Gordon Ebbert dies at 101

MOSES LAKE - Gordon Ebbert learned to fly in 1929, helped found the Civil Air Patrol in Grant County in 1953, and was a pilot until the FAA wouldn't let him fly alone any longer. A pioneer in aviation in Grant County, Ebbert died Monday evening at 101.

Ebbert lived in Moses Lake for about 70 years, owned and operated his own business, was active in civic organizations and was Moses Lake mayor. But he had his greatest impact in aviation.

Along with his involvement with the Civil Air Patrol, more than half a century, he helped start the Moses Lake airport and was a supporter of the aviation program at Big Bend Community College.

Ebbert was a World War II veteran, assigned to antisubmarine patrol along the West Coast, "up and down the coast between Alaska and San Francisco," he recalled in a 2013 interview.

"We were making history in those days," he said. The crews were in the air for hours, looking for enemy submarines that were looking to attack ships or coastal installations.

Ebbert was a native of Monmouth, Ore., the son of a barber and teacher. His parents insisted he finish high school, at a time when it was common for young men to drop out. He graduated from Monmouth High School in 1931, he said.

"I learned to fly in Salem," Ebbert remembered, making his first solo flight in 1931. He continued to fly throughout the 1930s, while he was attending Oregon College of Education (now Western Washington University) and starting a teaching career.

Ebbert, his wife Juanita and their son Gordon Jr. moved to Moses Lake following World War II, he said, when Nita Ebbert got a teaching job. (Gordon Jr., the couple's only child, was killed in a car accident at 16 years of age.)

Gordon Ebbert opened his own business and found ways to keep flying, including the Civil Air Patrol. He received a medal recognizing his 70 years in CAP when he turned 100 years old in 2013.