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Curtis Field ContributedMuch ToApproximately 100 persons were present Sunday afternoon for the dedication of the historical marker erected at Curtis Field.The gathering heard speeches from County Judge Roger George, Mayor Norman Lawler and Sam McCollum III.Hie program wasopenedwtth a flyover of two jet fighter planes from Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio. They flew over the first time at 6 p.m. and peeled off into the west in honor of those pilots who had died. They returned for another flyover before returning to the base.The colors were presented by Boy Scouts David Carson and James Reeves.Mayor Lawler placed a wreath at the foot of the marker.Music for the occasion was furnished by the Brady High School band under the direction of Janies Mallow.Mayor Lawler told the history of Curtis Airfield and how former Mayor Harry Lamar Curtis had made the field possible.•The opening of the school climaxed a project started several months earlier by Harry L Curtis, who gave muchofhis time after he was elected mayor, toward working up the project and the securing of the school. In fact the City Council was sprmsor of the W. P. A. project in building the fieldBrady’sand honored the mayor by naming the airport Curtis Field/ Lawler said.•Representing an investment of more than a quarter of a million dollars, Brady Aviation buildings included mess hall, barracks, laboratory, hospital, headquarters, flight stage and the hangars. Each of the hangars housed 35 training planes. There was also an assembly hall and club house. J. E. 1-ett supervised engineering work for the W. P. A. at CurtisField.•Curtis Field was built by the City, County and Works Progress Administration. All equipment for leveling and grading was furnished by the City and the County with labor furnished by the W. P. A. The Held contains 350 acres which were purchased from K. W. Huffman and E. W. Marshall on which the Brady Avlatloo School had a franchise to operate the school/ Lawler explained.He noted that the opening of the school brought 150 families to Brady and that a number of new homes and apartments were built to accomodate these people. The people of Brady opened up theh homes to care for many of the Incoming per-* Personnel that came here from elsewhere but remained with us are such familiar names as Bert Harrison, squadron commander, John ThreadglU,Progresssquadron commander. John Pellizzari, flight instructor; Kenneth Floro, flight instructor; Wilson Jeter, flight instructor; Fred Bryant, accountant; Joe Barekman, Instructor; Charlie Pimm, enlisted link trainer instructor; Hank Pimm, enlisted Unk trainer instructor; Dave Quinn, student. Wayne Rawlings, student; Jean F. Williams, student, M. G. Breckenridge, student, Rocky Rockwell, mechanic.•Other local people associated with the school were Ernest Martin, ground school instructor Bill Roddle, flight instructor, John Sloane, flight instructor; Sam McCollum, flight instructor; E. J. ftwell, ground school instructor. Russ Holland, ground school Instructor; G. 0. Itarley, barber. Willie Harris, sanitary engineer; W. W. Kothmann, instrument mechanic, and Eric lemke, flying sergeant, student/ Lawler said.Many nationalities of cadets trained here at Curtis Field.The payroll ending April 15, 1915 was over S2.000.000. There were from 450 to 500 cadets at all times, 15 air force personnel and 500 civilian personnel.The school graduated over 10,000 students before closing in Aug. 1945. After the training field closed, a civilian pilot (Continued On Page 10, Col. 1)
Newspaper Details
Brady Herald
Brady, Texas, US
Tue, Sep 12, 1972
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Sandra B.
TX, USA 01 Oct 2017
Other Publications Near Brady, Texas
Brady Standard and Heart O Texas News
Brady Standard
Brady Herald
