William F. Yeager Aviation Collection (MS-223)
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MS-223, WILLIAM F. YEAGER AVIATION COLLECTION Collection Number: MS-223 Title: William F. Yeager Aviation Collection Dates: 1925-1990 Creator: Yeager, William F., 1915-1990 Summary/Abstract: William F. Yeager was a military and commercial pilot, as well as an aviation photographer and collector who owned an aviation photography business. The collection consists of information about Yeager’s WWII experience as a B-25 pilot in North Africa and his post-war flying experience as an Air Force and commercial pilot. The collection also contains flight training books, flying tools, correspondence, and aircraft history and design information. The bulk of the collection is more than 25,000 aviation photographs and negatives that have been organized according to make, model and type of aircraft. Quantity/Physical Description: 69.2 linear feet Language(s): English Repository: Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435-0001, (937) 775-2092 Restrictions on Access: There are no restrictions on accessing material in this collection. Restrictions on Use: Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder. Preferred Citation: [Box #, Folder #], MS-223, William F. Yeager Aviation Collection, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio Acquisition: The collection was donated to Special Collections and Archives by Yeager’s wife, Helen, in 1991. An addition was received in January 2011. Revisions: This collection was initially processed by a series of graduate students in Public History during their Advanced Archives class. Initial processing was completed in spring 1992 with additional MS-223 William F. Yeager Aviation Collection 1 processing completed in spring 1997. Additional processing was completed by Archivist John Armstrong in June 2007 and May 2011, including updating the finding aid to the EAD standard. Alternative Form Available: A selection of aircraft images from the William F. Yeager Aviation Photographs are available online in Wright State University’s Campus Online Repository (CORE Scholar): http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/special_ms223/. The digitized Yeager Collection photographs, as well as aircraft photographs from other collections held by Wright State University Special Collections & Archives, can also be found online in CORE Scholar in the Aircraft gallery: http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/aircraft/. Related Material: MS-344, Walter Matthews Jefferies Aviation Collection MS-353, Robert L. Cavanagh Aviation Collection MS-378, Cleveland Air Races Collection Processing Information: Beginning in 1992, volunteers from the Huffman Prairie Aviation Historical Society (previously known as Huffman Prairie Chapter of the American Aviation Historical Society) began identifying the more than 25,000 photographs and negatives in the collection. Without their expertise, and more than 15 years of dedicated effort, the photographs and negatives in this collection would not be available to the public in the current detailed form. Processed by: Richard R. Wirz, spring 1992. Steve Hausfeld, Joe Greer, and Tony Wright, spring 1997. John Armstrong, 2006-2007 and May 2011. Arrangement: The collection is arranged into six series and three subseries: Series I: William Yeager Personal Information & Memorabilia Series II: Publications Series III: Flight Training Books, Records and Tools Series IV: Correspondence Series V: Aircraft History, Design, and General Information Series VI: Aircraft Photographs and Negatives Subseries VIA: General Aircraft Photographs Subseries VIB: Photographs Subseries VIC: Negatives Biographical/Historical Note: William Francis Yeager was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 1, 1915. His early interests concerned aviation and railroad trains, but by the time he reached adulthood, aviation had become his primary interest. MS-223 William F. Yeager Aviation Collection 2 Yeager’s high school graduation was delayed by his having to take various jobs to support his family during the Great Depression. Yeager finished his high school education and graduated from West Technical High School in Cleveland, in August 1937 at the age of 22. Following his graduation, Yeager spent the next several years working primarily for The Higbee Company and the George Worthington Company in Cleveland. During this time, Yeager worked as the official photographer for the National Air Races, which were held in Cleveland. In October 1939, Yeager got a job with the Fish and Wildlife Service as an administrative assistant in Hebron, Ohio and La Crosse, Wisconsin. Yeager qualified for the Civilian Pilot Training Program at this time and received flight training in late 1940 and early 1941. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on June 10, 1941. Yeager’s first few months in the Air Corps were spent as a crew chief on various aircraft. He took a College Qualification Examination to qualify for Aviation Cadet training and began his training at Gardener Field, California, in 1942 as a member of the Air Corps Reserve. Afterwards, Yeager was assigned to the 443rd Bomb Squadron in North Africa, as a B-25 co- pilot where he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. After his combat career, Yeager was assigned to fly for Air Transport Command. He was released from the Army Air Forces in January 1947. In September 1947, Yeager was recalled by the Air Force. In the interim, he had returned briefly to the Fish and Wildlife Service and had worked as an Air Traffic Controller in Cleveland. Over the next two and a half years, Yeager served in various capacities, as an instructor pilot and flight examiner, flying passengers and cargo, and fulfilling administrative duties. In January 1950, Yeager was made a member of the Inactive Reserves. From January 1950 through October 1951, Yeager was employed as a corporate pilot by various companies in the Cleveland area. In April 1951, Yeager took flight courses from American Flyers, in Fort Worth, Texas, resulting in his receiving an airline transport pilot rating. In October 1951, Yeager was recalled to active duty by the Air Force. He worked for Strategic Air Command in Morocco throughout 1952 and into 1953. After this assignment, Yeager flew search and rescue missions in Alaska until early 1955. From 1955 until 1963, Yeager served as an Air Force Logistics Command Ferry Pilot and as a flight test maintenance officer, stationed at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Yeager retired from the Air Force on December 31, 1963. Yeager spent 1965-1967 working for World Wide Helicopters in Libya. There he flew DeHavilland Beavers and various other aircraft on survey flights. Yeager returned home in 1967 and began working for Air Commuter, Inc., which was absorbed into Wright Air Lines in 1968. Yeager was dismissed from Wright Air Lines in 1969. In the late 1970’s, Yeager became active in the 320th Bomb Group Association. Yeager passed away in 1990 at the age of 75 and was buried in Arlington Cemetery in Washington D. C. MS-223 William F. Yeager Aviation Collection 3 Scope and Content: The William F. Yeager Aviation Collection is divided into six series. The bulk of the collection is more than 25,000 photographs and negatives that were part of Mr. Yeager’s aviation photography business. Series I, William Yeager Personal Information and Memorabilia, is grouped into four major groups of material. The first group contains photographs of Mr. Yeager ranging from a photograph of him as a child to his 1990 funeral at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D. C. Researchers should especially note the photographs of Mr. Yeager during World War II while he was flying with the 320th Bomb Group. In particular, there are a number of photographs taken of the bomb groups operations in North Africa, Sardinia, and France. The grouping also contains a number of photographs of Mr. Yeager after World War II, including his official U.S. Air Force photograph used for promotion boards. The second major group of Series I is personal information. Of particular note is a letter, which was used for a 1943 Look Magazine article, entitled “An Account of My First Raid Over North Africa.” Also included is the General Order awarding him the Air Medal on September 13, 1943, membership certificates, resumes’ of his experience, and his Last Will and Testament. The third major group of Series I is Memorabilia, including Souvenir Programs. Included in this group is the graduation program for Pilot Training Class 42-G on July 23, 1943, “The Thunderbird Annual” for 1941-1942,” the Gardner Field, CA ”Bee Tee” for 1942, and information on the 319th Bomb Group Association for the period 1974 to 1988. There are a number of Souvenir Programs, including several from air races around the country. Finally, there are two boxes of material containing rank insignia, name tags, and of particular note Army medals, including Lt. Yeager’s Distinguished Flying Cross. Series II, Publications, is divided into four major groupings. The first major group is Aviation Brochures. This group contains general information brochures about such companies as American Airlines (1944), Boeing Aircraft (1958, 1980), Lockheed Aircraft (1929-1932), Northrop Aircraft (1933-1946), and Stearman Aircraft (c.a.1930s). The second group contains general aviation brochures such as “The Jet Aircraft of the World” (1950), “A Chronicle of the Aviation Industry in America” (1947-1950), and “The Organization – Research Activities and Facilities of NACA” (1943. The third group of material includes magazines, newsletters, booklets and catalogs. This group contains a variety of aviation-related materials ranging from Munsey’s Magazine (1910, 1912) and Navy Air Pilot and Military Aeronautic Review (1918) to more recent aviation material such Spotlight Magazines article “Wings Over Cleveland.” The bulk of the material in this group is dated between 1939 and 1960. The final group in Series II is oversize material. Most of the material in this group is from World War II and includes such material as The Bowman Bomber (1941) and Life Magazine (1942).