common likes were important to him, and he loved every minute of it! His home base was at JFK in New York, until he was commissioned to be a flight engineer Manager out of Miami International. He trained many on the simulators at the Pan Am Academy in Miami. He even qualified as a Pan American Flight Attendant!
Moving from Penna to Florida, he sold his Cassina plane and bought his huge boat, “The Clipper” Eventually becoming a “live-aboard” an enjoying 7 years on the St. John’s River with Jan, his wife. His love of the 747 and the company that gave him so much joy and the people of the Pan American Clipper Family, has given his family such comfort knowing it was a life well lived. And it truly was!