He brought Museum of Aviation to the nation

Funeral services will be held Sunday for Bob Dubiel, who helped the Museum of Aviation gain national prominence.

Dubiel served as marketing director for the museum for 20 years before his retirement in 2014. He died Monday at 74 following an extended illness, said Ken Emery, the museum director.

“He was a terrific champion for the museum,” Emery said. “He loved the museum. He loved what he was doing.”

Emery said Dubiel promoted the museum through presentations to community groups, and he worked with local, state and national media on museum stories. Emery credited Dubiel with helping bring the museum to national prominence.

Dubiel went to work at the museum in 1994 after retiring from the Air Force. Emery said one of his greatest contributions was that he founded the Wings and Wheels Car Show, which is taking place Saturday.

Although not a big fundraiser, Emery said the event has brought thousands of people to the museum who aren’t necessarily aircraft enthusiasts. Dubiel himself was both an aircraft and auto enthusiast, which sparked the idea for the car show.

A tribute is planned Saturday in which a photo display of Dubiel will be set up on the reserved parking spot at the museum where he parked his Corvette.

Emery said Dubiel continued to be involved with the car show after his retirement. Even up until two weeks ago, although he was ill, he attended a committee meeting for the show.

Visitation is set for 5-7 p.m. Saturday at McCullough Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday at Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church. Go to www.mcculloughfh.com to sign the online registry for the family.

This story was originally published October 6, 2016 at 3:41 PM with the headline "He brought Museum of Aviation to the nation."