a demonstration flight. After bailing out of the aircraft his parachute failed. His brother, Major Alexis Felix du Pont, Jr., was appointed to succeed him as head of the glider program. Legacy A three-time U.S. National Soaring Champion, since 1947 the Richard C. du Pont Memorial Trophy has been awarded annually to the U.S. National Open Class Soaring Champion. An American Legion post in Claymont, Delaware is named in his honor. Upon the creation of the Soaring Hall of Fame in 1954 by the Soaring Society of America, Richard du Pont was part of the first group of inductees. In December 1943, he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. The Richard Dupont Fellowship (DuPont Fellows program under the DuPont/MIT Alliance) has been awarded for studies in Aeronautics and Astronautics. His widow, Allaire du Pont, operated Woodstock Farm in Chesapeake City, Maryland and owned Bohemia Stable, best known for the Hall of Fame thoroughbred racehorse, Kelso. She died January 6, 2006, at her Woodstock Farm near Chesapeake City, Maryland. References Further reading Silent Wings by Gerard M. Devlin (1985) – St. Martin's Press, The Evening Independent newspaper report on the death of Richard du Pont October 2, 1933 article on Richard Chichester du Pont External links The Richard C. du Pont Memorial Trophy website The George J. Frebert collection on Delaware Aviation at Hagley Museum and Library contains documentation on the work of airline promoter Henry Belin du Pont and pilot Richard Chichester du Pont, including the latter's innovative but short-lived air-mail pick-up system for snagging mail sacks mounted on the ground. A finding aid for the Richard C. du Pont and Summit Aviation scrapbooks and photographs collection at Hagley Museum and Library, which contains materials focusing on his work with gliders and the establishment and growth of Summit Aviation, his son's private air transportation company. A finding aid for Richard C. du Pont miscellany, a research collection at Hagley Museum and Library containing materials related to Richard C. du Pont and includes news clippings, official governmental documents related to his work, and the logbook of his yacht, Nahma. 1911 births 1943 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople Richard Chichester du Pont Aviators from Delaware Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Gliding in the United States Accidental deaths in California Glider flight record holders American aviation record holders Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1943 United