THETTHHE E ORIGINAL OORRIIGGIINNAALL131133 131131113333 DICK BROWN IS THE FORMER EDITOR OF he year was 1972 and KOB 770 AM Radio BALLOONING, THE BALLOON FEDERATION was celebrating its 50th anniversary. With some coaxing from the station’s general OF AMERICA’S OFFICIAL MAGAZINE, AND HAS manager, Sid Cutter agreed to organize AUTHORED AND COAUTHORED THREE BOOKS a southwestern-style Hare-and-Hound balloon race that he dubbed Roadrunner- AND NUMEROUS ARTICLES ON THE BALLOON T Coyote balloon race. Today we know it as the fi rst FIESTA. HE’S A RESPECTED HISTORIAN Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Sanctioned by ON THINGS BALLOONING AND HAS ALSO the Balloon Federation of America (BFA), it was to be the WRITTEN BOOKS ON HISTORICAL TOPICS largest ballooning event in North America. IN THE SOUTHWEST. HIS PROFESSIONAL Sid Cutter – Albuquerque, New Mexico. BACKGROUND IS IN ENGINEERING, AND HE’S A Sid was the younger son of civil aviation pioneers William PROUD FORMER U.S. NAVY SUBMARINER. and Virginia Cutter who founded Cutter Flying Service in 1928 to serve the fl ourishing aviation community in the Southwest. At age 21 Sid joined the Air Force. First Lieutenant Cutter fl ew single-engine jets and four- Pictured: Roadrunner ready to go as Don Piccard infl ates engine cargo planes until 1960 when he joined the family Spirit of 76 and Karl Stefan infl ates Star of Texas. business and served as the company’s president for STORY AND PHOTOS BY DICK BROWN, FOR THE AIBF HERITAGE COMMITTEE OFFICIAL PROGRAM 53