Russell
Born: 02/17/1907
Died: 07/23/1979
Inducted: 10/14/2000

Marjorie
Born: 07/24/1913
Died: 11/30/2000
Inducted: 10/14/2000

Russ and Marjorie Van Galder brought aviation to the residents of southern Wisconsin in the early days of the industry.

They were a team that taught thousands of students to fly and entertained many by barnstorming and conducting air shows.

Marge Van Galder was also an accomplished aviator. While Russ would be teaching in the aircraft Marge would teach ground school classes at Beloit Vocational School (now Blackhawk Technical College) and in other area communities.

Marge was a strong advocate for aviation in Rock County, pushing for the development of the Rock County Airport. She served on the Rock County Airport Advisory Committee and also served as secretary of the National Aviation Association, Blackhawk Chapter.

Later, after Russ died, Marge kept active in the community affairs of Beloit, Wisconsin. She was named "Woman of the Year'' by the Women's Division of the Greater Beloit Association of Commerce in 1977. In 1993, she received the Woman of the Year in Arts Award. She also was lauded with the 2000 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Learning Unlimited.

Marge also authored two books. Her passion for flying and that of her husband is detailed in the book "Taming the Blue". She also wrote about growing up in Janesville, Wisconsin during the World War I era in the book, "Growing Up in Monterey Back When".