HISTORY MATTERS
The Newsletter Publication of NWA History Centre, Inc.
8101 – 34th Ave., So. – Bloomington, MN 55425
(952) 997-8000 – Ext. 8-6102 www.NWAHistory.org
H.V. "Pete" Patzke, Editor
Vol. 4 - No. 2 June, 2006
Remembering “Speed” Holman
May 17 th marked the 75 th anniversary of the death of legendary aviator Charles W. “Speed” Holman. He died in the crash of his Laird biplane while making a low-level inverted flyby before several thousand spectators at an Omaha Air Show. Holman earned the “Speed” moniker during his barnstorming days when he won many air races both over closed circuits and long cross-country distances. In 1930 he won the prestigious Thompson Trophy. In 1928 Holman established a world record by flying 1,433 consecutive loop-the-loop maneuvers over the downtown St. Paul airport (later named Holman Field in his honor). That record held for more than twenty-two years.
Holman was a pioneer and was instrumental in the founding of Northwest Airways. He served as the airline’s first Operations Manager and Chief Pilot and participated in establishing the airmail routes. He had the distinction of carrying the airline’s first paying passenger on an epic twelve-hour flight from Minneapolis to Chicago. In 1988 Holman was inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame.
“Speed” Holman’s death was headline news in the Twin City newspapers. It was estimated that 50,000 people lined the streets along the funeral route and another 50,000 attended the burial service at Acacia Park Cemetery. Naval Reserve and civilian aircraft flew over the area. Planes from the Army Air Corps 109 th Aero Squadron flew over in the “Missing Man Formation”, which allegedly was the first time the international honorary tribute maneuver was performed.
In 1930 Holman was presented a plaque by his fellow Northwest Airways employees on which many of his fetes are recorded. Many thanks to Holman’s namesake nephew, Charles W. Holman; who loaned us that plaque which is currently on display at the NWA History Centre
Noel Allard, well known historian of aviation in Minnesota (an Associate Member of the NWA History Centre) wrote a book, published in 1976, about Holman, titled “Speed”. Unfortunately the book is out of print; however the History Centre does have a copy available for your perusal.
Speed was honored at the Memorial Day Service at Acacia Park Cemetery this past May 29 th.
Tax Exempt Status
We were pleased to have recently received notice from the IRS that the History Centre’s temporary designation as a “Public Charity” has been made permanent. The following is an excerpt from their letter ruling.
“Based on the information you submitted, you are classified as a public charity under the code section listed in the heading of this letter. Since your exempt status was not under consideration, you continue to be classified as an organization exempt from Federal income tax under section 501 © (3) of the code”.
What this really means is that all contributions, both monetary and physical artifacts, are tax deductible for the donor subject only to the donor’s personal limitations. |