Pittsburgh History Winter 1993/94 (University ofPittsburgh Press, 1982) of AllAmerican Aviation, 1937-1953 Bettis and the Bettis site, has donated •VV.David Lewis and WilliamF. Trim- ( University ofPittsburgh Press, 1988) three volumes of material to Carnegie ble, The AirwaytoEverywhere: AHistory »Edward Vance, a historian of Cyrus Library's Pennsylvania Room. Remembrances of Bettis Field: an interview with Kenneth W. Scholter William F. Trimble Thefollowing excerpts from an interview by the author been edited forpublication. A transcript ofthe inter- withKenneth W. Scholter give a firsthand impression view is in the Archives ofthe Historical Society of ofsome ofthe people and events at Bettis Field. Now 83 Western Pennsylvania. years old, Mr.Scholter was employed at the field when WFT: What arc your memories ofthe way the field itwas known (first) as Pittsbtirjjh-McKeesport Air- was laid out and the people there? port. He knew Clifford Balland D.Barr Peat, as well KWS: The road that went by the south side of the as many others associated withthe airmail operations Pittsburgh- McKeesport Airport was the Dravosburg- and other early aviation exploits at the field. He Homestcad Road, and on the south side of that road worked for a while at an airport in Hudson, Ohio, there was a meadow up on a hill.Itsloped up from before going to Butler in 1934 withD. Barr Peat. The the other side of the road. In the early days there was interview was conducted on June 21, 1993, and has a surplus of World War Iairplanes, and barnstorming pilots would rather purchase these airplanes for a little William F. Trimble is the author of numerous books and money buy a articles onPennsylvania aviationhistory. He isvisitingprofessor than brand-new airplane and they would ofmilitaryhistory at the AirWar College, Maxwell AirForce keep up their activities in these surplus airplanes by Base, Alabama. He was editor ofthismagazine's predecessor, barnstorming them and going into pastures and flying the Western Pennsylvania HistoricalMagazine, from 1975 to passengers anywhere there was any population. 1985. Well,it just so happened that on top of this hill 170 Rkmembrancks of Bettis Field was a nice long strip ofpasture to land an airplane. encd up and repaired again and he got out of there, One day, a barnstorming airplane made a couple of this was like planting a seed inD. Barr Peat's mind. circles around this pasture on top of the hill and He figured that there ought to be an airport around decided he was going to land in there. When he there somewhere. landed, the grass was so high that he hit a stump that WFT: DidD. Barr Peat actually help repair the was covered with high grass. He couldn't see the airplane? thing and he crashed the airplane on landing. D.Barr KWS: Well,inhis way, yes. He made himself Peat, David Barr Peat, who was an engineer who available. You hand me this and you hand me that. worked on the Liberty Tunnels as a foreman, hap- You lifthere and what-not. D.Barr Peat figured that pened to live within walking distance of this strip on his strip up there lacked any possibility ofbecoming top of the hill.He, of course, rushed over there, and an airport, so he investigated around that field. tried to help and straighten out the barnstormer's Nearby was property owned by a Dr. Nason from problems. When they finally got the airplane straight- McKeesport. He was very influential,but he was Pittsburgh History Winter 1993/94 not interested in airplanes at all. So Barr never had prominent politically down there because he had to any help from Dr.Nason. He didn't object, nor did be. At that time the bootleg business was prominent he help. He had a mansion right there on the edge of and when the state police would raid or take in some the road near the pasture where the barnstormer of these bootlegger cars, they would bring them landed. But when you're on top of that hill you look down to the police station and they would immedi- down over Dr. Nason's house on the road, and ately house their cars in CliffBall's garage. 00 there's a beautiful nice big pasture there. And this was About that time, when Iwas at the airport, Iwas owned by a farmer and well-to-do McKeesport man doing all kinds of things, and one of those things was named Harry Neal, H.C. Neal. Harry Neal was quite being a "gofer." They called me "Monk." That was a guy in his own right. Barr Peat, looking down there short for grease monkey, or airplane mechanic. I and picturing a future airport, contacted Mr.Neal, cleaned the bellies of airplanes, washed what Icould who was a personal friend ofD. Barr Peat's, and they reach. When there was an empty seat on one of the got together and they decided to clear off this pasture airplanes, one of the airmail airplanes, or one of the and open it. civilian airplanes, when there was an empty cockpit in Clifford Ball was interested in aviation inhis way. one of them, Iwas in it,They all thought of me as He wasn't a rich man, but he wasn't poor either. He the kid, "Monk." When CliffBall was in the midst of had this automobile business down inMcKeesport, a getting the airmail organized with D. Barr Peat, he Hudson- Essex dealership, and he also was looking to had a brand-new Model "lFord roadster down there the future for something he could latch onto and that was confiscated and was sitting inhis garage. make monev. Cliffsaid, "Monk,Iwant you to go into town with WFT: Was Clifford Ball already interested in aviation me, down to the garage, and Iwant you to bring by the time Peat and Neal came along? back a car." Idid everything. As a kid,Iwas capable KWS No way, no way at all. He had a brother named ofdoing things on my own. Heck, I'dbeen driving Albert Ball, who had a builders' supply business in cars and many other things for a long time. I'd do all McKeesport, and Albert Balland Clifford Ball kinds of things. For instance, Dewey Noyes [one of between them had enough money that they could put the original airmail pilots] had a girlfriend who was an some money into Pittsburgh-McKeesport Airport actress in the theater inPittsburgh. with Harry Neal. They bought some equipment and WFT: That was Blanche Wilcox? hired some pilots. Ballhad two other brothers, but KWS: Yes. She was in the theater in downtown they weren't significant inaviation. Pittsburgh and Dewey said, "Hey Monk,how about WFT: Didyou know CliffBall before this other than getting the car and going down and getting Blanche just by the car dealership? when Icome in. I've got to fly to Cleveland, and I KWS: No. He grew with me. Itwas a case where want Blanche here when Icome back so we can go everybody who was at that airport or had anything to out." That's what Iwould do. Anyhow, that justified do with it,Ijust was in their tracks, was on their tail. the use of the car. I'd go get parts, and I'd deliver Pretty soon they began tolike me. They took me people and get people, and do all kinds of things. I under their wing, and everybody went along with it. was always sort of indemand as somebody who could CliffBall had more political connections than the be depended on as a gofer. There Ihad a brand-new average guy in that he had this garage indowntown Model TFord— at— my— disposal.— Nowit j 1 McKeesport and it was next to the city lockup, the wasn't legal, but CliffBall didn't have municipal building at the time. CliffBall was anv trouble with that, because he was in with the police department, and Remkmbrancks of Bkttis Field reason for me to do anything else. Most kids would Ofcourse, he didn't have any trouble getting cars, have been in trouble with something like that, but because they were confiscating those cars right and not me. left. So Ialwavs had one. WFT: When do you think you took your first airplane Lovejoy was a prominent name in Pittsburgh. flight,and can you remember what kind of airplane it Most of these early fliers came from prominent was? families. Curly Lovejoy's father \u25a0BBBP^pv~~~ KWS: Ican remember that like ithappened yesterday. was No. 2 under Andrew It was so impressive to me, so important, that there's Carnegie, and he owned a no way Iwould ever forget it.But itwasn't anything mansion in Pittsburgh. Later unusual. Itwas in a Curtiss JN4D Jenny, and itwas on, they had a big write-up flown by one of the original airmail pilots, Curly about Lovejoy. I've still got Lovejoy. Curly Lovejoy is a story initself. that write-up somewhere. They WFT: What do you recall of that first flight, then? called it "Lovejoy's Folly." The KWS: Well,it wasn't anything important, like Isaid. mansion was very wellcon- It was a case of where Curly Lovejoy flew these structed; everything in that airplanes for CliffBall,and Idid these little chores for building was brought from the pilots. Curly, for instance, would borrow my overseas. Even the bricks were Model T every once in a while. Curly was quite a dovetailed together. When they guy. Curly liked to nipit up, and he was quite a guy tore the mansion down, they when itcame to having a good time.