PORT ANGELES — A Sequim dad, described as “all-around amazing” by his 10-year-old daughter, will fly for free on a B-17 after three World War II-era war birds arrive in Port Angeles on Monday.
Claire Henninger, the middle child of seven, won an essay contest for a father-child flight aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress that was sponsored by Wings of Freedom stop coordinator Alan Barnard and Ruddell Auto Mall owner Howie Ruddell.
Claire and her dad, Ray, a physical therapist, will be among the sponsors and guests treated to a complementary noon flight on the iconic aircraft.
“She described all of the things that all of us fathers would want to be,” said Ruddell, who gave up his seat as a sponsor of the Port Angeles stopover to give a dad a chance to read a heartfelt letter from his child and get a 30-minute ride on the vintage plane.
The B-17, along with a B-24 Liberator and a P-51 Mustang, will land at William R. Fairchild International Airport on Monday for a three-day stopover of the Collings Foundation’s Wings of Freedom tour.
Told Saturday
Claire’s mom, Ann Marie, said her daughter and husband were told about the contest results Saturday, the day before Father’s Day.
“Claire was disbelieving, and her eyes got very big,” said Ann Marie, who described herself as a “nurse by training and homemaker by vocation.”
“Ray was the same, and he said, ‘I think I‘m going to cry,’” she said.
Said Ray: “She was ear-to-ear smiles.
“I got a big hug, and I was ear-to-ear smiles.”
Claire said her mother told her about the contest.
“She saw it in the paper [the Peninsula Daily News]. It would be a great Father’s Day gift,” Claire said.
In her essay, Claire — who is home-schooled along with siblings Ean, 19; Erin, 16; Kate, 13; Aidan, 8; Jack, 5; and Joseph, 3 — listed several examples of her father’s virtues before concluding:
“I love my dad because he is brave, admirable, humble, self-giving, calm, strong, honorable, protective, kind, generous and all-around amazing.
‘Deserves the best’
“He deserves the best because he is the best,” she wrote.
The Henningers, who have lived in Sequim since 1996, also have recently renewed their foster parents’ license.
Claire’s essay, one of about 50 entered into the contest announced about one week ago, was chosen Friday by a panel that included Ruddell, Barnard — who also gave up his seat on the complementary flight for the contest — and about five people who work at Ruddell Auto Mall in Port Angeles.
The contest was Ruddell’s idea, Barnard said.
Missed his dad
Ruddell said that as Father’s Day approached, he was especially missing his dad, “who gave me more in 29 years than most get in a lifetime” before dying 9½ years ago at the age of 55.
He had ridden on the vintage aircraft before, and so he asked himself what his dad would do.
“He’d say share it with someone else,” Ruddell said.
“Why not encourage kids to tell their dads how much they love them?”
Ruddell said he wrote his dad a letter when he was 12.
“After he died, I found the letter . . . It was in his box where he kept special things.
“You could tell it had been opened and closed many times,” Ruddell said.
“It was very special for me to write it. It was 10 times more important to him.”
“He kept it for 16 years or so and looked at it” often.
Ruddell, 38, is now the father of four children, one daughter and three sons.
‘No sweeter words’
“There’s no sweeter words that a father can hear from his son or daughter than ‘I love my dad,’” Ruddell said.
“There’s not more magical music or words than that.”
He said he thought, “If you only get five letters, then that’s five more dads that would be told that.”
His own children surprised him with hand-written notes.
“I came to work, and I could see that someone had rustled through my bag,” Ruddell said.
“I found four little letters that the kids had stuffed into my bag,” each with a picture and a few words.
Ruddell said he appreciated the sentiment in each of the 50 essays.
“Every letter was precious and beautiful,” he said.
“There were no bad letters. When you’re a 6-year-old, a 7-year-old — or a 22-year-old or 40-year-old — it’s from the heart.”
All of the letters are on display at Ruddell’s dealership at 110 Golf Course Road in Port Angeles.
He plans to exhibit them for a week.
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Managing Editor/News Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3531 or leah.leach@peninsuladailynews.com.
Reporter Arwyn Rice also contributed to this story.
