Class News

Bob Buchanan ’64 honored by DC Airports Task Force

Bob Buchanan honored by Washington Airports Task Force with 2021 Williams Trophy

April 12, 2022

On March 31, the Washington Airports Task Force (WATF) was pleased to present Robert E. (Bob) Buchanan, Principal of Buchanan Partners (a full-service real-estate development company) and President of the 2030 Group (an association of Washington metropolitan-area business leaders focused on regional long-term decision-making and solutions), the 2021 Williams Trophy for being a local champion for regional cooperation in every aspect of our region’s transportation needs, including our airports and air service.

More than 170 attended the event — the WATF’s first in-person meeting since the start of the COVID pandemic — demonstrating that an in-person meeting is far-and-away better than any virtual event could ever hope to be.

The Williams Trophy is awarded annually to recognize those whose leadership, vision, and dedication in the application of aviation or space has enriched the quality of life on earth. The trophy commemorates the work of Carrington Williams (1919-2002), founding chairman of the WATF, among whose many accomplishments was the creation of the Virginia Port Authority and the transformation of Washington Dulles into a major international gateway.

Past recipients include the Honorable John Glenn (1997), the Honorable Elizabeth H. Dole, the Honorable A. Linwood Holton (1998), the Honorable Norman Mineta (2004), and the Honorable Ray LaHood (2012).

In the following video, Bob Chase, who introduced Bob Buchanan, noted that:

Bob has played a key role in business organizations on both sides of the Potomac — including creating and/or chairing public-private economic development organizations in Arlington, Loudoun, Montgomery, and Prince William Counties, the City of Alexandria, and the Route 28 Tax District — all of which are critically important to our region’s airports.