The Pan Am Podcast

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Episode 58: Top Gun Screenwriter Jack Epps Jr. and Kate Ginley: Mastering the Craft of Screenwriting Oct 26, 2025

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In this episode, we’re joined by screenwriter Jack Epps, Jr. and his student, up and coming screenwriter Kate Ginley, who is writing a screenplay about Pan Am and Tenerife.

Jack is now a professor and Chair of the Writing for Screen and Television Division at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, also known as USC.

But you probably already know of him from the most iconic aviation films ever made — the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, which he co-wrote with his longtime screenwriting partner, Jim Cash. Starring Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, Top Gun didn’t just redefine aviation movies — it became a cultural phenomenon. It inspired generations of aviators, reignited pride in flight, and set the gold standard for how aviation could be portrayed on screen.

The film was also a popular hit during its run as a featured movie of Pan Am’s Theatre in the Air.

Beyond the breathtaking aerial footage, Top Gun is a brilliant study in the craft of screenwriting — how character, emotion, and story structure come together to create cinematic magic.

After Top Gun, Jack Epps, Jr. and Jim Cash went on to write a series of major Hollywood hits, including Legal Eagles, The Secret of My Success, Dick Tracy, and Turner & Hooch.

Today, Jack brings that same storytelling mastery to his students at USC — shaping the next generation of screenwriters and filmmakers.

In our conversation, we’ll talk about Jack’s remarkable career, his insights into the art and discipline of screenwriting, the enduring legacy of Top Gun, and how Kate is carrying that storytelling spirit forward in her new screenplay about Pan Am and the tragedy at Tenerife.

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A very special thanks to Mr. Adam Aron, Chairman and CEO of AMC and president of the Pan Am Historical Foundation and Pan Am Brands for their continued and unwavering support!

Episode 57: Steve Ford (son of President Ford), Adoptee Thuy Williams and the Legacy of Operation Babylift Sep 11, 2025

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In this episode we are joined by two special guests, Steve Ford (the youngest son of President and Mrs. Ford) and adoptee Thuy Williams to mark the 50th anniversary of Operation Babylift, the frantic evacuation ordered by U.S. President Gerald R. Ford of Vietnamese war orphans in the final days of Saigon in 1975.

The Pan Am Museum, in partnership with the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum, commissioned filmmaker Dirk Braun to create the documentary short film, Operation Babylift: 50 Years Later: 1975-2025, A Celebration of the Human Spirit.

Steve Ford has enjoyed a remarkable acting career spanning over 40 years, with appearances in more than 800 hours of film and television productions. He has worked on over 25 films and numerous guest-lead roles in television.

Early in his career, Steve spent six years playing Andy Richards on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless. His film and TV credits include Transformers, Black Hawk Down, Contact, Armageddon, Starship Troopers, Eraser, Heat, When Harry Met Sally, J.A.G., Columbo, Murder She Wrote, Happy Days, along with many others.

Steve is the third and youngest son of President and Mrs. Gerald R. Ford. He currently serves on the Board of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Adoptee Thuy Williams was born in Ho Chi Minh City in 1970.

When she became an adult, she wanted to serve the country that gave her a second chance by joining the U.S. Army as a tank mechanic.

After serving for eight years, Thuy returned to her adoptive hometown of Portland, Oregon and started her own business, a construction and roofing company called Acme High Performance.

She is also a missionary with One Challenge and a coach of soccer, track, and lacrosse…spending her time traveling the world, using sports to bridge the gap with traumatized people in refugee camps in third-world countries and helps these kids process trauma by using sports as a way to create friendships and smiles. Thuy is on the board the nonprofit Breaking Boundaries, which takes kids from the US to do community service projects in third-world countries.

Like Steve Ford, Thuy is also motivational speaker encouraging people to make a difference in their communities that leaves a lasting legacy for generations to come.

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Episode 56: From the CIA to the Pan Am Board Room and Changing the World Through Music Aug 10, 2025

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In this episode we are joined by Donald Devito who worked for the Pan Am board of directors from the early 1960s until the end of the airline. Also, joining us is his son, Dr. Donald DeVito, a renowned musical educator.

The senior DeVito will share stories working for the Central Intelligence Agency in the 1950s and being hired by Pan Am in the early 1960s to work for the corporate board of directors and founder Juan T. Trippe. He was on a first name basis with Mr. Trippe and coordinated the materials and presentations for board members such as aviation legend Charles Lindbergh and banker James Rockefeller, among others.

His hiring by Pan Am was tied to his cryptography training in the U.S. Air Force and Central Intelligence Agency where he served in the 1950s during the Cold War in Rangoon, the Philippines and Libya.

Don’s son, the junior Dr. Donald DeVito, will share his memories of traveling around the world as a Pan Am kid and how that shaped his career in education. Dr. Don is a music educator at the Rawlings Elementary Center for Fine Arts since 2018 and is an adjunct instructor in the University of Florida Online Masters in Music Education program.

From 2001 to 2018 he was the music director and special education teacher at the Sidney Lanier Center, a public school in Gainesville, Florida, for students with disabilities between 3 and 22. The music programs are global in scope and linked online with universities and music programs internationally through research, cooperative music making, and professional music education organizations.

Dr. DeVito was named the 2011 National Teacher of the Year by the Council for Exceptional Children.

The elder Mr. DeVito, his sons, and their families live in Florida. They even have a rescue horse that lives on their farm affectionally named "Clipper" in honor of Pan Am!

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Episode 55: Yvonne Conde, Operation Pedro Pan and the Untold Exodus of 14,048 Cuban Children Jun 30, 2025

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In this episode we explore Operation Pedro Pan, the clandestine operation of the U.S. Government, the Catholic Church and Pan American World Airways to relocate over 14,000 children out of Cuba to the United States between 1960 and 1962.

Our guest for this episode is Pan Am veteran Yvonne Conde who wrote the book Operation Pedro Pan: The Untold Exodus of 14,048 Cuban Children. She will share many personal insights on being one of the many children that were sent away by their parents for a better future in America in the early 1960s. Yvonne will also share her stories of working for Pan Am during her 18 years in the air as a flight attendant. Her father, Pedro Conde, worked for Pan American in Havana from the 1940s to the early 1960s.

Yvonne is a freelance writer based in New York City and has written for Latina Magazine, Crain’s, Smithsonian, and Hispanic Business Magazine and has been featured on the NewHour with Jim Lehrer and National Public Radio.

Operation Pedro Pan facilitated the migration of Cuban children to the United States as a response to the Cuban Revolution and the subsequent fear among Cuban families that their parental rights would be revoked and their children would be indoctrinated into communism.

Under the operation, more than 14,000 Cuban children, primarily between the ages of 6 and 18, were sent to the U.S. without their parents. The children were placed in foster homes, orphanages, and other institutions, with the intention of reuniting them with their families later.

The operation ended during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 that put the United States and the Soviet Union on the brink of nuclear war.

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Episode 54: A Trip to Japan and Making Connections in the Air May 28, 2025

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In this episode, Host Tom Betti shares insights on his recent trip to Japan where he met Charlie, a purser with United Airlines, on his inbound flight to Tokyo and on his outbound flight from Osaka met United flight attendants Leslie and Lynn who both worked for Pan Am from 1977 to 1986 until the Pacific Division was sold to United.

Tom also shares some personal travel stories and gives many updates about this program and the Pan Am Museum!

The Pan Am Podcast was recently awarded the 2025 Platinum Muse Creative Award and the 2025 Platinum Vega Digital Award. To learn more, read Tom's interview with Muse staff about this incredible achievement:

Tom Betti on Telling the Untold Stories of Pan Am

On April 24, 2025, the Pan Am Museum, in partnership with the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum, hosted an event in Garden City, NY celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Operation Babylift, the frantic evacuation, ordered by President Ford, of Vietnamese war orphans in the final days of Saigon in 1975. In addition, on May 9, 2025 the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum hosted an event in Grand Rapids, MI to celebrate the anniversary.

To mark the occasion, the three organizations produced a short documentary film by Dirk Braun that premiered at both events. You can view this film on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9pNjUZwXb4

There’s also an officially branded Pan Am coffee available from Expedition Roasters Coffee Company that was recently released. There are two kinds available: Organic Guatemalan Single Origin which is more of a medium roast and Sumatra Single-Origin from Indonesia which is more of a dark roast.

Here is the link to purchase Pan Am coffee:
https://expeditionroasters.com/collections/pan-am

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Episode 53: Pan Am Returns to the Skies with Gary Bartelings Mar 21, 2025

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In this episode we are joined by Gary Bartelings, a supporter of the Pan Am Museum and founder and managing director of Bartelings, a company dedicated to unique travel experiences by private jet.

We also welcome back to the program our good friend Becky Sprecher. She has been a frequent guest and contributor to this podcast. Becky brings great history to this episode about the flying boats of 1930s and the insight into Pan Am’s legendary passenger service.

From June 16, 2025 to June 28, 2025, Pan Am returns to the sky for an exclusive journey for 50 intrepid voyagers aboard a luxurious and modern private 757 aircraft with Pan Am livery! This exclusive trip, called Tracing the Transatlantic, will follow some of Pan Am’s original flying boat routes across the Atlantic Ocean with stops in New York, Bermuda, Lisbon, Marseille, London and Foynes.

For more information, visit criteriontravel.com/panam

Founded in 2015, Bartelings was incorporated to provide discerning travel companies access to extensive expertise and knowledge to create incredible and exclusive trips for customers.

Their aim is to create unique experiences throughout the world allowing guests to connect with other cultures, visit incredible sights –both natural and man-made– and to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the world we all inhabit.

Our guest Gary Bartelings grew up in the Netherlands. His original career plan was to study at the Hotel School, however, he changed his mind and wanted to broaden his education to tourism.

Gary started his travel career in 1987 with Qantas Airways in Amsterdam after completing his education. During his career he has been involved in everything from telephone sales to aircraft dispatch, brochure production to contract negotiation, crisis management to tour managing, public speaking to PR relationships and so on.

Having had the privilege to travel extensively around the world he believes there is no better way to connect people and cultures than through understanding, acceptance and respect. The best way to achieve that is to travel, to visit, to interact, to learn.

Gary has a passion for travel in all it shapes and forms, he has explored Asia donning a backpack, drove a classic car through Southern India to raise money for charity and at the other end of the scale visited famous monuments of humanity traveling by private jet and each experience strengthens his appreciation of the world we live in.

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Episode 52: George Takei Remembers Gene Roddenberry (Pan Am Pilot, 1945-1948) Jan 06, 2025

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In this episode we learn about the life of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, who was a pilot for Pan Am from 1945 to 1948.
Then we will be joined by a very special guest, George Takei, a legendary actor, NY Times Best Selling author, and activist. He knew “Star Trek” creator and Pan Am pilot Gene Roddenberry well for over 25 years playing Mr. Sulu in the 1966 television show “Star Trek” and six subsequent feature films.
George will share his personal insights into the Roddenberry philosophy, memories of living in a Japanese American internment camp during World War II, working in Hollywood as an actor, and how he became a pop culture icon.
His latest book, Rhymes With Takei, will be released on June 17, 2025 and can be pre-ordered.
In the early hours of June 19, 1947, Pan Am Clipper Eclipse, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation, crashed in the Syrian desert killing 15 people. Third Officer Gene Roddenberry was traveling as a passenger and became the senior officer after the flight crew was killed. He took charge of the crash site, organized and helped survivors, and sought help. After they were rescued, he decided he didn't want to fly anymore and resigned from Pan Am almost a year later on May 15, 1948 to pursue his dream of writing, particularly for the new medium of television.
For more information on Roddenberry's life, we encourage you to read Star Trek Creator: The Authorized Biography of Gene Roddenberry by David Alexander.
The audio clips of Roddenberry used in this episode are from a rare 1988 interview.

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Episode 51: Crossing the Atlantic in 1939 and Making History Once More Nov 30, 2024

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In this episode we explore the first transatlantic passenger flights of Pan Am’s Boeing 314 flying boats in the late 1930s and we welcome back to the program Pan Am flight attendant and author Becky Sprecher who will share her insights -and family history– of these flying clippers!
Becky was our guest in Episode 7: Flying the Line and Episode 29 AIDS Epidemic of the 1980s, Remembering Those We Lost.
To learn more about Pan Am’s flying boats, listen to Episode 3: Flying Boats, Irish Coffee, and a Hollywood Star and Episode 8: A Lifetime of Romantic Adventure... From Flying Boats to Jumbo Jets after listening to this installment.
On March 29, 1939, the Yankee Clipper made history and took off from Baltimore to Europe under the command of Captain Harold Gray. On this inspection flight, the clipper traveled to the Azores, Lisbon, Marseilles, Southampton, and Foynes and back.

On June 17, 1939, Pan American arranged for a special flight for 16 members of the press departing from Port Washington on the Atlantic Clipper; a brilliant marketing and public relations strategy for the airline. This press flight is historically and culturally significant because the radio reporters on board reported live at an altitude of 10,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean to listeners all over the country tuned into their radio sets with great interest.

The cost for a one-way ticket to Europe was $375 (that’s about $8,500 in 2024 money adjusted for inflation) or $675 roundtrip (which is over $15,000 today).

There are no original Boeing 314 flying boats in existence today. However, the Foynes Flying Boat Museum in Foynes, Ireland ahs an impressive full-scale replica of the Yankee Clipper you can tour with every detail accurately recreated.

The Records of Pan American World Airways Inc. are part of the Special Collections of the Richter Library of the University of Miami.
Listen to the Mid Century Living podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Episode 50: Kathleen Clair, Juan T. Trippe's Executive Assistant for 32 Years (1948-1980) Sep 07, 2024

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In this episode we explore the life of Kathleen Clair, executive assistant to Pan Am founder and chairman Juan T. Trippe for over 32 years from 1948 to 1980. We will also hear a personal and private memories of Mr. Trippe and Kathleen.
We are joined by two special guests that knew Kathleen well: Wendy Trippe Barr, the granddaughter of Juan and Betty Trippe and John Luetich, a board member of the Pan Am Museum Foundation, Museum Curator, and the son of Mary Luetich who worked with Kathleen for many years in the Pan Am Building.
Both guests remember Kathleen at an early age and will share their intimate perspectives on this incredible woman.

After the airline ceased operations in 1991, Kathleen worked tirelessly to preserve Pan Am history and was a founding member of the Pan Am Historical Foundation and worked with Juan Trippe’s sons, Charlie and Ed, to preserve Pan Am’s historic contributions to the history of flight.
Several audio clips from an oral history interview of Kathleen recorded in 2003 are used in this episode. A special thank you to the Pan Am Historical Foundation for allowing us to use these recordings for this program. Another special thank you to our high school intern Michael Genter for his help in organizing the audio clips.
Kathleen Clair was born on December 12, 1918 to her parents Ted and Kit Clair and would later become the devoted older sister of Phyllis and Donald. She graduated from high school in Englewood, NJ, in 1936 and then went on to the prestigious Katherine Gibbs School for women in 1937.
After graduation, she stayed in Manhattan and spent the next 11 years as a secretary at various jobs. One of the many gifts of Kathleen that become invaluable in her career was her photographic memory. She remembered everything to the finest detail with instant recall.
In late 1948, she applied for a job at the corporate offices of Pan Am, then in the iconic Chrysler Building. She was hired and worked for Mr. Trippe for 32 years until her retirement in 1980.
In December of 2018, Kathleen celebrated her 100th birthday with family, friends and many Pan Am colleagues. A little over a month later, Kathleen M. Clair died peacefully on January 26, 2019, after 100 years of engaging life on her own terms.
She is missed by her large extended family, the Trippe family, colleagues from Pan Am and the larger aviation community, and friends from her long and well-lived life.

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Episode 49: Edith Head, A Hollywood Legend Jul 21, 2024

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In this episode we explore the life of legendary Hollywood costume designer Edith Head who designed uniforms for Pan American World Airways introduced in 1975 and used until the early 1980s.

Then we will be joined by actor Susan Claassen who plays the Hollywood legend in her one-woman production called A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD.
In her storied career in Hollywood, Edith Head won a record eight Academy Awards for Best Costume Design between 1949 and 1973, making her the most awarded woman in the Academy's history. She is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential costume designers in film history.
Actor Susan Claassen is celebrating her 49th anniversary with Tucson’s Invisible Theatre. As Managing Artistic Director (now emeritus), she has produced and directed over 500 productions.
She was nominated for the 2011 LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award and BroadwayWorld LA Award as Best Actress for her portrayal of Edith Head in A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD and most recently, nominated for The San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle 43rd Annual Excellence in Theatre Awards for Best Solo Production and Best Production.

A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD premiered at the Invisible Theatre in 2002 in Tucson, Arizona and has played coast to coast with more than 700 performances.

The production has toured internationally to the Republic of Georgia; a “Sold Out” engagement at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Toronto and an acclaimed five-week run at the Leicester Square Theatre in London’s West End.

Susan has also been a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade since 2001. She dedicates her performance to the vibrant memory of her beloved mother, Goldie.

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