Trophy Gala to take place in February 2025

WICHITA, KAN. (Nov. 6, 2024) – Today at a special reception, the Wichita Aero Club (WAC) announced Fred Berry as the recipient of the 2024 Wichita Aero Club Trophy. Mr. Berry is the co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of Berry Companies, Inc. The Wichita Aero Club recognizes a deserving candidate with solid ties to the Wichita and Kansas aviation communities. WAC will celebrate Mr. Berry at its annual gala on Saturday, February 1.

“Fred Berry is a pillar of service and leadership in our community - a successful businessman, a generous philanthropist, and an avid aviator,” said Ashley Bowen Cook, WAC Board Chair, Trophy Committee Chair and Greteman Group President. “His passion for aviation and use of Wichita-built aircraft over the years is something he credits much of his success in leading and growing his family business. We are fortunate to have his advocacy and support for both our industry and our community.”   

The nomination included the following remarks: 

As a pillar of the Wichita business and aviation communities, Fred Berry has embodied leadership, success, and generosity. His vision, innovation, and utilization of corporate aviation helped him grow the Berry Companies into a respected national enterprise. During his tenure, he has owned and operated more than two dozen aircraft in the conduct of his business and has contributed consistently to Wichita’s aviation community through the Berry Foundation and sharing his time, acumen, and pride in the “Air Capital of the World.”

About Fred Berry

Fred Berry is the co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of Berry Companies, Inc. Headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, Berry Companies provides administrative services to a network of equipment dealerships in the construction and material handling industries.

Fred grew up on a farm near Wood River, Illinois. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois and the Harvard Business School. He served as a maintenance officer in the Air Force during the Korean War. He married Suzanne Nicholl in 1955 while working as an assistant sales manager in his father’s farm equipment business. In 1957, Fred and his brother, Paul, moved to Wichita and started Berry Tractor and Equipment Company. As their company grew and diversified, Berry Tractor became a division of Berry Companies, Inc. Today, Berry Companies supports nine divisions with 65 branches in nine states. Being a pilot and always having an airplane played a prominent role in the growth of the business.

Fred has always had a passion for aviation. His interest was originally sparked by his Uncle Art Berry, who first soloed in a Beechcraft Travel Air that was made in Wichita. Fred’s parents gave him flying lessons for his high school graduation present in 1945. By the summer of 1946, he visited Wichita for the first time, picking up a new airplane for a dealer (with a three-day old license!). Fred continued to fly planes personally and for business for the next 62 years. Over that time, many of his family members also became pilots, including his brother, Paul, his wife, Sue, and his sons, Franklin and Walter. The company and family have owned 22 airplanes, and Fred has flown many more. They currently fly a small Cessna Citation.

Fred Berry has maintained a high level of involvement in the Wichita community since the 1960s. He has served as Board Chair for the United Way of the Plains, the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Wesley Medical Center, and the Institute of Logopedics (now Heartspring). He was honored as the 1996 Uncommon Citizen by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce. He also received the Russ Meyer Community Leadership Award in 2017, and he and Sue together received the Martha Buford Humble Servant Award from the Salvation Army in 2021. Today, he continues his community involvement at Eastminster Presbyterian Church, Wichita State University, and the Wichita Community Foundation, as well as with B29 Doc, the restored WWII bomber.

Fred and Suzanne Berry still live in Wichita, and they have four children, 17 grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren.

About the WAC Trophy 

In 2010, the Wichita Aero Club issued its first Trophy, which was created to recognize both contemporaneous accomplishment or a lifetime of achievement. The Trophy is awarded annually to a living person, group, or organization with a strong relationship to the greater Wichita area on the basis of exemplary achievements in the field of aviation or aerospace accomplished during the past year or, as appropriate, over an extended period or career. The Trophy Selection Committee includes members of the WAC Board of Directors and prominent members of the aviation community. 

Prior WAC Trophy Recipients 

• 2023: United States Senator Jerry Moran

• 2022: Dr. John Tomblin, Senior Vice President, Industry and Defense Programs; Executive Director, National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR); and Sam Bloomfield Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering for Wichita State University

• 2021: Ron Ryan, Pilot, Airline Founder and Philanthropist 

• 2020: No award due to COVID-19

• 2019: Clay Lacy, Legendary Pilot and Founder of Clay Lacy Aviation

• 2018: Jack Pelton, Experimental Aircraft Association CEO 

• 2017: Lynn Nichols & Yingling Aviation 

• 2016: Paul Bowen, Aviation Photographer 

• 2015: Doc’s Friends Restoration Team 

• 2014: Al Higdon, Co-Founder of Sullivan Higdon & Sink Advertising 

• 2013: Russell W. Meyer, Jr. Chairman Emeritus, Cessna Aircraft Company 

• 2012: John O’Leary & Airbus Americas Engineering 

• 2011: Jeff Turner, Spirit AeroSystems CEO 

• 2010: Velma Wallace 

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About the Wichita Aero Club 

The Wichita Aero Club was established in 2008 to foster and promote interest in aviation, to provide a forum that focuses on the industry’s issues and achievements, and to bring together those with a passion for flight in an environment that expands and enhances professional relationships and furthers cooperation and understanding. Learn more at wichitaaero.club.