Charles Joseph Colgan (September 25, 1926 – January 3, 2017) was an American politician and businessman. He served for forty years in the Senate of Virginia for the 29th district, with a brief period as the President pro tempore. Background Orphaned at the age of 5, Colgan was raised by his grandparents on a farm in Garrett County, Maryland. Upon his graduation from high school Colgan enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was called to active duty in February 1945. After graduation from basic training Colgan was stationed in Italy as part of a maintenance flight crew on a C-47. After completing his military service Colgan returned to Maryland where he met and married his wife Agnes. In 1948, Colgan and his wife moved to Washington, D.C. He trained as an airplane mechanic working for Capital Airlines and then obtained his commercial pilots license. After flying as a corporate pilot, Colgan moved to Manassas, Virginia, in 1964 and formed Colgan Air operating as a flight school and fixed-base operation. In 1968, Colgan expanded his business to include a regional airline which he sold to Presidential Airways in 1986. After the bankruptcy of Presidential, around 1991, Senator Colgan and his son Mike restarted air service under the new name Colgan Air with one aircraft. Colgan and his family sold the airline in 2007 to Pinnacle Airlines. At the time of the sale, Colgan Air had grown from a few employees and one aircraft to 1,100 employees, 50 aircraft, and 350 flights daily to 53 cities in the North East and Texas. Awards 1980, Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame. 2003, Turboprop Airline Executive of the Year Award for his accomplishments in the airline industry. 2005, Virginia Senator of the Year by the Virginia Transit Association. 2011, George Mason University (GMU) honored Colgan for his work on the development of the GMU Prince William Campus. Northern Virginia Community College Medallion Award for his work in building and developing the college system. Melvin Jones Award (the highest award for community service) from the Park West Lions Club. The Northern Virginia Community College Manassas Campus has a building named in honor of Senator Colgan for his work on improving higher education, Colgan Hall. Fox 5 Hometown Hero Award Prince William County Schools named their 12th high school after Colgan. The school opened in August 2016. Statue of Senator Colgan Dedicated at Colgan Hall