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Tribute to a Giant

The Bud Coffin story 1917 to 2008

The Radio Control world, and the world in general, lost a true giant recently. This is the story of Bud Coffin, at least as I knew him, which sadly was not as well as I wish I knew him.

My introduction to Bud came as a bit of serendipity. A lonely modeler (myself), a credit card and an eBay account with a link to radio control airplanes led me to place a bid on a beautiful 60 inch wingspan Fokker Dr 1. This plane was RTF and the many pictures in the ad didn’t do it justice. As I was the winning bidder and with the plane located close enough to make it economical for me to drive to Bridgeport, CT, to pick it up, arrangements were made. I drove out to meet Bud’s best friend/neighbor/eBay ad writer and go between Ms. Memory Russell and on a Saturday I found myself introduced to Bud Coffin, a spry 86 years young. The Fokker was there, and I had a wonderful 2 hour visit with Bud, Memory, and Bud’s Maine coon cat Sam.

I was shown the grand tour of the grand old man’s home and workshop. Beside the Dr 1, Bud’s collection was extensive. He was a prolific builder and engineer all of his long life. His airplanes were works of art, and I have come to find, not his only claim to fame! Bud would start with raw lumber, some of it harvested from a neighbor’s tulip tree that was blown down. In his shop, Bud had antique milling machines, saws and lathes. His routine was to take a brainstorm idea and then transfer that idea onto paper. I am told the Dr 1 came into existence because a sauce pan Bud had looked to him like the cowl of a Dr 1, and the plane took form around it. He would mill the wood and assemble the model. Bud accumulated foam, wood, Dacron curtain fabric and house paint, all of which he put to good use in his building. The foam would be carved into any shape he needed. Pilot figures (The Baron von Glott in the Dr 1 sports a mustache of Bud’s own chest hairs!), cowls which he would then fiberglass and after the glass was cured the foam would be carved away from the inside leaving a lightweight well formed cowl for any model. I came away with a lovely plane and an abiding respect for a unique individual.

Years pass. The Dr 1 had been hung on my wall for the entire time, because I did not feel that I had the skills to fly her yet. I had fallen out of touch with Memory Russell. But one day late last winter, I was looking thru my eBay history and found the name of Memory. I sent her an email just to say hello, and she responded and an “epenpal” relationship ensued. Memory is a California transplant, and a real “Earth mother” type. I mean that in a good way! Bud didn’t correspond with me directly, but I sent my regards thru Memory, and he remembered me and the plane he sold me. By now, Bud was in his 92nd year. He still lived in his own home, and swam at the YMCA daily. Bud and Memory were daily friends, and they did many things for each other. As you may imagine, there was no handyman job that Bud couldn’t take care of for his friend, and Memory in turn provided company, cooking and light household help, and a ride when Bud needed one or when they took one of their many day trips to Flea markets and yard sales in search of treasures.

Then came the day that an email from Memory informed me that Bud had just been diagnosed with advanced terminal lung cancer and given only a few weeks to live. Memory was heartbroken. Bud was her best friend. But she did what people like her always do. They do what they need to do. She was Bud’s friend and right arm. She helped him, and helped his family cope with the situation. She continued to communicate with me, and all I could do was offer my support. Bud was concerned for his planes. His children didn’t have the modeling bug, but they loved their dad and wanted his things to go with people or groups who would know what they meant, and give them the respect that they deserved. I knew I wanted to help, but wasn’t sure just what I could or should do.

The first thing I did was to send an email to Andy Argenio, AMA District I Vice President, and I told him a bit about the situation and gave him Memory’s email address. I was thrilled to see a prompt and sincere response from Mr. Argenio to Memory, copied to me, expressing his support and desire to help. Memory was touched. I also told my new friends in the club I had just joined, Mid Hudson Radio Control about Bud and his planes, and showed them my Dr 1. They said they would love to travel out to Bridgeport and see Bud’s planes with the idea that they might wish to rehome at least some of them. At the very least, they wished to offer support and advanced condolences to the family.

The MHRC contingent and I traveled to Bridgeport on Sunday, July 6th. Bud was still at the house, but by this time his health had deteriorated to the point that he was pretty much confined to bed, and his family, led by son Lee, whom when I first met him reminded me so much of his dad that I almost thought I was looking at the old man, preferred we not disturb him, and of course we honored that desire. Bud was a true gentleman and a sweet person. Visiting with his son Lee, and Lee’s kids, and at least one great grandchild, it quickly became obvious to me that Bud had passed on his classiness. The 4 of us from New York, complete strangers to these people in their hour of sadness, almost instantly established a rapoire with the family and Memory Russell that quickly evolved into a friendship that allowed us to have a wonderful visit for about 2 hours that basically was a celebration of all things Bud. We looked at all of the planes. We each picked one for ourselves, and Lee wanted us to just take them! We all insisted on paying something. Look at the pictures. Remember, each of these models began it’s existence as a thought in the mind of Bud Coffin.

During our visit with the family, we sat and talked and looked at photo albums. We learned more about Bud. He was a complete Renaissance man when it came to “do it yourself.” Bud built a scale model of his own ocean going fishing boat. He had a friend who served on a PT boat in WW 2 and he built him a working RC replica just for fun. He built a plane that was so large that in order to get it out of the house, they needed to remove the front window! Apparently, Bud was a better builder then he was a flyer, however, and over the years many of Bud’s planes met their fate at the flying field. Bud’s response was always the same: “Well, I guess I’ll need to build another.” What a guy!

Besides the planes, Bud built an electric car and drove it around in his neighborhood. This was a long, long time before the energy crisis! Bud’s family owned some remote property in Maine. They needed a road built there. Bud acquired a complete wreck of an old bulldozer and rebuilt it into like new condition and then he built the road. An amazing life and an amazing man. My only regret is that I didn’t know him better and longer.

Bud was placed into a Hospice hospital about 2 days after our visit. He was awake and aware and enjoyed the ride, looking out the windows of the ambulance. Memory told me the facility was like a luxury residence, with ocean views and a pool. I hope Bud got a chance to get into the pool before the end. He loved to swim. Bud passed away in the mid afternoon on Saturday, July 12, 2008. I was in attendance at Warbirds over Delaware, wishing I could be flying Bud’s Dr 1, which is soon to take to the air. I now own 2 Bud Coffin originals, the DR 1 and a high wing trainer type that could be a cub or an Aeronca champ or even an early tail dragger Cessna. It has an 81 inch wing, painted drab green and yellow trim and carrying a nice Q 38 in the nose. I plan to add military markings and fly it as an “L” bird, even though I don’t think it is an actual scale model. It is a Bud Coffin original.
Richard Rizza
July 13, 2008