Rumors have been circulating about Phedon dieing in a house fire. I tried emailing and phoning Phedon but no response. Today, I drove over to his home (not too far away), spoke to his neighbor and confirmed that he had past away. The fire had gutted Phedon's house and part of the neighbor's. The neighbor didn't have any info re: the cause of the fire. He did say there is no family claiming or wanting to claim what's left.
Phedon was a very precise aeromodeller, usually found flying indoor gliders. He established several glider records, I believe in Cat. 1 and 2. He also flew other events. Back in the 70's he earned a spot on the USA F1B team (which he later declined). He kept very much to himself. Professionally, Phedon had worked for Mattel toys as a model maker and had been issued several patents.