Presidents Message for Nov. 2009 December is time for our annual meeting, which means elections for the society's board of directors. You should have received your ballot in the mail, marked it, and returned it by the time you read this newsletter. In case you didn't receive a ballot, or you missed the opportunity to vote, please do so at the annual meeting. A small number of blank ballots will be available, so make your vote count. December is also our toy drive for teenage kids. Please bring a gift suitable for a youngster, 12-17. Toys we bring are added to the Crowne Plaza's sizeable haul and distributed to children through local charities. Our fall canned food drive was quite a success, collecting 25 percent more than last year! We'll provide the exact figures at the December meeting. The canned food was delivered to the Second Harvest Food Bank by Betty Veronico the Monday after our meeting, so it reached families that following weekend. Thank you to all who contributed. This effort makes a difference in someone's life. I recently returned from the biannual Conference of Historic Aviation Writers (CHAW) in St. Louis, Mo., where a number of widely respected authors gathered to present their research on a variety of topics. Dr. Gary W. Hyatt discussed the Dole Race, which departed the Oakland Airport on the morning of August 16, 1927. Art Goebel, pilot, and Navy Lieutenant William V. Davis, Jr., won the race flying the high-wing monoplane named Woolaroc. The pair covered the 2,400-mile distance in 26 hours and 17 minutes, earning them $25,000 in prize money. Martin Jensen and Paul Schluter followed approximately two hours later, winning $10,000. Sadly, 10 people lost their lives before or during the competition. Hyatt's discussion brought to mind how fortunate we are to live in such an aviation history-rich area, having Oakland and San Francisco airports, Moffett Field, the Clipper base at Alameda and Treasure Island, the likes of Stan Hiller and John J. Montgomery, and a number of outstanding aviation museum in our midst. It is a lot to be thankful for, and most of all it is great to have an organization such as the Society for Aviation History to help relate and record the Bay Area's contributions to aviation history. Please introduce a friend to our organization, and see you in December! - Nick Veronico
Past President Messages are linked below:
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