Chasing Dreams of Flight: A Tale of Two Dream Makers
By Julia L. Martin
Cadet 2nd Lt. Sophia Brown of the North Carolina Wing’s Asheville Composite Squadron is a 2025 recipient of the Lt. Col. Edward J. Myzie Flight Academy Scholarship.
How do you chase your dreams of flight? Learning to fly, to solo, to experience that thrill of being in the cockpit alone isn’t as simple as it sounds. Ground school and lessons are expensive and sometimes cadets need a little extra help on their journey to the skies.
That’s where scholarships — established to honor and remember loved ones by family, Civil Air Patrol adult members, friends, and former cadets — fly to the rescue with the gift of flight. That generosity really does make a difference, not only for the cadets but for the donors as well.
Two of CAP’s earliest endowed scholarships in the CAP Foundation have grown through investments and additional gifts to reach the $100,000 mark and together have helped almost 20 cadets’ dreams of flight come true.
The Lt. Col. William E. Hanna Jr. U.S. Air Force Reserves Flight Scholarship Fund Established by Lt. Cols. John and Teri Knowles
Col. John Knowles and his late wife Maj. Teri Knowles, both members of the Bethesda/Chevy Chase Composite Squadron, established the Lt. Col. William E. Hanna Jr. Scholarship in 2015.
“After he passed in 2011, we wanted to do something to honor his memory and help cadets,” Knowles said.
One recipient is annually awarded $5,000 to obtain a private pilot certificate. To compete for the scholarship, a cadet must have already completed a CAP powered solo flight academy at the wing, region, or national level.
Hanna, a search and rescue navigator on OA-10s during World War II, also served in the USAF Reserve Assistance Program as part of the first Air Force rescue squadron. When he retired after 38 years of service, he joined CAP and instilled his love of flight not only into his children and grandchildren but also other pilots-to-be.
“He was a jack of all trades,” Knowles said.
Along with filling several CAP leadership roles, Hanna was also an arts supporter, a nature lover, and an avid hiker instrumental in raising awareness and funds to get his local trails repaired and reopened.
Within their own family, as adult members and cadet parents, the Knowleses knew first-hand the cost of obtaining private pilot certificates and reached out to CAP to ask about setting up this type of scholarship fund.
“I don’t think at the time there were any named scholarships like this,” Knowles said, “Originally, we were going to limit it to just Maryland cadets, but you gain a different perspective when you move up into more senior CAP roles and realize there are lots of good folks across the country who could benefit.”
To date, 10 cadets have been awarded the scholarship.
Knowles said about the process: “Once you establish a scholarship you can choose whether to fund activities, flights, or academics, or support where needed most with no restrictions. CAP has a scholarship application and selection process already in place.”
He said he and Teri’s shared hope for the recipients is they continue their love of flying, remember what service is about, and share their knowledge and passion with future flyers — just as Hanna did.
The Hanna scholarship 2025 recipient, Cadet Col. Dominic Miranda of the Alabama Wing’s Dothan Composite Squadron, plans to become a professional pilot.
In his Hanna scholarship acceptance, he shared: “Thanks to CAP’s support I achieved my first major aviation milestone by earning my private pilot certificate. I am truly grateful for the experiences and opportunities CAP has provided me and for the generosity [provided by the scholarship] in supporting cadets like me as we chase our dreams.”
2024 recipient Cadet Capt. Nathaniel Jennings of the Texas Wing’s Tyler Composite Squadron has wanted to become a naval pilot since he was 13. “Not only did CAP assist in my leadership development, it also … led me to pursue naval aviation as my career,” Jennings said. “I would not be where I am today without the CAP cadet program.”
The Lt. Col. Edward J. Myzie Flight Academy Scholarship Established by Col. Amy Myzie
Amy Dana was just a cadet when she transferred to the New Jersey Wing’s Raritan Valley Squadron. It’s where she met her future husband, Edward Myzie. A shared love of flying soon became the basis of a relationship that lasted over 35 years until his death in 2018. A year later, she established The Lt. Col. Edward J. Myzie Flight Academy Scholarship, which annually awards two cadets $1,200 each to pay for ground school, room and board, travel expenses, and 10 hours of flight training one week each summer at an accredited National Flight Academy.
“Ed grew up relatively poor,” Amy Myzie said, "yet by juggling multiple after-school jobs he was able to attend the New Jersey Wing’s then-newly established Falcon Flight Academy.
“This was the biggest justification for having the scholarship,” she said.
Edward Myzie was named the school’s first Distinguished Graduate in 1971. In 2019, the academy became an accredited National Flight Academy with the inaugural Myzie scholarship recipient being its first graduate. Amy Myzie added a qualification to the application to give priority to New Jersey cadets attending the New Jersey Wing’s Falcon Flight Academy.
“I reached out to Kristina Jones [in CAP’s Development office] in 2019. Ed had a life insurance policy, and I wanted to do something special with that money to honor him, to fund a scholarship for one cadet to attend a National Flight Academy,” she said. However, the scholarship has been able to fully fund two cadets each year.
“To personally help our future leaders achieve their goals to fly is the best feeling of all,” she said. Myzie opted to let CAP choose the scholarship recipients, having full confidence in their selection process. To date, eight cadets have received the scholarship.
Edward Myzie joined CAP in 1969 and transitioned to adult member in 1975, serving 49 years in various roles including commander, finance officer, and communications officer, achieving his Gill Robb Wilson Award. He retired in 2014 after 37 years as a New Jersey Department of Transportation engineer. Amy Myzie, who retired after more than 30 years as a New Jersey police officer, became a CAP adult member in 1981 and has filled various wing and squadron roles.
Today, as the New Jersey Wing’s commander, she continues the couple’s shared legacy and love of flight, ensuring that high-flying dreams can become reality by teaching cadets to fly.
When their two sons showed interest in the Boy Scouts, Edward Myzie joined a troop with them, serving in several leadership roles. They both ultimately received their Eagle Scout designation. Edward’s two roles — Boy Scouts and Civil Air Patrol — bookended a life of service, dedication, and mentoring young people.
The Myzie scholarship will ensure cadets will continue to be inspired by Edward’s dedication to helping others obtain their dreams.
The 2025 Myzie scholarship recipients, Cadet 2nd Lt. Sophia Brown of the North Carolina Wing’s Asheville Composite Squadron, and Cadet Maj. Luke Patterson of the New Jersey Wing’s Jack Schweiker Composite Squadron in Cherry Hill, have wanted to fly since a very young age.
From left: Cadet Col. Dominic Miranda, Cadet Capt. Nathaniel Jennings, and Cadet Maj. Luke Patterson are benefactors of Hanna and Myzie scholarships.
“By embodying Civil Air Patrol’s core values and embracing discipline and determination I was able to earn a slot at the Richard Augur National Flight Academy and am on the path to solo,” Brown said.
Patterson said he first saw CAP cadets at an airshow when he was 10. “Seeing them in their uniforms and talking to them, I knew that I wanted to develop the same level of excellence, professionalism, and leadership that they had,” he said, adding he joined CAP a few days after he turned 12. “CAP has changed my life, and I am so grateful for all the opportunities and experiences I’ve had because of it.”
Cadet Capt. Charles Tippett and Cadet Maj. Valerie Lima Rodriguez, the 2024 recipients, said CAP has helped them focus on what they wish to do with their futures.
Rodriguez, a member of the Puerto Rico Wing’s Muñiz Air National Guard Base Cadet Squadron, said she didn’t know she wanted to fly until she learned through CAP of all the opportunities in the aerospace field. “To me, being granted the Lt. Col. Edward J. Myzie scholarship … makes me feel honored and thankful because, thanks to that financial help, I began my journey into the aerospace field and will use my scholarship to cover the expenses and participate in the Falcon Flight Academy in New Jersey.”
The enduring legacies of the Lt. Col. William E. Hanna Jr. U.S. Air Force Reserves Flight Scholarship Fund and the Lt. Col. Edward J. Myzie Flight Academy Scholarship are a powerful testament to how each fund, seeded in the CAP Foundation, can flourish and expand its reach over time to nurture the aspirations of more young aviators with each passing year.
Today, there are nearly 40 funds to support cadet scholarships and programs, wings and squadrons, and universal support in the CAP Foundation. Each fund was created by individuals and organizations whose generosity takes many forms: gifts of stock, IRA distributions, donor-advised funds, employer matching gifts, cash, and other planned giving options. What begins as a single act of generosity becomes a catalyst for a legacy that shapes lives, strengthens communities, and secures the future of Civil Air Patrol’s mission for generations to come.
If you are interested in learning more about how endowments work or ways to support Civil Air Patrol scholarships, please contact Kristina Jones or Anne Marie Gallagher at legacy@gocivilairpatrol.org or by phone at 833-426-4227 for more information.