Leonard R. Hrouda, born in Clarkson, Nebraska in 1923, took his first flying lesson at age fifteen and completed a special Air Corps Cadet program during high school. After graduation from Clarkson High School, Hrouda attended the Cal-Aero Flight Academy in Ontario, California and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

He served in the Army Air Corps as a single and multi-engine pilot from 1943-45. Hrouda established Great Plains Airways Air Taxi/Ambulance Service in Columbus, Nebraska. He also started the first aerial spraying service in Nebraska and offered aerial photo service. From 1948-56, he operated the Columbus airport. In fifty years, he logged more than 25,000 flight hours and instructed more than 500 students. He also served as a flight examiner for the Federal Aviation Administration and helped create the Nebraska Board of Aviation.

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