David "Ducky" Klouser in memory

I just received word of Ducky's passing in my e-mail this morning.

Dave was a true competitor, and his intensity could sometimes be annoying, but he was always generous with his time and knowledge, and was always enthusiastic about rocketry. I first met him when he was putting PARA together. He shall be missed.

I received these messages from Steve Klouser today. I am passing them along to anyone who knew Ducky.

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This is to inform everyone that David Klouser died today (Wed. 7/21/04) at about 2:10 in the afternoon, he would have been 49 tomorrow. The viewing is tenatively Sat. at 10, Rupell Funeral Home, Phillipsburg, NJ. The funeral will be at 11:00 in Stewartsville NJ. If you want more details, I'll try to get them out as I get them from my parents. Thanks to everyone for all of the kind thoughts, we appreciate them. Steve Klouser

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Hello everyone, My mother has requested that donations in David's name be to: The Stem Cell Research Foundation

Juvenile Diabetes Research (my younger brother Matt is a diabetic) at:

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For anyone wanting to send condolence cards for David Klouser, send to Steve Klouser, P.O. Box 258, Stewartsville, NJ, 08886.

Rest in peace, old friend.

Bill Sullivan NAR 49642 PARA-12

Ducky's Obituary, from the Easton Express-Times

Just like G. Harry.

I see dead people.

That was supposed to be "did MEET him." Geez of all the times to make a goof like that...sorry.

Scott McCrate stupid boy, stupid, stupid

In 1972, Rob Justis, my teammate, and I went to the Phillipsburg Area Convention and Trials - 1 (PACT-1) run by Ducky and his brother Steve. They combined a convention and record trials, Rob and I drove the N hours up to NJ, had a blast, broke some rockets,learned a lot. It was the start of a long relationship with the Klouser brothers.

In 1990, Ducky came down to Dallas to compete in the Internats flyoff there. While I lucked into winning the event and earning a spot on the team, my professional obligations kept me home, and Duck went over as my alternate. Eight year later, he claimed a world title in B Boost Glider.

A class act, a hell of a BG flyer, a kind and gentle man, our hobby is far poorer for his passing.

(aside: Hey, Ducky! Say hello to Uncle Al Neinast for us, and make sure to save us a spot in the workshop and at the pad!)

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Mark B. Bundick mbundick - at - earthlink - dot - net NAR President www - dot - nar - dot - org

"A dark night in a city that knows how to keep its secrets, but high above the quiet streets on the twelfth floor of the Acme Building, one man is still trying to find the answers to life's persistent questions. Guy Noir, Private Eye."

Hmmm. I think my first NAR experience was about 1969 or so. Not sure what year I joined (look it up 24333), but must have been 72 or so.

We are old.

Probably should write a first draft obit, eh?

I went to a funeral today. I see dead people.

Not in the mirror yet.

Out of curiosity, did Mr. Klouser have FTD (frontotemporal disorder)? This is a degenerative dementia second in prevalence to Altzheimer's disease. It gets far less publicity. If so, I'm thinking in terms of foundations and contributions.

I did not know Ducky Klouser, though I met him on several occasions since the 1993 NARAM in Frederick, MD. He showed up at several Pittsburgh Space Command launches, and at the 1999 NARAM in the Pittsburgh area. On that last occasion, he seemed different. My wife also noticed this. The observation would be consistent with FTD... or... with human variability. I found an old RMR post indicating that he has been disabled since at least 2001. His disease was obviously devastating to him and to his family as well. My heartfelt sympathies go out to them.

He was certainly a spectacular competitor.

-Larry Curcio

Interesting. Checked it out:

excerpt follows Semantic Dementia (SD): This is a much rarer pattern of cognitive decline than Alzheimer's Disease, falling within the spectrum of the "fronto-temporal dementias" (FTD), which collectively account for around 20 percent of all dementia cases. (Bold from the website, not my emphasis)

Thanks for that.