Large and fascinating archive comprising original manuscripts and carbon typescripts for articles on aviation by Lillian Gatlin, photographs, copies of letters sent by Ms. Gatlin to aviators, manufacturers, political and military figures, etc., original correspondence from the same, pamphlets, booklets, newspaper clippings, etc.
Lillian Gatlin was the first female passenger to travel by air across the United States, flying aboard U.S. Airmail planes from October 5 to October 8, 1922, traveling an estimated total of 2,680 miles with a combined flight time of 27 hours and 11 minutes. The purpose of her flight was to raise awareness of deceased aviators and to create a national memorial day for those aviators who had passed whether in civil or patriotic duty. Ms. Gatlin, though not a pilot herself, was involved in the organizing and promotion of various aviation events including the Second National Aero Congress in Detroit, Michigan October 11-14, 1922, just days after her historic travels. Her medal for participation in the Congress is present in the archive as well as a monogram broach presented to her by the University of Michigan . Also included are various letters and printed ephemera from the Seventh and Eighth Annual San Francisco Aerial Day Ceremonies of which she was the Founder and Director, and several items from the 1915 'Aviator's Frolic', also held in San Francisco. Amongst the correspondence are 3 Typed Letters, signed, from American Ace fighter pilot Eddie Rickenbacker on letterheads of the Sheridan Motor Company and the Rickenbacker Motor Company. Within the archive are several smaller groups of material relating to famous aviators including Frank Champion, with an original portrait photograph of Champion in his flying attire and numerous clippings; dare-devil pilot Art Smith with a small framed photograph of Smith at the controls of his plane and two glass-plate negatives of his flights at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Of particular interest are a number of articles from the estate of mother of Lincoln Beechey with whom Ms. Gatlin shared a close friendship. Among the Beachey items are a letter from Hollis Cooley, Chief of Special Events at the P.P.I.E., thanking Beachey for donating his flying services for the opening day of the fair; Lincoln Beachey's business card and letterhead of Lincoln Beachey, Inc; an invitation to talks by Beachey and William Pickens at the Pacific Aero Club; the engraved copperplate for Beachey's personal calling card; a large gathering of telegrams and letters of condolence sent to Beachey's mother from fans and his colleagues following his fatal crash while performing at the P.P.I.E. on March 15, 1915, including correspondence from J.C. Irvine, Vice President of the Pacific Aero Club, Beachey's brother Hillary and his wife, L.A. Vilas of the Curtiss Flying Boats company, Arnold Kruckman, U.S. Aeronautic Commissioner for the P.P.I.E., Mrs. Robert Grant Fowler, wife of the first aviator to make a non-stop transcontinental flight (across the Isthmus of Panama), a telegram from aviator J.C. Mars, Ada L Cooke, mother of aviator Weldon B. Cooke, aviator Silas Christoferson, and others. The printed material in the archive includes The Genius of Aviation by Lincoln Beachey. No copies located in OCLC/Worldcat. [No date, pre-1915]. * Advance information on the Second National Aero Congress to form a National Aeronautic Association. 3 copies located in OCLC/Worldcat. 1922.* Information for Delegates...Second National Aero Congress. No copies located in OCLC/Worldcat. 1922. * Who's Who in American Aeronautics. 4 copies located in OCLC/Worldcat. 1922. * New York Railroad Club Annual Dinner ... Commercial Aviation. 1928. * Aviation Magazine, October 9, 1922. * National Aeronautical Association of the United States. (An advance copy of a descriptive brochure, list of officers, etc. likely distributed to delegates at the 1922 Congress in Detroit). No copies located in OCLC/Worldcat. [1922]. * Parts price-list for the Irwin Aircraft Company Meteorplane, Model M-T. No copies located in OCLC/Worldcat. [No date]. * Bulletins No. 1-10 of the Special Commission Organizing the First Aerial Derby Around the World. One complete set located in OCLC/Worldcat. [1919-20]. * Aero Club of America 1915. No copies located in OCLC/Worldcat. [1915]. * Aircorps News Letter. Vol. XI, No. 9. July 19, 1927. * and several others. Also included is an original photograph from an unidentified race between an automobile and a bi-plane. A fascinating and rich archive, a glimpse into the American aviation scene in its early years. Well worthy of further study.