I know there are many longtime glider pilots here, so maybe additional information is out there on this.

I have a tow plane and glider that I fly on weekends and the inspiration originally started with a glider ride for me, a 7 year old kid back in the 70s.

The airfield was in Henderson Nevada and was originally called Sky Harbor (this is not PHX). It was owned by an old barnstormer named Arby Alper. Sky Harbor was a dusty old strip with relocated military buildings and very little going on. Our family kept various airplanes there including a Luscombe. During the many boring visits there, one thing that fascinated me was the glider operation. Eventually, my Dad bought me a ride. He was cheap so it was a “low” tow. The man who operated the glider school (not Alper), took pity on a very excited 7 year old and gave me the high tow instead. That one ride, sparked an interest to fly other gliders as I got older, eventually to earn my certs.

This leads me to a question, does anybody remember this operation and more importantly the man who operated it?
Talking with SSA, they believe it was Dick McKnight.
D.M. operated out of Boulder City and not Henderson as far as I know. Here is the other kicker... my Dad came home not too long after my ride and said the glider pilot and his wife perished while maneuvering at low altitude in a C180. SSA folks said D.M. lived to be a ripe old age.
So there is the mystery.

I’ve always wondered who this pilot was... the glider flight is a vivid memory for me.