~ Houston Aeronautical Heritage Society ~
News
From the official project newsletter, The Starliner
March, 2001
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On February 28, 2001, we sadly bid farewell to one of the pillars of Houston aviation. Paul B. Koonce started his career as a lawyer, but when his clients all went off to war in the early 1940s, he went to work at the Houston Municipal Airport Terminal. Within a few years, Mr. Koonce was in charge of the airport and he served as the airport manager through the early 1970s. Mr. Koonce lived through and experienced first-hand most of the Houston aviation history that we will showcase in the Museum. Throughout his life, Paul Koonce was a consummate gentleman who personally made sure that aviation in Houston was a class act. Mr. Koonce was one of the first people the Project interviewed for our oral history project and he and his wife Bernice were ardent supporters of our efforts to save the Terminal. We extend our deepest sympathy to Bernice and the rest of the Koonce family. We are proud to have had an opportunity to get to know Paul Koonce and we will miss his encouraging words and invaluable assistance with the project. While restoration of the Houston Municipal Air Terminal remains the centerpiece for the 1940 Air Terminal Project, we have decided to add an exciting new interim phase to the Project, The Visitor Center Hangar. The Visitor Center Hangar will be located just south of the Terminal and will be designed in Art Moderne style to compliment the terminal building. The new construction, which will proceed as soon as possible, will include a one or two story indoor area outfitted with museum-grade display space, as well as office, meeting and storage space. It will provide guests with impressive views of the Terminal prior to and during the terminal building's restoration. The hangar portion of the facility will include museum-grade aircraft hangar space for showcasing restored golden age aircraft and other oversized displays. We are in the final stages of negotiations with a private collector to place an item on display which will literally put the museum on the map. We don't want to let the cat out of the bag until everything is finalized, but we can't think of a better centerpiece to compliment the Museum's collection. By completing the Visitor Center Hangar in the near future, we will accomplish a variety of key Project objectives, all of which will facilitate the ultimate restoration of the Terminal. The Visitor Center Hangar will house and allow public display of our rapidly growing museum collection. It will provide an impressive facility from which to continue fund-raising and expand educational outreach efforts until the completion of the Terminal restoration. Finally, the Visitor Center Hangar will provide much needed additional Museum space after completion of the Terminal restoration. The Visitor Center Hangar will also demonstrate a Project success for a fraction of the cost of restoring the Terminal, effectively addressing the current concern among some potential donors that our Project is merely a "paper project". It will also help safeguard the momentum and enthusiasm for the Project until the Terminal restoration can be completed. Jeffrey and Barbara Mills of Io Communications are producing a short promotional film to introduce viewers to the 1940 Air Terminal Project. Io is using footage from various recent events, tours and photo shoots at the Terminal, archival photos and motion footage, as well as the narration of Jonathan Frank to create the film. While the film is being produced primarily as a fundraising tool, we plan to premier it at the April 2 Houston Aviation Alliance luncheon at the Hobby Airport Hilton, which everyone is welcome to attend. We will also show the film throughout Hobby AeroFest in our Pavilion. View the movie! You'll need the Free QuickTime player to view the movie. If you don't already have it, get it here. The 1940 Air Terminal Capital Campaign continues to make steady progress. Continental Airlines has signed on as our first major corporate sponsor and we are now working with Houston's hometown airline to finalize the details of its involvement. Our Capital Campaign Committee has been merged into our Board of Advisors, which will continue to work with the Silberstein Group. Wings Over Houston Airshow promoter Dick Bueltel has joined our fundraising efforts. For information about museum naming opportunities, or other fundraising details, please contact Drew Coats at coats@1940AirTerminal.org, or call (281)367-7732. After getting rained out by torrential weather in November, Hobby AeroFest has been rescheduled for April 7-8. Hobby AeroFest will once again contri-bute half its proceeds to the 1940 Air Terminal Project. This year's event at Hobby Airport will feature outstanding aircraft and vehicle displays including the return of the Save-A-Connie Lockheed Constellation. The Project will have a Pavilion which will incorporate a major display and vendor table. We will need volunteers to pass out brochures and sell Project merchandise. Please call or email Drew Coats at (281) 367-7732 or coats@1940AirTerminal.org for more information about helping us with this major event. The 1940 Air Terminal Museum is amassing an impressive collection of aviation artifacts. Recent additions include air traffic control equipment donated by Carey and Linda Camack. Chic Sale donated a very large collection of Trans Texas Airways and Texas Inter-national items, including patches, shirts, silverware, matchbooks and advertising posters. Thanks to everyone who is contributing to the collection. We are always looking for addi-tional items for the collection, including photographs, uniforms, brochures, models, pilot and flight attendant wings, radios and maps. If you have anything you would like to donate, please call or email us. The Houston Aeronautical Heritage Society's Board of Directors held its annual meeting on March 5. In addition to current officers and directors, we elected new directors Marjorie Evans, Chairman of Universal Weather & Aviation, and A.J. High, Trans Texas/Texas Inter-national/Continental retired Captain and Vice-President of flight operations. Welcome aboard to Marjorie and AJ.! From the attic
School Visits Planned
By Curator TJ Zalar One of the most important objectives of the Museum is to provide programs that can be used effectively in the classroom. Aviation has always illustrated man's cutting edge technology throughout the twentieth century. To help teachers fulfil their learning objectives in the classroom the Museum will be offering in-class lectures and student activities that will use aviation to help teach core subjects and stimulate students to learn. Volunteers will visit the classroom with examples of the collection including artifacts, models, documents and photographs to help the students understand and appreciate the important impact aviation has had in the past and present, and the role it will play in the future. Lectures will include the dynamics of flight, aviation history and how it has affected our daily lives for the last 100 years, activities using mathematics and computations regarding navigational skills, and careers in aviation. Volunteer training for the "Flight Case" program will be starting in April for the 2001-2002 academic year. Volunteers will be trained to present information for the elementary, intermediate and high school levels. Those of you interested in being involved in the "Flight Case" program please contact me at 281 482-9545. Let us know what academic level you would like to serve. Centennial of Aviation NearsDecember 17, 2003 will mark the historic flight of the Wright Brothers. For students it is difficult to understand that in only one-hundred years we have gone from a twelve-second flight to a trip to Mars. It is also difficult for them to understand that the wingspan of a Boeing 747 is longer that the first powered, controlled flight of man. Technology that we find in almost every aspect of our lives had its roots in aviation and space exploration. The Teflon coating that you cook with, the Velcro that you use to fasten everything with, lubricants, medicines, protective gear, radar and navigational systems that are becoming commonplace in cars all had their beginnings in aviation. The national Centennial of Flight Commission is already working with our Museum in preparation for the aviation centennial celebration in the year 2003. The Centennial of Flight Commission travelling exhibit will be on display at the Museum's Hobby AeroFest Pavilion. Don't miss it! |