Pierre Sparaco: A Life And Love Of Aviation Journalism
October 16, 2015
Dozens of colleagues, friends and family members gathered at Le Musee de l'Air et de l'Espace in Le Bourget, France, on Oct. 9 to celebrate the life and career of legendary Aviation Week editor, bureau chief and columnist Pierre Sparaco, who died on Aug. 3 at the age of 75 after a battle with leukemia.
The event was held in the museum's Concorde Hall, in the shadow of an Air France Concorde, a fitting venue for Sparaco, who had covered the supersonic passenger jet from its inception to its retirement in 2003. Aviation Week Editor-in-Chief Joe Anselmo — who attended the memorial service along with Executive Editor James R. Asker, Managing Editor Jens Flottau, Paris Bureau Chief Amy Svitak and Copy Editor Patricia Parmalee — noted Sparaco's pivotal role in transforming Aviation Week from a U.S.-centric publication into one with a diverse international staff and outlook.
A highlight of the memorial was a slideshow put together with photographs from Sparaco's wife, Danielle, and colleagues at Aviation Week and French publications he worked at before joining Aviation Week in 1992, such as Air Revue and Aviation. The slideshow, shared here with our readers, also includes quotes from Sparaco's reporting on the rise of Europe's aerospace industry.