In August of 1962, the world came to Orange when parachutists from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czechoslovakia, England, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Yugoslavia and South Africa as well as the United States came to participate in the sixth World Parachuting Championship held at the Orange Municipal Airport from Aug. 11 to Sept. 3, 1962.
According to the Enterprise and Journal of July 19, 1962, the United States teams included Sgt. Loy B. Brydon of the U.S. Army, James Arender, Gerald P. Bourquin, Sgt. Richard Fortenberry of the U.S. Army Philip J. Vander Weg, with alternate team member Henry L. Simbro. Both Sgt. Fortenberry and Arender had also been members of the 1960 United States Parachuting Team where Arender had won the styling event. Sgt. Brydon won the European Landing Accuracy Championship in 1961.
Women’s Team members included a local team member, Nonie Pond of New Salem. wife of Nathan Pond of Parachutes Inc, Gladys V. Inman, Carlyn E. Olsen, and Mrs. Muriel Simbro.
Orange busily readied itself for the Championships, preparing housing for its guests including at the new Mahar Regional High School gymnasium. Several local residents also provided translation services for their international guests. Among those assisting the guests was Irene Ballou of Orange, who remembered that “A couple of the women parachutists from other countries wanted dolls to take home for their children I would give them a ride up to Teppas 5 & 10 in Orange on West Main Street.” adding that she enjoyed helping out very much. “It brought a lot of people to town, it was a big event for the whole area. People were coming in from all around.”
Congressman Silvio Conte announced the Post Office had authorized a special stamp cancellation honoring the World Parachuting Championships. The August 1962 issue of Sports Illustrated too, featured the World Championship on its cover.
The competitors arrived at Logan Airport on Aug. 9. They then received a parade through Boston streets in open touring busses. The teams lunched in Boston and met Gov. John Volpe and Robert DeSimone a representative of Mayor John F. Collins.
The world championship opening ceremony, held at the Orange Municipal Airport, attracted more than 3,000 spectators. During the ceremony, children from Morgan Memorial presented flowers to the team leaders of 24 nations. The Army band from Fort Devens played as the teams were announced.
A moment of silence was also held for Ralph Mahar, who had passed away on Aug. 4, 1962. Jacques Andres Istel, chairman of the World Championship Parachuting Committee saying that it was “the work of this great lawmaker and his colleagues that had made the championship possible in Massachusetts.”
According to an Aug. 16, 1962, Enterprise and Journal, an estimated 10,000 people were on hand Sunday to watch practice jumps of the team and another 5,000 were on hand Monday to watch the Blue Angel Flyover.
During the course of the championships, points were awarded for individual and team jumps. Three individual and three team events were planned for both the men and women’s teams. Individual jumps included one accuracy jump, one delayed opening and accuracy jump and one style jump, according to Aug. 9, 1962 Orange Enterprise and Journal.
By the end of the Championship, the United States Teams won six first-place awards with James Arender named Overall Men’s World Champion with Dick Fortenberry third.
Muriel Simbro won Overall Womens Team World Champion with Nonie Pond taking third. Simbro also won first in the Women’s Individual Accuracy from 1500 meters. The U.S. women also took first place in the Overall Women’s Team World Championship, first place in the Women’s Team Accuracy from 1,000 meters and first place in total points, women’s team.
With the Championships completed, life soon returned to normal in Orange and an editorial by Alice Sprague in the Orange Enterprise and Journal summed it up perfectly when she said, “Truly people offered the hand of friendship to the visitors from overseas. Orange has earned it’s name “The Friendly Town.”