Posted on 07/01/2003 8:24:54 AM PDT by Dan from Michigan
Executive with think tank killed in ultralight crash
The Associated Press
7/1/2003, 9:56 a.m. ET
CARO, Mich. (AP) — An official with a think tank was killed when his ultralight aircraft crashed and burned near an airport, state police said Tuesday.
Joseph P. Overton, senior vice president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, was dead at the scene of the 9:30 p.m. Monday crash, state police dispatcher Susan Schrader said.
The 43-year-old Midland resident was piloting the single-seat aircraft under a flight instructor's supervision. He had just taken off from the Caro airport when, according to witnesses, the craft suddenly headed downward, clipped some power lines, struck the ground and caught fire on impact, Schrader said.
The Federal Aviation Administration was notified. An autopsy was to be conducted Tuesday, Schrader said.
Overton had spent more than 11 years with the Midland-based Mackinac Center, which advocates a free market and promotes solutions to social and economic problems that do not involve government intervention.
The center conducts studies and provides reports, commentaries and educational programs on public policy topics.
"In his professional life, Joe Overton was incredibly gifted as a lawyer, an engineer, a manager, and a champion of sound policy that has made Michigan a freer and more prosperous state," Mackinac Center president Lawrence Reed said in a statement.
"In his personal life, he was the finest Christian gentleman, a model citizen and co-worker whom his associates admired and emulated, a friend and adviser without peer. He was devoted to his colleagues, his church, his community, his country, and his wife of three months and a day, Helen."
According to his official biography, Overton directed research projects, staff operations and strategic planning. He also wrote numerous studies and commentaries.
Before joining the Mackinac Center, Overton held several positions at Dow Chemical Co., including electrical engineer, project manager and quality specialist. He held a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Michigan Technological University and a law degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
Caro is located in Tuscola County, 90 miles north of Detroit.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.