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Archives at The Museum of Flight


Seiler, Richard Frank, 1930-2019

 Person

Staff Only

Dates

  • Existence: 1930 - 2019

Biographical Note

Richard Frank Seiler, Sr. (1930-2019) was a United States Air Force pilot and served in the Korean War.

Richard Frank Seiler, Sr. was born on September 14, 1930 to Frank J. and Marguerite C. (Bardill) Seiler in Galesburg, Illinois. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in Physics in August 1953. While at University, he served with the ROTC and in September 1953, Seiler joined the United States Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant. He completed pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. After his training he was stationed at Randolph Air Force Base for a brief time in late 1954 for Boeing B-29 training. Seiler was then transferred to West Palm Peach, Florida for training on the KC-97. After completion of KC-97 training, he was transferred to Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama followed by Lockbourne Air Force Base near Columbus, Ohio. Seiler was assigned to the 321st Air Refueling Squadron, part of the Strategic Air Command. As part of his service with the 321st, he often flew in and out of North Africa. In 1957, Seiler was stationed at Sidi Slimane Air Base in Morocco. He was honorably discharged from military service as a 1st Lieutenant in March 1958, atlhough he remained with the Air Force Reserve.

Post-service, he obtained his Ph.D. in Physics from The Ohio State University in 1963. After his graduation, the family relocated to Seattle, Washington. Seiler worked for the Boeing Company in Seattle, Washington for over 25 years and was Chief of the Physics Department. After his retirement, Seiler remained active and played golf. He also served as president of the Meridian Valley Country Club in Kent, Washington.

Seiler married Janet Virginia Olson (1933-1982) on December 23, 1953 at Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The couple had four children. After Janet's death, Seiler married his second wife, Helen, in August 1983. Richard Frank Seiler, Sr. died on June 22, 2019 in Seattle, Washington.

Gender

  • male

Occupations

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Seiler Family Aviation Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2024-03-12
Contents of the Collection The Seiler Family Aviation Collections holds textual, visual, and audiovisual materials from the military and commercial aviation careers of members of the Seiler family. Materials are dated from the 1950s through the 2010s, although the bulk of material fall within the 1980s-1990s. It has been arranged alphabetically by family member with each family member's materials in chronological order. The first series, Gretchen (Seiler) Haskins, is primarily...
Dates: circa 1950s-2010s; Majority of material found within 1980s-1990s
Found in: The Museum of Flight Archives

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