The Sacramento Bee from Sacramento, California • 40

-r PAQ1 10 PL Thursday April 2 1998 KSIOHSOItS Base closure may clip wings of air museum 1 last to military and But it's BY THKRFSA ELLIOTT Inside a glass-enclosed display case at the McClellan Aviation Museum is a cadet class book from Gamer Field Texas dated March 1944 In part the book's dedication reads us the vast sky has been stripped of her secrets and our awe of the soaring heights has matured from fear to that of respect and love is chance While the dedication is more than 50 years old the respect and love of those soaring heights has some military aviation history enthusiasts scrambling to raise money to ensure the McClellan Aviation history beyond the Air Force scheduled closure in 2001 But while the boom and not the aerial refueling type has been lowered on the museum those involved in fundraising efforts are maintaining a can-do attitude A meeting in June with officials from the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton Ohio will determine the McClellan fate after July with Sacramento-area supporters now engaged in an effort to raise $160000 by the end of May to prove the viability as an independent enterprise The Wright Patterson museum is the central aviation museum for the Air Force and oversees decisions for all other such facilities is the only thing former McClellan base Commander Jim Wilson said of the absolutely chance preserve heritage history doable DUSCX former McClellan possible closure and the subsequent loss of military heritage in Sacramento County is our last chance the absolutely last chance to preserve military heritage and history But Wilson a resident of Roseville is president of the McClellan Aviation Museum Foundation the non-profit fund-raising arm of the museum The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors in December approved a county staff recommendation to maintain operation of the museum But county funding is not forthcoming said Supervisor Roger Dickinson an ardent supporter of the facility I am very interested in maintaining the museum after base Dickinson said significantly after the base closes it will provide a direct linkage to Air Force history Some Department of Defense and Air Force work will still be accomplished in Sacramento but a direct connection to military history will be provided by the museum a very important part of our history in Sacramento I have tried to support it in small ways when I can and that support precedes my tenure on the Dickinson also is a museum member His wife Maij served on the board of directors in the mid- 1980s Dickinson said he has tried to promote the facility in several ways such as having the county public works department install roadway signs along Watt Avenue directing people to the museum And while the concept has not yet our last the Joan Barnett Neighbors volunteer Harrison Woodfolk left at could close if supporters are unable and Emilio Ortiz of John Bkfwell aviation museum tour given by base commander iH iiM 11114 CLOSED EASTER SUNDAY April 12th Fifth-graders Marcos Estrada center Elementary School participate In an been discussed he said a county loan for the museum is not an impossibility Such a loan can help an organization survive in the short term until it attains self-sufficiency and the ability to pay back the loan he said Organizations that have received county bridge loans include the Discovery Museum and the California Military Museum in Old Sacramento and the now-defunct Sacramento Symphony Having witnessed the closure of the Silver Wings Aviation Museum at Mather Field several years ago former curator Derrel Fleener agreed on the importance of maintaining museum really important to keep it So much history is there and so intertwined with said Fleener a North Sacramento resident Fleener was curator of Silver Wings for approximately 13 years until it closed in August 1993 1 While the Mather Contents went to various locations artifacts and memorabilia directly associated with Mather went to the McClellan museum he said The McClellan Aviation Museum Foundation must raise $160000 by May 31 to prove the commercial viability Supporters say the museum must learn to fly solo or it will end up like Silver Wings closed with its displays artifacts and memorabilia shipped to other Air Force facilities As determined by foundation members and Wright Patterson officials the museum must meet a set of criteria to remain open beyond July Presenting a significant obstacle to the foundation said Wilson is the requirement of $250000 in liquid capital for the first year of operation On Palm Avenue at McClellan Air Force Base the museum opened in 1986 Admission is free The museum comprises three buildings and includes a gift shop a classroom a research library interior displays exterior aircraft School field trips continue as usual at the museum Fritz fifth-grade class from John Bidwell Elementary School in south area toured the facility March 17 led by docent Harrison Woolfolk For Woolfolk a North Highlands resident volunteering at the museum provides him with the opportunity to repay his community for the and military career he served as well as the chance to share his passion for flight while educating students In the early years of his military career Woolfolk flew 100 missions in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War then took a management position before his retirement from the Air Force in 1979 Volunteering an average of three days a week at the museum Woolfolk said he sees a lot of interest among his school- age charges hqve a Jot of enthusiasm toward airplanes in general after explained how they he said equate flying a plane to driving an automobile and tell them that all stick and rudder Kids seem to understand that and then perhaps think about a military career always recruiting and I encourage them to think about the (Air Force) Academy or college before joining the As he walks and talks with students Woolfolk imparts information on the theory of flight the parts of an aircraft and various conflicts in which the United States has been involved much detail I go into depends on the grade he said A bonus to volunteering at the museum is the camaraderie enjoyed by military aviation enthusiasts making his volunteerism he said military experience and history either through reading about it or through personal experience is he said you have to be a military member to And indeed some of those involved with the museum military members Vintage airplane enthusiast Iris Taggart of Sacramento is abuzz with plans for the upcoming activities displays and picnic areas In 1997 die museum attracted 45000 visitors Its more popular features especially among schoolchildren are F-101 and T-28 flight simulators and an A-10A Thunderbolt that saw action in the Gulf War Two Russian MiGs also are on display Other features include exhibits of the famous Doolittle Tokyo Raid of World War II the evolution of the Air Force uniform and a 1943 L-2 Grasshopper airplane Museum employees include director Fred Lohse curator Bill Carlson and Tony Gabbard who serves as gift-shop manager and executive secretary to the foundation board of directors and positions are Air Force-funded Gabbard is the only paid employee of the foundation Otherwise the facility relies on a contingent of 45 volunteers and its 17-member board for personnel support i Annual operating 'costs: for the museum total $180000 for the 1997-98 fiscal year Lohse said The target amount of $250000 was determined as sufficient to ensure the first year of independent operation target amount was raised just a bit to ensure a viable position for the Lohse said The Air Force has seen a lot of base closures and a lot of base museums have not been able to make it financially he said The museum foundation has approximately $90000 in cash flow leaving about $160000 for fund-raising efforts and the May deadline But Wilson and the host of volunteers docents and board members all have something in common They have not only a respect and love of aviation and its history but a dedication to bringing their passion to museum visitors most of whom are schoolchildren With the closure of Silver Wings they say Sacramento County cannot afford to lose any more of its military heritage and history Scheduled fund-raising events include a USO-style dance at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium on May 2 featuring the Glenn Miller Orchestra from New York and a Warbird Fly-In and Classic Car Show on May 16 at McClellan -stnr-m McClellan Air Base The museum to raise $160000 by May The Glenn Miller Dance Concept on May 2 also will feature entertainment by the Ritz an area quartet performing hits of the Andrews Sisters Memorial Auditorium will be outfitted with memorabilia froip the 1940s including uniforms vintage military vehicles USO flags posters and banners And Taggart is helping coordinate activities for the May 16 Waij-bird Fly-In and Classic Car Shov bringing in vintage airplanes frqm throughout the Pacific CojtBt region Confirmed appearances for thp fly-in include the B-25 the B-28 the AT-6 the PT-22 and the L-19 i trying to arrange a fly-over of P-5 Is but some logistic to work out she said While her husband Bob was ft pilot with missions including (he Berlin Airlift in 1948 Taggatf develop an interest in aviation until later in life Now at age 71 her eyes light-up with the details of arranging fly-ins and fly-overs gung-ho about these World War II she said want to fly in a F-5 1 before I Taggart has clocked time in various vintage airplanes had stick (control) time jn the B-24 the B-25 and the she said Tickets for the Glenn Miller Dance Concert are available fxy mail or pick-up through the Sacramento Community Center box office at 13th and streets For more information or to charge tickets call 264-5181 from 10 am to 5 pm Tickets range from $38 for dress-circle seats to $24 for balcony Access to the McClellan Aviation Museum is obtained through the Palm Avenue gate Visitors must show proof of insurance vehicle registration and a vdlid licence for base entry The museum is open excluding federal holidays from 9 am to pm Monday through Friday froth 9 am to 4 pm Saturday and from noon to 4 pm Sunday Museum memberships also are available For more information on the dance concert or the museum call Tony Gabbard at 643-3192 Theresa writer Elliott is a free-lance Service Ycer BONE-IN HAM Whole SJ89LB BUTT1 IHUViEEiilHTl iHimyiffitiirct) UMI tliitjss LB Food Stamps Visa Mastercard Welcome OPEN Mon-Fn 8am-6pm Sat 8am-5pm Sun Noon-5pm 20 Years in Roseville 700 Atlantic 782-2705 Look for out front I Spent My Summer Give us Your Best (or worst)' Send us your most memorable experience in 500 words or less that involve travel by planes trains or automobiles Your story will be judged on creativity originality and must be based on a true life experience Auto Accident In jury Seminar Presented as a Public Location: Oxford Suit if unable to attend call for inform 1st Place: 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