Photo: Jeff Kriendler, courtesy of the Kriendler Family collection

JEFF KRIENDLER

1946-2022

A Tribute by James Patrick Baldwin*

Jeff Kriendler,  long-time board member of the Pan Am Historical Foundation in charge of Communications, passed away September 3rd after a long illness. Jeff led a successful career with Pan American World Airways rising to Vice-president for Corporate Communications, and went on to an active life as a writer and literary entrepreneur. He has been a pillar of the Pan Am Community for decades and responsible for numerous important good works that have supported the PAHF and the memory of Pan Am.

Here is a personal tribute from Jeff’s colleague, Author Jamie Baldwin:

Jeff Kriendler presenting his book to Mary Lou Bigelow before she left for the Berlin Reunion in 2017.

Photo by John O’Keefe/courtesy MarlouBigelow.com

A Tribute by James Patrick Baldwin

This morning I learned of the passing of my friend and colleague, Jeff Kriendler. Though I never worked for Pan Am, I had a lifelong interest in the airline, and he was instrumental in helping me with the publication of my first book, “Pan American World Airways - Images of a Great Airline” now in its second edition. We later collaborated on two books about Pan Am, anthologies featuring personal accounts of Pan Am events by those "who were there". Our seminal work was “Pan Am - Personal Tributes to a Global Aviation Pioneer”.

Jeff was a mover and shaker, and his dedication to the production of these books was tireless. The result, of course, was excellence, like the airline he worked for. He was determined to keep the Pan Am story alive for future generations and was successful through his role at the Pan Am Historical Foundation and other efforts. His work in this endeavor will be missed.

Beyond his dedication to Pan Am was his dedication to his family, in particular his daughter. He was proud of her and her achievements. And, he never hesitated to let me know of her accomplishments!

Jeff will be missed by many. He had a long list of friends from his Pan Am days and after. He seemed always in contact with someone or another, on the phone, by email, by mail, or even in person. Anytime I needed to contact someone in the Pan Am family, he was the guy.

Rest in Peace, my friend.

Best,

Jamie Baldwin

Jeff Kriendler, (4th from left) celebrating the opening of the Pan Am Shuttle with Mayor Koch in NYC, 1986

*James Patrick Baldwin is a lecturer, writer and consultant in air transportation, and owner of JPB TransConsulting. He has published books about Pan Am, and writes an in-depth history feature called the "Pan Am Series" in his blog at https://jpbtransconsulting.com/blogs-news-and-stories/