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Show HILL TOP TIMES If Friday, January 16, 1917 JBflpVaav'iBBi'WeaBWM'r M ,fl' ' Ipliillllli;:: . - - - ,ii iri,rnt..--- o -r ' - , - ' . J Volunteers from the 419th Civil Engineering Squadron ), A1C Larry E. Johnson, Sgt. Brad S. Johnson, SSgt. Norton L. Thurgood and A1C Dan C. Jones, measure and cut sheet rock. (l-r- K i 50 volunteers helping out, when they can, from base organizations and surrounding communities. Most volunteers come from base organizations, including the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing, 419th Civil Engineering Squadron, 405th Combat Logistics Support Squadron, 6501st Range Squadron, 2952nd CLSS, 6514th Test Squadron and the 2701st Ex- plosive Ordnance Disposal Squadron. The majority of these volunteers come in on the weekend. "They've really helped in restoring aircraft and the building. EOD's volunteers have gotten all our. munitions. "I also have about 14 volunteers from surrounding communities. Some make round trips of 85 miles to help us out," he said. "Most are not maintenance oriented, but we have the people who can teach I stSiMi. Inn ;; yjjr . r (U.S. Air Force Photos by SSgt. Louis A. Outside, an Hill F-1- (foreground) and an 05 F-- 84 Fokker model is on display. stand a lonely vigil. MB Museum: a lank wiirti the postf Started in April 1 985, curator promises opening April 30 By SSgt. Louis A. Ogden Arana-Barrad- as ALC Public Affairs Office can remember the day I saw my first air was five years old and my father had taken plane. I me to an Armed Forces Day open house atRamey AFB, Puerto Rico. It was bigger than anything J had ever seen. I was frightened, but at the same time fascinated. It almost took my breath away. Its silver skin gleamed in the blazing tropical sun, causing a glare that made me squint as I approached it It was shaped like a monstrous cigar with bug-lik- e eyes up front and engines on the back of the wings as big as my dad's car. Its wings stretched on forever so long that I finished my ice cream before going from one end to the other. Years later I found out it was a 6 Peacemaker bomber I saw at that 1958 open house. The memories of that day are still vividly etched in my mind and reappear when I see old or new aircraft or visit an air museum. Such was the case when I first visited the Hill AFB Museum located near the B-3- Roy Gate. . ol Yannotti said. He's on the job every day and almost every Saturday. Museum work is being done in two phases. Phase one calls for the remodeling of the museum's present temporary location. "When we have sufficient funds, we'll start phase two. That's the construction of a new permanent home for the museum. That building will be approximately 50,000 square feet. It will house most of our aircraft, and have a theater, gift shop and display areas," he said. Raising funds for the museum is done by members of the Hill AFB Heritage Foundation. The foundation's number one priority is to obtain funds to build the permanent museum building. Some of the funds raised are used to acquire new aircraft-ma- ny which have to be traded for. Donations have come from private individuals and local businesses and corporations. The first major donation received from a single individual was given to the foundation Dec. 30, 1986 by Gloria Jorgensen in memory of her husband, retired MSgt. Melvin J. "John" Jorgensen. Mrs. Jorgensen wants her donation to be used to help restore a World War a chapel which will also be part of the museum. However, most of the work on the museum depends on volunteers. Mr. Yannotti said he has about , . II-er- Though not officially open yet, some aircraft are already on display outside. So, it's easy to walk up and view them to try and picture their history, to wonder about their accomplishments. But that's it. That's where the easy part of a museum ends. . It's not so easy getting1 a museum ready for visitors. It takes a long time to plan, find and acquire the aircraft and finish a museum building. It's no exception here. "We have a million dollar show on a $100 budget," said Larry D. Yannotti, the aeronautical museum curator whose job it is to get Hill's Class C Air Force museum off the ground for its official opening April 30. He and Carol Comeau, his program assistant, have worked long and hard. They still have a tough job ahead of them, though only a part of the museum will open. It will open in the temporary . building (building 1919) presently housing it. Officially recognized in July 1985, the museum's mission is "to portray the history of Hill AFB and its role in associated maintenance, supply, repair and training functions; and the history of the Ogden Air Logistics Center and of units, past and present, stationed at Hill AFB." That's quite an undertaking for two people, when it has to be accomplished with donated funds and volunteers. "One hundred percent of building this museum depends on volunteers. Without them, we don't have a museum," Mr. if 1 Uj n i . . i,, S I es--pecia- 3 t Larry Yannotti: "...we'll open II . ,r ". j on time' them to restore aircraft." All the work isn't done on aircraft. Restoring the temporary museum building is essential if it's going to be ready for opening day. Though most volunteer because they love aircraft, they also do double duty and help restore the building. Don Collett of North Ogden has been volunteering at the museum for more than a year. A Morton-Thiokemployee, he was instrumental in the restoration of a 9 Superfortress at the museum and He's usually at the museum also worked on a on Saturdays, accompanied by bis dog (and unofficial museum mascot), Bo. "I enjoy everything about the World War II era,", he said, "and have put together countless model aircraft from that time. That's the main reason why I like working at the museum. I love propeller-drive- n B-2- B-5- 7. airplanes. "During WW II, people banded together to get the job done. We need that same spirit today to get this museum finished," said Mr. Collett. "I can't wait until we get a 7 (Flying Fortress) to work on. will be the next The museum curator said a aircraft added to the museum. It's presently awaiting shipment (by air) at Clearwater, Fla. Keith Sadler of Salt Lake City adopted a 7 Stearman to piece together and refurbish. He works for the Granger-Hunte- r Improvement District in West Valley City and has put in about 40 hours on the trainer. A pilot, he built his own aircraft once, and is working on a World War I German Fokker RestorDR-- 1 aircraft just like the Red Baron flew. sons. his new and him is to aircraft not ing Mr. Sadler said he's been around aircraft all his life and as a boy he'd wash aircraft windows for free rides at the then 21st South Airport in Salt Lake City. "I'm an airplane nut," he confesses. "I was born loving them though sometimes I think I was B-1- B-17- G P-1- born 15 years too late." But he's not too late. The trainer he's working on is almost done although it has pieces from three different airplanes. With the help of his two sons, Sam and Aaron, he said he'll have the airplane finished and on display opening day. The museum presently has 21 aircraft. Of those, all but four are on the museum's 36 acres. "The other four are undergoing restoration on different parts of the base. When we're done here, we hope to have more than 40 aircraft," Mr. Yannotti said. Meanwhile, the daily business of tracking down aircraft, fund raising and artifacts committee meetings continues. The artifacts committee, made up of representatives from each base unit and directorate, meets monthly to gather ideas, display items and to provide help with getting materials. "Nobody said putting a museum together was an easy job. It takes a lot of time, dedication, coordination, money, luck in finding aircraft and volunteers. But one way or another, we'll open on time-- no matter what it takes," he said. |