Pan Am Historical Foundation Celebrates 25Th Anniversary
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Vol. XX, No. 3 — Fall/Winter 2016 www.panam.org NEWSLETTERCLI OF THEPP PAN AMER HISTORICAL FOUNDATION From The Chairman, storical fou hi nda am tio Ed Trippe... n an Pan Am Historical Foundation p 2 Celebrates 25th Anniversary 5t 17 h 20 an 2 - niversary 199 Congratulations from Kathleen Clair, Founding Member of the Pan Am Historical Foundation Kathleen Clair joined Pan Am in 1948 and worked as the assistant to Juan Trippe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, until her retirement As we approach the bittersweet 25th in 1980. After Pan Am filed for bankruptcy in 1991, Kathleen became a anniversary of the demise of Pan Am, it’s founding Director of the Pan Am Historical Foundation, which she served appropriate to remember all the good times shared during the many years that on until she stepped down in 2002. Kathleen’s recollections of her life at Pan Am prospered, as well as the high Pan Am and her memories of the early days of the Foundation are part of points during the past 25 years. In this the heritage of the Company. In her words… issue, Kathleen Claire, Juan Trippe’s Assistant for more than 40 years, shares I can’t believe it’s been 25 years since we scavengers interested in acquiring Pan her recollections of the founding of the formed the Foundation. Here is how it Am’s historic memorabilia – some were Pan Am Historical Foundation (PAHF) came about. A group of us, all retirees legitimate collectors and others who would in the wake of the Pan Am bankruptcy. organized by Norm Blake, met regularly have sold the company’s legacy on eBay. To It is a particularly poignant reminder for lunch in Greenwich, Connecticut assure success and to meet any competitive of how employees from all areas of the to reminisce about the old days and our bids for the assets, the Pan Am Historical company and throughout the world memories of Pan Am. At the time Pan Foundation and the University of Miami joined in saving our archives and Am closed down we were all devastated, decided to bid together to acquire the memorabilia. and very concerned that the Company’s archives. It was agreed that the University PAHF continues to focus on its mis-“historic archives and memorabilia might of Miami’s Richter Library would get the sion to preserve the legacy of our great be lost in the bankruptcy proceedings. archives so their historic value would be airline, and an important part of that Under the leadership of that group which saved in perpetuity. The Historical Society legacy is the loyalty of its employees. I included Paul Roitsch, Ed and Charlie of South Florida would get the memora- can’t think of another company in the Trippe and me —and many others who bilia as they had plans to create an aviation world that has the culture Pan Am cre- quickly joined the effort—a plan was museum in Miami. ated to inspire such loyalty. Employees developed to create the Pan Am Historical Most of the archives had been stored in a from every corner of the globe continue Foundation to raise the necessary funds to warehouse in New Jersey and needed to be to meet with regularity and enthusiasm. save the archives and memorabilia. sorted and catalogued before they could The Pan Am Reunion in Berlin next Former Pan Am employees, Directors, be sent to the Richter Library. Retired May reflects that culture. The reunion and friends the Company were contacted Captain Paul Roitsch organized a group to has been organized by Captain Don and many gave generously. I remember go to the warehouse to take on this mam- Cooper and is sponsored by the PAHF. contacting former Pan Am Board mem- moth project. Paul reached out to a group It is expected to bring hundreds together ber, Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM. of pilots, who reached out to other pilots. to celebrate Pan Am and to remember He immediately said he would send us Flight attendants, office personnel and oth- its Internal German Service (IGS) opera- a check for $10,000. He said that Juan ers also joined the group. Paul and I went tion that served Berlin all through the Trippe was a hero if there ever was one. every day – and there were always at least Cold War years. Al Ueltshi, Trippe’s former pilot of the a dozen volunteers there on any given day. As we approach 2017, the PAHF con- Pan Am executive airplane, who went on We went through all the file boxes, keeping tinues to focus on its long standing goals to become the Founder and Chairman of the important stuff and discarding the rest. of the creation of documentary film(s) Flight Safety, also gave generously. And The pilots were often the first to arrive. on the history of Pan Am, plans for there were many others. They made the coffee and offered us all the development of a traveling Pan Am As the bankruptcy proceeding contin- “coffee, tea or milk.” We brought in old Chairman continues on p. 2 ued though 1991 there were numerous 25th Anniversary continues” on p. 2 establish a partnership with a PBS station, with aircraft models. While much work is 25th Anniversary from p.1 and have an agreement, in principle, still required, the exhibit will also include vacuum cleaners from our homes and, at with WCVE in Richmond, Virginia. An films of interviews with a generation of the end of the day, the pilots would literally agreement with WCVE would allow the Pan Am history-makers. run the vacuum over the floor to clean up producers to pursue a broadcast schedule The website also continues to grow under the place. I really enjoyed going out to the on either American Experience, the PBS the management of Doug and Mimi warehouse. We all had a lot of fun. flagship history program, or on Ameri- Miller. Pan Am families with film and can Public Television, the second largest other Pan Am memorabilia are encour- That’s how the Foundation got its start. I distributor of public television programs. continued to work on the Foundation for aged to contact the website and donate Efforts to secure alternative funding to their materials to the PAHF. at least another ten years. Twenty-five years replace the Smithsonian contribution are later, the Foundation is still going strong, also progressing and, encouragingly, a As we approach the 25th anniversary and I was pleased to learn that the Pan Am grant of $50,000 was recently secured. of the Foundation, it is safe to say that archives are the most viewed collection at we are not only alive and well—we are the Richter Library. The traveling exhibit will draw upon prospering and exploring new horizons to PAHF’s outstanding library of both still preserve the legacy of Pan Am. I send my heartfelt congratulations to the photos and motion picture images, along Board and to all of our members for help- ing to preserve the legacy of Pan Am.” — Kathleen Clair A Trip to Remember: Richard Rhode’s Journey to Hong Kong by Clipper, 1938 Chairman from p.1 By Doug Miller exhibit, and the continued growth of the website, panam.org. Part Two: We left Richard Rhode heading out over the Pacific as a passenger on Pan Am’s Hawaii Clipper, in June of 1938. (See Clipper Spring 2016) PAHF has also been supportive of the recently organized Pan Am Museum Foundation, which shares our mission to The 34 year-old NACA engineer was Richard, ever the engineer, kept up his preserve Pan Am archives. Their organiz- traveling at the behest of the airline’s chief observations: ers have launched an ambitious under- engineer Andre Priester to survey real One notices that hot foods and liquids taking to create a permanent Pan Am conditions the clippers faced flying across lose temperature rapidly after being Museum. As an initial step, the Pan Am the Pacific. served, as a result of the high rate of Museum Foundation will open a Pan Am One of his particular interests was docu- evaporation at the cruising altitude . Exhibit at the Cradle of Aviation on Long menting meteorological conditions. He no structural conditions worth recording Island, NY at a gala event on December had met with the Pacific Division’s chief up to time for retirement at night . no 3, 2016. PAHF is supporting the Exhibit weatherman, W.H. Clover for a brief- cumulus clouds of sufficient size to cause and will provide a virtual reality film on ing, but in 1938 the clippers flew across severe turbulence at the cruising altitude the B-314. We will also lend two models the ocean without a great deal of precise of about 8,500 feet . flying dead to the Exhibit, a DC- 8 and a 747, both weather information. Of course, observ- smooth from the time we left Alameda previously on display at the Intrepid Sea, ers at Pan Am’s island bases could provide until just before daylight as we were Air and Space Museum in New York. up-to-date weather data, but there were approaching the Hawaiian Islands. Progress on the documentary film has been still huge gaps. Sporadic reports from Hawaii provided Richard and his fellow frustrating. Until recently, we were moving ships at sea helped, but were not con- passengers an enjoyable interlude, but ahead with plans for Across the Pacific to be sistent. A third – very poor – source of early in the morning of day after their launched with the Smithsonian Channel weather information could be gleaned by arrival from the mainland, they were on this fall.