Curt DeBaun was born on October 14, 1924 in West Terre Haute, Indiana. He graduated from Prairie Creek High School and joined the Army Air Corps as an aircraft mechanic where he earned the rank of corporal. He served in the China Burma-India Theatre with the 13th Combat Cargo Squadron. Curt, along with his parents, opened the DeBaun Funeral Home in 1952. The following year, Curt married his wife Betty on January 6, 1953. They had three sons together; Gary, Albert and Curt.

Curt was a licensed private pilot, a member of several aviation and pilot associations and even served as the publisher of Crosswinds, the magazine for the Flying Funeral Directors Association. He was an enthusiastic bicyclist and a creative photographer who loved the outdoors and traveling. He was a founding father of the Honey Creek Fire Department and past commander of the American Legion Post 404 in Prairie Creek. He was also a member of the Breden Memorial United Methodist Church and a founding member of the Terre Haute South Rotary Club where he was honored to receive the Paul Harris Fellowship award in 2008.

Betty established the Betty E. and Curt DeBaun, Jr. Aviation Scholarship Fund after Curt’s death in 2008 to honor Curt’s love of flying and travel. Through this funds, scholarships are awarded to students who are attending Indiana State University and seeking careers in the aviation field.

(To apply contact Indiana State University Foundation.)

Eligibility requires that:

• You are seeking a degree/career in the aviation field.