Biographical Notes reCharles A. (Chuck) StonePage 3 of 5 Pages, of Chapter 13,THE LINDBERGH LEGACY |
|||||||||
| A very dynamic man, Don Padilla, a Public Relations Corporation partner and member of the Lindbergh Fund Board of Directors, created and coordinated an alternate plan in a matter of hours. He made a deal with the Minneapolis/Saint Paul Airport Commission to move the entire exhibit out to the main concourse of the airport. We pitched in, removed the airplane, exhibits, the works, and took it out to the airport and within a few days the entire exhibit had been recreated. |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
| Our friends from New York survived the experience without a single heart attack and we all became fast friends in the process.The exhibit remained in the airport for at least six months and was viewed by millions of people as they came and went, by air, through that location. The Jenny may currently be viewed at the Cradle of Aviation Museum on Long Island, NY. |
|||||||||
| One of the Jenny restoration crewmembers, chose to build a scale model of the Spirit of St. Louis, fly it to Minnesota, drive to Little Falls and personally help me install it for display in one of our upper exhibit rooms as a gift.. Through the generosity and dedication I experienced in so many different ways, on a regular basis, I was increasingly aware of the deep and positive impact the Lindbergh Legacy had on our entire Twentieth Century culture. What a gift it was to me to spend a decade of my later life, striving to learn more about it and share it with others. |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
| While this was going on, other events were transpiring through the growing publicity that was coming to the Lindbergh Historic Site. A wonderful man and award winning radio control model builder, from Hudson, WI, offered us his prize-winning JN-4D Jenny flying scale model with a six foot wing span as a gift. He had almost cracked it up while getting in some flying time and decided it was too valuable to eventually end up in a heap. With permission from the home office,we accepted his gift. He delivered it to us and helped hang it in our upper exhibit area. Soon after an ageing model builder from the Dakotas, a man who built Lockheed aircraft during WW II, offered us two scale models. A large authentic model of the Lockheed Sirius, on floats, and a smaller model of a P-38 WW II twin engine fighter. He too chose not go to his grave without giving some longevity and continuing value to the products of his dedication and fine craftsmanship. Through the financial support of Laura Jane Musser, two Little Falls artists of great reputation were commissioned to create conceptual art works relating to the Lindbergh History. An oil painting, by Wesley Sod, of the Spirit of St. Louis flying the Atlantic at wave-tops, commissioned and prepared for display. It was also converted to a scanmural at least twelve feet wide that we installed in the upper exhibit area to solve an intolerable problem we had with malfunctioning slide projectors that attempted, haltingly, to play the same role. Paintings by Charles Kapsner, relating to the successive generations of the Lindbergh Family and a triptych combining three related paintings into a single display were soon being enjoyed by our visiting public. Both Wes and Chuck did additional works of art that were either on display in the Center or for sale as reproductions in the Museum Store. The use of conceptual art in this historic setting was a controversial issue in the halls of the MHS, but they were kind enough to permit us to make these adjustments to the satisfaction of Laura Jane, our staff and the general public. If you would like to see a sample of more recent work by Charles Kapsner, please click on this URL and then return to this story: http://www.buonfresco.com/ From my earliest participation in the work at the Lindbergh Historic Site, I had strived to tape the recollections of as many people who had played a direct role in the Lindbergh History as I possibly could. This had included Lindbergh’s half-sister Eva Lindbergh Christi Spaeth and Alex Johnson, one of his, for-real, boyhood playmates. One day we were visited by Retired USAF General Hal Gray, a pilot that had flown P-38s with Lindbergh in the South Pacific. I sat with him on a bench along the Mississippi River on a beautiful summer day, recording his memories. Sharing his memories brought laughter and tears to his eyes and voice. Getting to know him was very special, among the many gifts I enjoyed. One of our more memorable experiences occurred in the spring of 1984. Nell and I chose to travel to Houston, TX, for the Lindbergh Fund annual banquet and awards ceremony. Except for my original trip, paid for by Laura Jane, these excursions were very much at our own expense. Arriving at the Hotel in Houston, to first thing that happened was to have a chance to meet and greet Jimmy Doolittle, a main speaker at the event. Later on, we had the chance to meet the six living original astronauts and hear their own words in various presentations. We had the opportunity to present a private slide presentation to the Lindbergh Family and Fund Board of Directors, touring and talking about the Lindbergh Home and Center that was warmly received. One of our best memories was that Nell had the opportunity to help Anne Morrow Lindbergh out of a jam in getting her speech typed. She was subbing for her daughter, Reeve, who had to remain on the east coast, caring for an ill child. Anne had written the speech on the plane, enroute to Houston, and needed to have it typed. For a variety of security reasons, they could not find a way to get the speech typed until one of their members said that Nell had already found a hotel typewriter and typed a speech for another needy participant. They asked Nell if she would do it, and naturally she said yes. She was was quickly closeted in a quiet room with Ann where they could discuss Anne’s draft of the material. After more than 30 to 40 minutes of close coordination, Nell rushed back to our hotel room and typed up a storm, finishing just in time to step out the door, hand the speech to Anne as she strode by with her companions on their way to a press conference. Her speech, during the banquet, was just great! About a month later, Nell received a letter from Anne, written on the pages of her book “Gift from the Sea,” expressing her appreciation. |
|||||||||
|
End of Page 3 of 5 Pages, Chapter 13 — Go to Page 4 Click below to select a destination Go to Page 1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5, this Chapter Chapters 1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5 — 6 — 7 — 8 — 9 — 10 |
|||||||||