Robert Pond, who helped establish the Palm Springs Air Museum more than a decade ago, died Friday at age 83.

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He suffered an brain hemorrhage and died at Desert Regional Medical Center, said his secretary, Jo Anne Kennon.

Pond opened the museum to "educate, promote and remember all the people during World War II that made great sacrifices, particularly airmen," Museum Vice Chairman Ken Miles said.

"Bob was an avid aviator," Miles said. "He flew in World War II with the U.S. Navy."

Though Pond's name is synonymous with the museum, which is one of the region's most prominent tourist attractions, his presence has been felt around the Coachella Valley.

He supported many local institutions, such as College of the Desert and Desert Regional Medical Center, said local community activist Peggy Cravens.

"Once he became genuinely interested in something, he got fully behind it," she said.

Pond and his wife of 32 years, Jo Rose, moved to Palm Springs in 1989. He brought with him years of love and experience with airplanes that led to the local museum opening on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 1996.

It originally included a pair of 20,000-square-foot hangars with a resource library, theater and gift shop on 52,000 square feet of land. By 2005, the museum grew to 67,000 square feet.

More than 100,000 people visit it every year, according to the museum.

The Minnesota native fell in love with airplanes when he was 10.

"As kids do, I started making models," he said in a biography provided by the museum. "About that time, my dad took me to Chicago and gave me my first plane ride. In the process of enjoying the ride in the copilot's seat, I stuck my arm out the window and realized you could lose an arm that way."

He joined the U.S. Navy Air Corps program in 1942.

"It wasn't easy," he said in the biography. "I had to threaten that I was going to join the Army. It was a bit of a devious way."

He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1948 and later bought his first airplane - a Cessna 180.

He bought more aircraft over the years, including 14 World War II Warbird fighter jets that are on display at the air museum.

Before opening the local museum, he established the Planes of Fame East Air Museum at Flying Cloud Field in Eden Prairie, Minn. It closed in 1997 and the collection was moved to Palm Springs.

"He just had a love of planes," Palm Springs Air Museum board member Gloria Greer said.

He spent 12 years as chairman of the museum's board of directors and was named chairman emeritus in 2005.

"He was very proud of the air museum and particularly proud of all the volunteers at the air museum who gave their free time to support it," Miles said.

Pond is survived by his wife, their four children, Polly Pond Holley and Harry Brand, both of Minnesota, Angela Pond of Los Angeles and Roseann Brand of Palm Springs; three grandsons and two great-grandchildren.

Details on funeral services were expected to be available today.

If you ever get a chance and you have never been to the air museum, I would like to see you drop in, and take a look around.  It is a cool place, tons of info., some really cool plane...  Come check out the Pond Collection...  www.palmspringsairmuseum.org

David