Foundation Board Bio – Bill Lyddon
My father was in the airplane business in La Junta, Colo. and I grew up in a trailer
house located behind our hangar. My brother and I worked washing airplanes and
pumping gas for my father, and we purchased our first airplane when I was 14 years old
and he was 15. An old 1946 Aeronca Champ for $1,150.00. The engine was scattered
all over the dirt floor, but we eventually got it running, fabric work completed and made
the airplane flyable. My first solo flight was in that old Champ on my 16th birthday. I
was a flight instructor by the time I was 19, so I guess you could say that aviation has
been my whole life.
In 1975, we moved to Lamar, Colo. and ran that operation until October, 1990. That is
when
I moved my family to Liberal, Kansas after purchasing the local airport operation at the
municipal airport and we have been here for almost 35 years.
I have been a board member and past President of both the museum advisory and
foundation boards for several years.
Note: We still have that old Champ. My son soloed it on his 16 th birthday and now the
grandkids are getting old enough that I am hoping some will start showing some interest
in flying.
John Smith
President
Member since 1988
Biography
A Liberal native and high school graduate, John Smith attended college at KU, Southwestern
College (KS), and Michigan State University. He graduated with undergraduate degrees in
business and city planning and a Master in Urban Planning degree. He is a certified city planner
and worked for 4 years for the City of Wichita as a planner. After moving back to Liberal in the
early ‘70’s he worked as a planning consultant in southwest Kansas and for the City of Liberal.
He is also a real estate broker and works in property planning, development, and management.
Major community commitments by John have been to the High Plains Heritage Foundation, a
non-profit community foundation of which John was a founding member and its first president.
John was also an instigator, a founder, and the first president of the Liberal Air Museum
Foundation, the founding entity of the Liberal Air Museum, now the Mid-America Air Museum.
John is a licensed pilot for over 60 years with commercial, instrument, single-engine and multi-
engine ratings and is a recipient of the FAA Master Pilot Award.
Tim Strickland
Treasurer
Member since 2014
Biography
From tinkering with radio parts in his childhood basement in Turpin to leading cutting-edge robotics teams in Liberal, Tim Strickland’s career has been defined by curiosity and creativity. Today, he is owner and CEO of TCB Technologies, where he blends AI, blockchain, and mechanical design to build intelligent systems that solve real-world problems—from precision agriculture to securing critical infrastructure.
After earning his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Oklahoma State University, Tim spent 16 years at IBM guiding emerging-technology teams and pioneering large-scale high-performance computing and blockchain projects. Even amid global initiatives, he never lost sight of his roots: the thrill of debugging a control board or showing a neighbor’s child how a simple circuit works.
Since 2014, he has served on the MAAM Foundation board—now as Treasurer—helping expand its STEM-education outreach across Southwest Kansas. Living in Liberal with his family and grandchildren, Tim believes that early encouragement, community support, and hands-on exploration spark the next generation’s love of engineering—and that by nurturing curiosity today, we build tomorrow’s innovators.
Doug Hibbs
Secretary
Member since 2015
Steve Merz
Board Member
Member since 2020
Ryan Buller
Board Member
Member since 2025
Biography
Ryan Buller brings more than 30 years of experience working with youth across education, ministry, and community service. His journey began with summer camp leadership in high school and college, continued through full-time youth ministry work until 2002, and carried into teaching in private and public schools since 2003. A passionate educator and communicator, Ryan continues to preach regularly as an itinerant speaker and pulpit supply for churches in the region.
He currently serves as a science teacher at Turpin High School, where he founded the school’s engineering club and robotics team, leading students to compete in FIRST Robotics for several years, including two appearances at the World Championships. He has also mentored teams outside his district—three of which went on to reach the World Championships as well.
Ryan helped Turpin become an Amazon Future Engineer School and he has also run and started multiple afterschool programs—one of which received national recognition through the Colin Powell “Points of Light” initiative.
He also played a major role in the Mid-America Air Museum’s summer robotics camps and competitions, designing programs, training coaches and mentors, and helping lead events affiliated with FIRST Robotics. Though no longer directly involved, he helped shape a program that inspired many students across the region.
Born and raised in Turpin, Ryan returned in 2004. His family has lived in the area since before 1920 and still owns the original family farm. He has been married since 1998 and remains deeply involved in his community, serving with the Turpin Education Foundation, SMART Board, Liberal Youth Hangout, and several school improvement and ministry efforts.
Ryan joined the Foundation board to help expand STEM access and long-term opportunity in the region. He brings a strong educator’s perspective, with a focus on students, schools, and educational outreach. His goal is to ensure that the board’s work continues to inspire young minds, create hands-on learning opportunities, and strengthen connections between the museum and local classrooms. He believes deeply in the power of early exposure to science and engineering to shape futures and strengthen rural communities.
Bruce Stickler
Board Member
Member since 2025
Biography
I have resided in Turpin and Liberal most of my 75 years of life. I am retired from teaching after
27 years in USD 480, two years in Felt, OK and one year in the Turpin School District. I am
also retired from farming and am currently managing Stickler Farms and the Tticler Family Trust
which included 3400 acres of farmland, 100 acres of range land and rental houses.
Aviation hs been a passion my entire life. As a boy growing up in the wide pen spaces of the
Oklahoma Panhandle, I dreamed of flying. While driving the tractor in our fields, I would look
to the blue skies and visualize myself flying an airplane. Finally, the year I turned fifty that
dream became a reality and I have been an active private pilot for 25 years.
Having an association with Liberal Air Museum would allow me to give back to the aviation
community and future generations of pilots, one of which is my grandson who is in flight school
at Southeastern Oklahoma University. I passed on my love of aviation to him.
To paraphrase Leonardo DaVinci, “Once you have experienced flight, you will always look
towards the sky, for there you have been and there you long to be.”
