POLK PROUD HISTORY VOL. 45 AUGUST 2020 NO. 3

PETE SONES FLORIDA'S ACE AVIATOR Polk County Historical Association UNDER THE

DIRECTORS David Brewer, President Richard A. Fifer, Vice President DOME Roderick Hudnell, Treasurer WHERE LOCAL HISTORY MEETS Lois Sherrouse-Murphy, Secretary SUPPORT LOCAL HISTORY Melvin Sellers, Past President As we continue to redefine normal during this unprecedented time of the COVID- Jennifer Bush 19 pandemic, history and art museums are facing permanent closures with staff S,L. Frisbie, IV hours either diminished or furloughed. Initial numbers suggest approximately 30% C. Wayne Guest of private and public facilities are impacted. Here in Polk County, rich in local John Keating history, there are cut-backs. We are lucky to have a county government-supported Lyonal B. Lindsey, Jr. museum with the Polk County History Center with a staff that strives to bring Harriet Rust history to life for residents and visitors alike. But not everyone has this backing. Sheila Tindle Museums make the most of w^hat they have, often rehant on admission fees, memberships, or guest donations. With facilities minimized and no pubhc onsite Donald Wilson programming, it follows the adage of "out of sight-out of mind." So please take a Myrtice Young moment to access your favorite facility, participate in virtual programming, and LuAnn Mims, Editor check in on them to find out what other support they need. Make your donations count - locally! When we all finally emerge from this pandemic, we want to have DIRECTORS EMERITUS the museums, societies and venues intact. William Lloyd Harris The Polk County Historical Association supports all efforts of history in the county, Sue Sellers so be sure your membership is up to date. Those funds help to offset the cost of this publication - a voice for local history. LuAnn Mims, Editor

MEET THE AUTHORS POLK PROUD HISTORY rom the Florida Air Museum, B.J. Whitley is a freelance w-riter and has been is a quarterly publication Fa Florida Air Museum, SUN 'n FUN Aerospace Expo Early Bird volunteer for produced by the Polk County six years. Her work has appeared in newspapers, healthcare publications and the Historical Association. Since Florida Air Museum blog. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Language, Writing 1974, the mission of the and Editing from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. publication has been to create Jayme Jamison is the Museum Manager and has been with the organization for three a legacy of Polk County's his• years. She previously served as the Curator of Education and Programming at the tory and heritage through Polk County History Center and served as a classroom teacher for 7 years prior. scholarly, informative articles She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science Education from the University written by local historians, of Central Florida and a Master of Arts degree in Museum Studies from the educators and researchers. University of Oklahoma. While not a pilot herself, Jayme grew up around a great variety of military aircraft and enjoys when the U.S. Navy Blue Angels make it out To submit an article for publi• for the Annual SUN 'n FUN Aerospace Expo, the primary fundraiser for the Florida cation consideration, please Air Museum. email a word document direct• More information about the museum can be found online at ly to editor at: \^•ww.floridaairmuseum.org. The 2021 SUN 'n FUN Aerospace Expo will be held LAMimsy@gmail. com April 13- 18, 2021. Tickets and more information can be found at www.flvsnf.org Feature article: 2000 words Special article: 500-750 words Short article: 300 words AEROSPACE SUNff FUN Please include bibliography and Center For Excellence RerosRace GHPO resources. Cover photo^rapih: Pete Sones inirchased a Stinson Reliant in 1935, which became his all time favorite . -2- FLORIDA'S ACE AVIATOR Written by B.J. Whitley - Edited by Jayme Jamison

y all accounts, legendary air racer Pete Sones of Haines BCity, Florida, never dreamed as a young boy that he would grow up and be remembered as ^Florida's Ace Avia• tor.' Nor could he have ever imagined that he would help lay the ground\Aork for the state to become the aviation leader it is recognized to be today.

HIS YOUNG LIFE

Born in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1896, Sones spent the majority of his early life working in his father's sawmill where he developed quite an aptitude for working on machinery. According to the book, Pete Sones, Racing the Wind written by Lynn M. Homan and Thomas Reilly, his exceptional mechan• ical talents were noted by C. W. Nash of Nash Motor Com• pany in Kenosha, Wisconsin who hired Sones to work as a mechanic at his car dealership. According to the authors, Pete the Pirate and his crew of buccaneers abducted Margaret Ware, Miss Nash remembered him as "very quiet and unassuming, pos• National Aeronautic Association, during Florida's Aviation weeli, 1937 sessing unusual executive ability and also unusual mechanical an automobile repair business naming it Sones Service Ga• ability." rage. Over the next few^ years, his business became very When World War I broke out, Sones left his job and joined successful and he eventually acquired dealerships for thousands of other young men who were enlisting in the U.S. Chrysler, General Motors and Austin automobiles as well as Army. Little is known about his military career other than Stinson Airplanes. Nash, who w as serving as assistant director of aircraft produc• The end of the war in 1918 marked the beginning of the tion for the War Department, recommended his former Golden Age of Aviation and, for the next 20 years, the mechanic for Officers Training School. At the end of the war industry experienced incredible growth in both commercial in 1918, Sones was discharged in Jacksonville, Florida where and civil sectors. Aircraft were being transitioned from slow he boarded a bus headed home to Wisconsin. wood and fabric construction to fast streamlined metal Following a roundabout monoplanes turning the skv into a playground for pilots like route from Jacksonville to Charles Lindbergh who completed his famous nonstop flight Tampa, the bus had a from New York to France in 1 927. scheduled stop in Haines Sones was obviously as fascinated with flying as the rest of the City. When Sones spotted country and perhaps that is why an advertisement offering a disabled automobile, he flying lessons caught his eye in 1929 as he read the morning offered to help with repairs newspaper. Making the decision on the spot that he was going and subsequently spent the to learn to fly, he answered the advertisement and eagerly night in town. When he drove 55 miles to Brooksvillc for a weekend of instruction. awoke the next morning, he realized he liked the ar• The large surplus of airplanes left over from the w-ar were ea so much that he decided being scooped up by veteran pilots who were creating jobs to stay and make it his new^ for themselves by opening flying schools all over the country. home. Making a living was When Sones arrived for his first lesson, he found himself next on his agenda so he strapped into a post-war Jenny with a 90-horscpower engine found a small garage for that was pretty battle scarred. Pete Sones served his country with distinction during Worid War 1, 1918 sale, bought it and opened

-3- The aircraft was challenging to fly because its landing wheels Some estimated as many as 3,000 people attended and Sones were so close together that it made setting the aircraft on the was among the winners, capturing a silver cup for the most ground correctly a bit tricky, and the instruments, to say the "trim appearing airplane." He was flying his new Stinson least, were nothing short of basic. Despite the aircraft's Junior cabin monoplane painted black and white and this shortcomings, Sones quickly grasped the fundamentals of would be the start of his long-term relationship with the flying and when he completed his lessons, he purchased the aircraft company. airplane and flew it back to Haines City. Sones became aviation's best friend as he enthusiastically Around the same time, Florida was beginning to be eyed as a championed the industry at every turn, especially where possible aviation mecca for an industry that seemed to be aerial exhibitions were concerned. To name just a few, Sones exploding all over the country. For instance, only fifty miles participated in Miami's Fifth All American Air Maneuvers in west of Haines City, Tampa was predicted to be "The Future 1933, the First Sportsman Pilot Cruising Race from Orlando Aviation Center of America." As a matter of fact, the entire to Miami in 1934, the Second Annual Air Party held in state was ideally positioned to be a leader in the industry due Orlando in 1935 and the First Annual Miami-Havana Interna• to its climate, proximity to water and its flat land. tional Air Race in 1936.

SONES BECOMES A PILOT However, his most memorable competition occurred in 1933 when he won Liberty Magazine's Treasure Hunt, an eight- Central Florida was becoming a hotbed for flving schools and citv race held to put amateur pilots in the limelight in hopes when Sones returned to Haines City, he began taking lessons of encouraging more people to become involved in aviation. from Wesley N. Raymond who helped organize the Polk Sones was one of 73 pilots entering the race. The route County Aviation Association and was the owner of Raymond started in St. Louis and headed to New York with stops at Aircraft Company in Lakeland. He also trained with A. B. Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Buffalo, Syr• McMullen who had opened his flying school at Drew Field in acuse and Albany along the w^ay. Tampa and, by some accoimts, was training five pilots a While his winnings consisted of a sterling silver punch bowl month with 11 aircraft. valued at $1000 and the bulk of a S2000 cash prize, he also During the course of the next year, Sones divided his time earned recognition as one of the South's most talented pilots. between the two instructors until he was eventually flying When he returned to Haines City, he was given a hero's across the state to cities like Daytona, Jacksonville, Tampa welcome with enthusiastic crowds greeting him at the airport and Clearwater. He received his private pilot's license on and a motorcade downtown that some estimated as being July 8, 1930 at 33 years of age and, three years later, he three miles long. Today, the punch bowl along with other earned his transport pilot's license allowing him to not only memorabilia is on display at the Florida Air Museum in carry passengers, but offer flight instruction as well. Lakeland.

LET THE RACES BEGIN

Shortly after Sones received his pilot's license in 1930, he joined a group of pilots who were planning South Florida's First Annual Summer Air Meet and Races set for July 17 at Tampa Municipal Airport. Indicative of aerial events that were popping up across the country such as barnstorming and ' airplane aero- CLUE EIGHT batics, the air (Syracuse to Albany.) meet charged "^hose of you who woo Dame Fashion, 25 cents admis• May End in this a chance to cash in, sion and prom• For the clue is on a pier, ised spectators To the West and in the clear, Of a town where collars are the passion. nine events with over 40 The Liberty Magazine Treasure Hunt required pilots to pilots from cen• locate 55foot letters at each stop, eventually spelling out tral and western the wordL-I-B-E-R-T-Y. The only indication where to fly to find the next letter were Florida partici• Sone's Liberty Magazine Treasure Hunt Trophy punch bowl cryptic clues, such as this one referring to Troy, \Y, I 933 pating. now located at the Florida Air Museum

-4- patrol the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as well as the Gulf of Mexico.

Sones played an active role in the CAP when he was named base commander of the Tampa unit in 1 942 and later over• saw the coastal water patrol in Sarasota, Base No. 13. They had no serious casualties and no fatalities in approximately 1 1,000 flight hours. Sones had 24 men under his command that received air medals for meritorious service. Sones him• self flew about 30 missions while in command. In 1943, he was promoted to Major and awarded the Exceptional Civil• ian Service Medal for his service. It was the highest civilian armed forces award given for wartime service.

In presenting the award. Brig. Gen. Earle L. Johnson said,

Pete with wife Eleanor along with son, Pete, Jr. His family frequently "By devoting his efforts loyaUy and patriotically under diffi• accompanied him on bis fights, illustrating his belief in the safety of air travel, cult conditions in time of national need to the leadership, circa 1934. training and supervision of volunteers engaged in the perfor• BREAKING AN AIR MAIL RECORD mance of such wartime missions, he rendered a service to Air Mail started in 1918 and initially was the responsibility the United States deserving high recognition." of the U. S. Army, but as commercial aviation grew, the HIS LATER YEARS airlines took over the service. In 1938, in observance of National Air Mail Week, Sones was one of eight pilots from Sones retired from flying in 1955, ending a 25-year career in Central Florida appointed as an honorary air mail pilot and aviation. He became a successful civic and business leader in was assigned the route from Haines City to Lakeland in May. Polk County serving on the City Commission for Haines City and as a vice president of the Haines City Citrus Grow• Each letter Sones carried in his bag was marked: "Haines ers Association. He sold both cars and airplanes and later City, Florida. The Gateway to the South." Making the diffi• helped bring drive-in theaters to the Tampa area. He passed cult flight through heavy smoke and haze in 20 minutes, aw^ay in 1 978 at the age of 82. His impact on Florida aviation Sones was the first to arrive and once all the mail was w^as recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration weighed, they had a record breaking combined delivery of when a low altitude aerial intersection near the St. Peters• 184 pounds to transfer to National Airlines, the official air burg-Clearwater International Airport was named after him. mail carrier in Florida. His valuable contributions to Florida's early aviation indus• try rightfully earned him the honorable distinction of being CIVIL AIR PATROL remembered as 'Florida's Ace Aviator.'

With the threat of a Second World War on the minds of I many in 1941 and just a few days before the Japanese attack ; on Pearl Harbor, a Civil Air Patrol (CAP) w^as organized to

First Flight from Lakeland for VS Air Mail Service, 1934 Sones and other participants in the Macfadden Planned Flight Contest rendezvous at the Orlando Municipal Airport, 1937.

-5- FLORIDA AIR MUSEUM

s early as the 1980s - just a few years into the SUN 'n FUN AFly-In — founding director Billy Henderson and others envi• sioned an aviation museum to anchor the campus and provide a year-round educational and historic presence. In 1983, a museum committee solicited land from the Citv of Lakeland, and secured the present Florida Air Museum location on the SUN 'n FUN Aerospace Expo campus, just southwest of Lakeland Linder Inter• of the Florida Air Museum and open to visitors with a scheduled national Airport. appointment. Mr. Voigt was instrumental in convincing the How•

A "mini-museum" first appeared in the corner of Hangar A in ard Hughes Corporation that the SUN 'n FUN Museum would be 1986. In 1988, the SUN 'n FUN Aviation Foundation was formed an ideal facility in which to house a large collection of Mr. Hughes' to oversee the construction and operation of the SUN 'n FUN Air aviation memorabilia. The collection is among the museum's most Museum. Volunteer curator Marion Robles used his ties to the treasured assets and a rotating selection of artifacts is on display National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida to obtain vear-round. the loan of a number of aircraft and aircraft engines, including the In 2002, the Museum was renamed the Florida Air Museum and Lockheed XFV-1 "Vertical Riser" shipboard fighter. Long-time that same year, it received designation as the "Official Aviation SUN 'n FUN Fly-In attendees may recall seeing the "Vertical Riser" Museum and Education Center of the State of Florida" by Gover• for many years standing on its tail near the main office. Now, nor jeb Bush and the Florida Legislature. The Museum remains visitors can find it beside the Central Florida Aerospace Academy, proud of this honor and aspires dailv to hve up to and meet the fully restored by several years' work of dedicated volunteers. spirit of this distinction.

In 1991, the City of Lakeland approved funding for the construc• In 2014, the Museum realigned with the Aerospace Center for tion of the current museum building and lease of the adjacent land. Excellence on the SUN 'n FUN Expo campus to support a mission The main building was formally opened to the public during the to educate, engage, and accelerate the next generation of aerospace 1992 SUN 'n FUN Fly-In. professionals. This included the development of new interactive While the museum was being built, volunteer Milt Voigl estab• STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) exhibits, a lished an aviation research librarv, now located on the second level family-friendly discovery area, and integration of the arts into all that we do. LOUISE FRISBIE COLLECTION By S.L. Frisbie, IV

hen The Polk County Democrat newspaper in Bartow Her third and final historical book, Florida's Fabled Inns, re• Westablished a Fort Meade edition in 1969, it faced the counts the history of Florida's hotels built in the early 1900s. challenge of finding a sufficient volume of local new^s in a Like her previous books, it contains numerous historic pho• community of 5,000 citizens to create a viable twice-a-week tos. Intent on preserving the pictures collected for these three newspaper. Louise Frisbie, copy editor of The Democrat (and books, she gave copies of 958 photos to the Florida Memory wife of the publisher. Loyal Frisbie) took on the task of collection in the State Archives. writing a series of articles on Fort Meade's history. Each book sells for SI6, and can be purchased at the Polk This endeavor ignited an interest in historical research that County History Center or from Bartow^ Christian Books and would lead to a new avocation. Her articles in the Fort Meade Gifts. Books can be purchased and mailed within Florida for edition (which soon evolved into The Fort Meade Leader) were $20 from Imperial Publishing. For more information or mail expanded into a twice-weekly editorial page column, orders, e-mail fpcslfiv(§aoLcom or call (863) 513-0358. "Pioneers," that featured historical photos from the Bartow- Fort Meade area.

This enterprise in turn became the basis for two richly-illus• FLORIDA MEMORY state Library and Archives of Florida trated historical books, Peace River Pioneers, chronicling the history of the four counties that abut the Peace River (Polk, Highlands, Hardee, and DeSoto), and Yesterdaj's Polk County, LOUISE FRISBIE PHOTOGRAPHS a more in-depth account of the history of Polk. https://www.floridamemory.com/ discover/photographs/collections/

-6- POLK COUNTY'S LEADING LADIES A Year Long Series Recognizing Historic Female Contributors To Our County

MARY LOUISE by Jaime Fogel , born in 1876, the only child of is solely merit based and tuition free, thanks to a generous publishing magnate Cyrus H.K. Curtis and endowment from Mary Louise - something which was un- Louisa Knapp Curtis. She w^as educated at the prestigious precedented at that time. It remains so to this day. Ogontz School for Young Ladies in Pennsylvannia and re- ^^^Os, Mary Louise and Edward purchased a winter ceived musical training in piano and organ. At the age of 1 3, ^^^^ ^j^^ p^jj^ bounty, Florida community of Mountain Mary Louise began WTiting for The Ladies' Home Journal. ^^^^ j^^^^ g^^,^^^ p^^^^^^ p^^^.^^ In 1896, Mary Louise married Edward W. Bok, then editor tain Lake Sanctuary and Singing Tower, now know^n as Bok of The Ladies' Home Journal. They had two sons, W. Curtis and Tower Gardens. The Boks also founded the American Foun- Cary. Being both deeply phOanthropic and passionate about dation which, in addition to overseeing the operations of the music, Mary Louise became involved with the Settlement Sanctuary, did work in a variety of areas including prison Music School (, PA) which, at that time, focused reform, medical research, US-Russian relations, the creation on providing musical education to young immigrants. Her of a world criminal court, and establishing the American work with the ultimately led her to Peace Award. It speaks to the visionary nature of the Boks found the Curtis Institute of Music in 1924. The conservatory that nearly all of the topics that the Foundation identified are ^*pr still important issues today. In addition to her work wuth the Gardens, she retained a seat on the boards of the American Foundation, Curtis Institute, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Curtis Publishing Company, along with numerous other philanthropic activities. Mary Louise was also involved in the Lake Wales community, generously supporting Lake Wales Hospital and the Lake Wales Public Librarv.

Mary Louise passed away on January 4, 1970 at the age of 93. She was a true renaissance woman who used her considerable resources to improve countless lives and truly made the world a better and more beautiful place.

Jaime Fogel is the Library and Archival Collection Manager at Bok Mary Louise Curtis Bok with at groundbreaking for the Tower Gardens. For more information about the collection at their Singing Tower, January 1927 library and archives, visit https: / /boktowergardens.org /library/ IN MEMORLAM SUE SELLERS (1937-2020)

Norma Yvonne "Sue" (Bailey) Sellers, 83, died Monday, August 3 at Lakeland Regional Health Center following a short illness. Sue was born March 28, 1937 to Charles Marvin Bailey and Mabel Olivia (Brown) Bailey in Willow Oak.

Her career as a medical laboratory technician included work for Watson Clinic, Boone's Medical Laboratories, Lakeland, McLeod's Medical Lab, and South Florida Baptist Hospital, Plant City, from which she retired. She also for a time was a stay-at- home mom to her sons and a military wife to her Coast Guard husband, Melvin Lonnie Sellers, whom she married on December 22, 1962.

Remembered by her family and friends as a kind, sweet, generous person. Sue served as secretary and later emeritus board member of the Polk County Historical Associa• tion. She enjoyed travel, spending time with her family and watching PBS television with the love of her life.

In addition to her husband, Sue is survived by her sons Jeffery and Robert Sellers, and numerous other loving relatives.

-7- POLK COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION PO BOX 2749 BARTOW, FL 33831-2749

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