Kern County Obituaries

Dan Sabovich 

Submitted by Don Stowell; 13 Feb 2008

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Mojave Desert News; 19 Feb 2005

June 26, 1925 – Feb. 17, 2005
Dan Sabovich passed away on Feb. 17, surrounded by his family that loved 
him most dearly. With his passing, the communities of Mojave, Bakersfield 
and Tehachapi have lost an outstanding citizen, leader and businessman that 
devoted his energies to making life better for the people he served. Dan’s 
most treasured possession was the friendship of others.

Dan was born in Reedley on June 26, 1925 to Zorka and John Sabovich. Dan, 
as a member of the dwindling “greatest generation,” served in combat in 
World War II on the Philippine island of Luzon as a squad leader of Filipino 
guerrillas. He was awarded numerous citations, including the Purple Heart.

After the war, Dan returned to Bakersfield and joined with his parents and 
brothers in farming.
 
Dan’s love of aviation was always first in his heart and on his ranch he 
had a runway for his airplane, which was a novelty in those days. By chance 
encounter in 1958 with some Edwards Air Force Base test pilots at a static 
display at Meadows Field, Dan began a lifelong association with the Society 
of Experimental Test Pilots.
 
Dan’s love of flying led him to the Mojave Airport, where he had the idea of 
having a civilian flight test center. Many did not see the vision that Dan 
had for the airport’s future, but that is history. What followed was 32 years 
of dedication and love for the airport which was his life’s work.

The honors and recognition he received for his efforts in this life were many, 
but the honor he most sought was the respect of his community and the friendship 
of his associates. He will be dearly missed.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Jerri; his daughter, Debbi Gaston; 
son-in-law, Randy; and grandchildren, Dacy Gaston and Drew Gaston. He was 
preceded in death by two children, Mark and Danny.
 
Services were held on Feb. 22 at Hillcrest Memorial Park Chapel in Bakersfield.

By ALLISON GATLIN Valley Press Staff Writer: 

BAKERSFIELD - Dan Sabovich, the founding father of the Mojave Airport and the 
East Kern Airport District that governs it, died Thursday at a hospital in 
Bakersfield. He was 79.A resident of Bear Valley Springs, Sabovich is survived 
by his wife, Jerri, and daughter and son-in-law Debbie and Randy Gaston.

Originally a farmer in his native Bakersfield, Sabovich became involved in 
aviation in the mid-1950s after visiting a local air show. A pilot himself, 
his fascination with aviation grew.He abandoned farming and arrived in Mojave 
in 1969, taking over the Kern County facility, a former Marine Corps base that 
was to become the Mojave Airport.

Together with then-Congressman Barry Goldwater Jr., Sabovich devised the plan 
that created the East Kern Airport District to govern the airport.
With the district voted into existence in 1972, Sabovich became the airport’s 
first manager and set out to create the Civilian Flight Test Center.

“What I really wanted to do is, I knew pilots from Edwards and the flying 
community from Los Angeles and knew we needed a civilian flight test center,” 
Sabovich told the Valley Press in a 1996 interview.
Under his care, the airport grew to support the National Test Pilot School, 
numerous flight test entities, aircraft storage and manufacturing facilities 
and innovative aviation companies such as Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites.

Sabovich continued to manage the Mojave Airport until 2002, when Stu Witt 
took over the helm and Sabovich took the title of district manager.

“He was one of those legendary people,” said airport district Director Cathy 
Hansen, who first met Sabovich at the Mojave Air Races in 1969. “If it wasn’t 
for Dan Sabovich, Mojave Airport wouldn’t be where it is today.
“Everywhere you turn around at Mojave Airport, you see Dan.

”In 2000, Sabovich was honored with a lifetime achievement award, co-sponsored 
by the Antelope Valley Board of Trade and the Lancaster and Palmdale chambers 
of commerce, for his work with the airport.

Two years later, the Kern Council of Governments recognized him with a Lifetime 
Achievement award for public officials.

Sabovich was also honored by the Society of Experimental Test Pilots in 2002 
with its Friend of the Society award.

He was voted outstanding airport manager for Western states in the early 1990s, 
airport manager of the year for 1983 and 1984, received the distinguished 
service award from the Kern County Board of Trade and was named the Antelope 
Valley’s outstanding citizen by the Antelope Valley Board of Trade in the 1980s.
A chapel service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Hillcrest Memorial Park 
and Mortuary, 9101 Kern Canyon Road, Bakersfield.

MOJAVE— Retired East Kern Airport District General Manager Dan Sabovich, who 
passed away last Thursday, “set the standard for the transformation of military 
bases to successful civilian enterprises in the state of California,” Kern 
County Supervisor Don Maben said upon hearing of Sabovich’s passing.Sabovich 
came to Mojave in the 1960s at the request of then-Kern County Supervisor John 
Holt to manage what was then “Kern County Airport No.7,” the former Marine 
Corps Auxiliary Air Station which had been vacated by the Marines in 1959, 
dealing a blow to the town’s economy.Holt asked Sabovich, who had been farming 
in the Arvin and Wheeler Ridge area, to see what he could do to attract business 
to the airport at the request of Mojave community leaders.Working with local 
leaders that included Dick Poole, the late Bob Byers, the late Earle Roper, the 
late Dave Sparling, and others, Sabovich helped promote the idea of forming a 
special district to manage the airport.District formedSabovich enlisted the help 
of Barry Goldwater, Jr., who was the area’s U.S. congressman, to help form the 
district, which was approved by voters in Mojave and California City in Feb,, 
1972.A five-person board of directors from Mojave, CalCity, and Cantil was 
elected, and they and Sabovich began the work of converting a former military 
base into a going civilian-oriented concern, an effort, as Maben noted, that 
was a prototype for successful military base conversions.With none of the federal 
grants now available to communities whose bases are closed by the military, the 
Mojave Airport District began attracting tenants. For most of the years the 
district has been in operation, its revenues have exceeded its expenses, a feat 
very few government agencies ever achieve.Loren Burch was a member of that first 
board and served on it longer than anyone.‘Right man’“Dan was the right man at the 
right time, and he spearheaded the drive to make something out of the Mojave 
Airport,” Burch said. “He became a legend in his own time, which very few people 
do.”Sabovich, backed by his board, helped attract new, emerging businesses and 
entrepreneurs like Burt Rutan to the airport by offering them free rent for a year 
or two along with competitive long-term rents. New tenants were also able to 
get decisions quickly rather than waiting for long, drawn-out bureaucratic 
decision-making processes. Burt Rutan’s brother Dick, now a member of the East 
Kern Airport District board, said “Dan Sabovich was a gentle giant. He had 
remarkable vision - from his dream of evolving a couple of airstrips into what 
Mojave Airport is today, to dreaming of beginning a hometown bank within the 
small Mojave community, when the 'big boys' were failing.”Sabovich was named 
chairman of the board of directors of that bank, the Mojave Desert Bank. 
(see below).“I have had the honor to work with Dan over many decades with many 
projects,” Dick Rutan continued. “He always had time for everyone, and did the 
utmost to accommodate our test flights, our rollouts, and our own dreams. He 
made everyone feel as if they were the most important person on his list.”John 
Ligon of Flight Test Associates said. “I have always thought the world of Dan, 
and am fully aware that the East Kern Airport District would not be in existence 
without Dan's leadership over the years. He will be missed.”“I especially enjoyed 
Joe Guthrie's ribbing Dan about all the articles, which appeared routinely in the 
newspapers, about how the Bakersfield onion farmer saved the Mojave airport. Joe 
said it jokingly, but it was true,” Ligon said.In addition to aerospace firms, the 
airport — now the nation’s first commercial spaceport — is home to a major railroad 
equipment maintenance firm, UPS, Mellor Printing, vehicle maintenance businesses, 
and other firms contribute to making the spaceport a major engine in the East 
Kern economy.American originalWayne Lemieux, whose firm has served as the airport 
district’s counsel for most of its existence, said “Dan was an American original. 
His obvious love of flying was infectious. His pioneer attitude could be difficult 
for his lawyer but you never had the feeling that he was doing anything for his ego. 
His generosity to his friends was legend.”Because California City is part of the 
airport district, Sabovich worked closely with that city and its airport staff. 
Tom Weil, the current CalCity municipal airport manager, said he was “truly sorry 
to hear of Dan's passing. He was a friend and a mentor who was always willing to 
share time, advice, and wisdom gained from that ‘been there done that philosophy’! 
Dan's legacy will always be the Mojave Airport which started with his dream of 
building an airport and carried it on his shoulders to the world recognition that 
it enjoys today!”EKAD board member and longtime friend Cathy Hansen said “Dan 
Sabovich made Mojave Airport a fertile place for dreams to grow. He always felt 
his job was to help every tenant achieve their goals. Look around and see the 
success stories at Mojave Airport: the National Test Pilot School, BAE Systems 
(starting with Bob Laidlaw with Flight Systems), Rutan Aircraft Factory, Scaled 
Composites and the many other businesses. His spirit will live on at Mojave Airport.
”Bank chairmanSabovich was elected chairman of the board of the Mojave Desert Bank 
after joining with a group of Mojave and California City business leaders to form 
a locally-owned financial institution.Bank President Don Stowell said, “Dan was 
a man who always had the best interest of the airport, its tenants and aviation 
as his guiding purposes. It was far more important to him that the airport and 
its tenants retain their reputation as a collection of ‘cutting edge’ companies 
and individuals who made things happen than for the airport to make large profits.
“Dan espoused that same attitude in the bank, requiring that customer service be 
paramount and accepting the fact profit was secondary,” Stowell said.In addition to 
attracting a wide variety of businesses to the airport, Sabovich also welcomed film, 
television, and commercial producers to use the airport, which pumped money not 
only into the airport’s coffers, but also into local businesses. During one 
commercial shoot in the 1980s, this newspaper calculated that the one-week 
production had generated over $16,000 for restaurants, service stations, motel, 
and local hardware stores, a respectable sum in those days. That business continues 
to be an important source of revenue for the district and Mojave.WW II Veteran 
Sabovich was born in Reedley June 26, 1925, and served in combat in World War II 
on Luzon in the Phillippines where he was a squad leader of Filipino guerillas. 
He received numerous citations including the Purple Heart.After the war he returned 
to Bakersfield where he farmed with his father and brothers.He is survived by his 
wife of 55 years, Jerri; daughter Debbi Gaston, son-in-law Randy Gaston; and 
grandchildren Dacy and Drew Gaston. He was preceded in death by his sons Mark 
and Danny.Dick Rutan summed-up what many people who knew Dan thought about him.
“At his retirement party a couple of years ago, while watching Dan Sabovich 
looking around and smiling at those in attendance, and a runway full of a wide 
spectrum of unique, vintage and standard aircraft, I heard him say, ‘I have a 
lot of great friends.’”“Yes, Dan, you do. And each will miss you greatly.”
Funeral services for Sabovich were held Tuesday in Bakersfield.

NOTE: Photo At: http://www.calarchives4u.com/photos/kern/