The "Ready Room" Newsletter
Volume 16 Issue 6

The lifeblood of any non-profit organization is consistent, recurring financial resources. As we continue to work toward a capital campaign for the new hangar, we should not lose sight of our monthly operations. We are a flying museum, so air shows are a source of funding. The flight team has successfully attended events this year, and we have many events scheduled in the near future. Regular events are great fundraisers for us. The Murder Mystery Dinner, produced and directed by our own Christine Lewis, was a great success. There are plans for more similar events plus an open house and golf tournament. It’s important to offer variety to the community so we can reach the most diverse group possible. Finally, and certainly not last, is our membership.  Sharing our museum with as many people as possible and asking them to support our mission is an opportunity for everyone.  Our board voted unanimously to update our membership program.   When it was announced, I forwarded the link to all my contacts, saying, “This is something I am very proud of and passionate about. I would appreciate your support for our museum.”  I don’t assume someone may not donate.  I simply ask if they would.  This important step in the evolution of our museum has been highly successful.  Year to date, we have collected 10 times as much in membership funds as at this time last year or the previous year. Now I am asking you to help me with this membership drive.  Please share the membership link with your contacts and ask for their support.  For the cost of one grande cup of coffee at Starbucks a week, they could help us preserve history.

The book DEVOTION tells the inspirational story of two naval aviators during the Korean War, Tom Hudner and Jesse Brown. A member of the white upper class from New England, Tom passed up the opportunity to attend Harvard University to attend the U.S. Naval Academy. After graduation, he served in the fleet for two years before earning his naval aviator wings. Jesse, an African American sharecropper’s son from Mississippi, attended Ohio State University studying architecture.  While at Ohio State, Jesse joined the Navy’s V-5 program that would eventually send him to flight school to earn his wings. Through sheer grit and determination, he broke through every barrier to become the Navy’s first black fighter pilot. In 1949, Tom and Jesse joined up as wingman and lead at Fighter Squadron 32 (VF-32), with Jesse, albeit junior in rank to Tom, being the lead.