A former base commander passed away Sept. 9 in Alexander, Ark.
Retired Col. Theodore R. “Ted” Dale, 93, passed away Sunday surrounded by those dear to him. The Colonel, a World War II Army and Air Force veteran and an Air Force Veteran of the Korean and Vietnam Wars, was the base commander at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., from 1968-1970.
The Colonel was an integral part of the transition to the C-130 at Little Rock AFB. As the commander of the 64th Tactical Airlift Wing, the bases’ host unit at the time, he supervised the arrival of the C-130 Hercules and the execution of its initial mission at the base.
The Colonel was born March 12, 1918, in eastern Kentucky. He graduated in 1941 from Ohio State University and commissioned into the Army the same year a field artillery officer. In 1943 the Colonel transferred to the Army Air Corps and later the Air Force. The Colonel had a diverse and impactful 30 year career. When he retired Aug. 1, 1970, he had logged more than 4,500 hours in 33 different aircraft.
He is survived by his wife, Dee Brazil Dale, Alexander; daughters, Terry Lutes and her husband Leroy of Blue Springs, Mo., Mary Dougherty and her husband Bob of Jacksonville; grandsons, Spencer Lutes and his wife Marianne of Lee’s Summit, Mo., Robert Dougherty and his wife Holly of Tennessee; Steven and Michael Lutes, Blue Springs Mo., Patrick Dougherty of Jacksonville; granddaughter, Christy Dougherty of Tampa, Fla.; great grandchildren, Spencer, Hunter and Jessica Lutes, Juliana and Max Dougherty.
Funeral service and burial were held Thursday. Full military honors were provided by the Air Force. Memorials may be sent to the Michael V. Aureli Arkansas Hospice Perpetual Endowment Fund, c/o the Arkansas Hospice Foundation, 14 Parkstone Circle, North Little Rock, Ark. 72116. (www.arkansashospice.org).
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