While a senior in high school, Gary listened to a representative from the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics talk about Aircraft Mechanics. He immediately became interested and signed up to attend. Upon graduation from PIA, he accepted a job at Sikorsky Aircraft and then United Airlines. While working as a gate mechanic, he was drafted into the Army and became a crew chief on a Bell UH-I in Vietnam. Upon discharge from the Army, he returned to United only to be laid off because of a downturn in aviation. In 1973, he accepted a position at PIA as an electrical Instructor.
For over 49 years at PIA, he held positions as Chief Instructor, Director of Training, Dean of Students, and then retired in October 2022 as Director of Campus Operations. During his time at PIA, Gary became involved with a national organization called ATEC, Aviation Technician Education Council, holding many offices on their board, including president for the past 4 years. In 2018, he accepted the FAA Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award in recognition of his 50+ years in the field of aviation maintenance. He is excited to be part of the Epic family.