morning paper. The headlines dashed their hopes. Chares Lindburgh of Minnesota—had taken off on the same flight and made it.

            It was a year later, at Maywood, Ill. Airport, that Big Jim met a fellow named Charles (Speed) Holman. “We’re forming an airline up in St. Paul.” said Speed, “and we need a good mechanic. How about you?” Big Jim came back to St. Paul with Speed and became one of the ten or so founders of Northwest Airways, now Northwest Orient Airlines. And until 1946 – “when I retired for the third time---“ Big Jim was maintenance boss for Northwest. And it is his boast that in all those years, nobody was hurt in a plane on which he had worked.

FIRST TESTIMONIAL

            Which brings me to one of the big reasons I went out to see Jim that day. One week from tonight, in the auditorium of the Midway YMCA on University, not far from the place where, in World War II, Big Jim built gliders on loan to the government, the Midway Exchange Club is going to have a testimonial for him. The first this city has ever had for this man. And it may be a little like a reunion of founding Northwest Airlines pioneers, too. Not all of them will be there, of course, Camille (Rosy) Stein is gone and so is Speed.

            But “Deke” DeLong, now 64 and still flying for Northwest, has been invited. And so has Walter Bullock. And Mrs. Speed Holman—widow of the famous flyer ---will be there. And some of the rest. - And when, Big Jim gets up to take the acclaim so long in coming, I’ll wager that there is one story he will not tell.- Back in 1914, he built 52 planes, which were sold to Russia. And though Izvestia will never admit it, it was Big Jim LaMont who started the Russian Air Force.”

MINNESOTA AVIATION HALL OF FAME

            As you might expect, Big Jim LaMont is just one of some twenty-five or so Northwest and North Central people who have been elected to the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame. Their induction and highlights of their careers are memorialized on individual bronze plaques. Those plaques are wall mounted and can be seen in the terminal building at the Duluth airport.

            At some time in the future, when funds become available, it is the History Centre’s hope to have replicas made of the plaques of all honored NWA/NCA people and have them displayed in our museum.

KOREA – THE FORGOTTEN WAR – LOGISTICS

            With today’s long range jet speed and capacity, it is difficult to relate to the problems and logistics demand placed on the airline to support the government’s airlift needs during the Korean War. When that “Police Action” started there was no immediate demand for added airlift as available seats and lift apparently was adequate. After a few weeks thatchanged dramatically as NWA was asked to provide about ten charter flights