Mrs. Whipple's place card, c. 1930s

A place card for a bridge luncheon, no doubt. I like to think Mrs. Whipple had a fine time, and kept this as a souvenir, perhaps placed it in a scrapbook or shoe box for awhile.

Below, catching up on the Dayton convention. Registration packages are starting to arrive in the mail. I've been enlisted to give a presentation; more on that later. 

Take it away, Garth!

2012  INTERNATIONAL PAPER DOLL CONVENTION

 

                                COME  FLY  WITH  US !

 

                                          Email #4

 

                       THE WORLD'S FINEST AIR MUSEUM !!

 

Just over 5 miles southwest of your Convention Hotel is the oldest, and

the finest Air Museum in the world - - the National Museum of the

United States Air Force.

 

Perhaps you or a spouse was in the US Air Force or US Air Corps,

or one of your parents - - or grandparents - - or uncles or aunts.

 

Perhaps they flew in aircraft that today are seldom seen - - the North

American F-86 Sabrejet, the Lockheed Constellation, the Martin

Marauder, the famed B-17 Flying Fortress, the Lockheed P-38

to mention just a small number of the actual aircraft there.

 

There are far, far more aircraft - - even the  aircraft of legend from the

earliest years of aviation - - the Wright Brothers 1909 Military Flyer,

the Curtiss 1911 Model D, the SPAD VII, the Curtis Jenny, the Sopwith

Camel, the Bleriot Monoplane, the Nieuport 28, the Fokker D VII,

the DeHavilland DH-4 and so many, many others!

 

Here, in one location, in three gigantic hangers, plus an outdoor

air park, are the aircraft flown by the US, Great Britain, France,

Germany, that will stir the memories of those who recall them

and perhaps who flew them.

 

And it's even located at historic Wright Field, where the Wright

Brothers conducted their test flights after Kitty Hawk proved the

feasibility of heavier-than-air flight.

 

And it's just over five miles from your Convention Hotel !!

And it's free!

 

Is someone in your family fascinated by engines? Just about

every aircraft engine ever made is here, along with armament;

photographs; exhibits about the Four Chaplains, the Tuskegee Airmen.

the famed Sperry bombsight, the Ferry Command, and the WASPs

- - everything about aviation!

 

Including a Moon Rock (brought back by Apollo 16), and

the World War II 8th Air Force Control Tower.

  

There's even a Missile and Space Gallery, with a Mercury Capsule,

a Gemini Capsule, and the Apollo 15 Command Module! Plus some

major IRBMs and ICBMs - - the Jupiter, the Thor, Titans, and

Minuteman that you can view from the ground (they're tall!) or

from an elevated platform.

 

And - - there's the Research and Development Gallery !!

Sound dry? Lots of bald guys with white lab coats wandering

around writing strange mathematical equations on vertical surfaces?

 

To the contrary!  The R&D Gallery contains some of the most

storied experimental aircraft in history, and I'll bet that you've heard

of them:

 

 - the Bell X-1B. The Bell X-1 was the first to break the sound barrier.

 

 - the XB-70 Valkyrie, the first to fly 5 times the speed of sound.

 

 - the Bell Textron XV-3, world's first successful vertical takeoff

    and landing (VTOL) tilt-rotor aircraft 

 

 - the Hawker-Siddeley XV-6A Kestrel, designed for vertical or short

    takeoff, while retaining full speed in normal flight, the Kestrel was

    the predecessor of the famed Harrier aircraft in the Royal Air Force.

 

 - the Lockheed YF-12A, the predecessor and design basis for the

    SR-71 "Blackbird"

 

 - and many, many, many more.

 

Oh, did I mention the Presidential Aircraft ??!!

 

In a special section of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base are

a number of aircraft that have served Presidents of the US:

 

  - the Sacred Cow, the only VC-54C ever constructed, flew

    President Franklin Roosevelt to the Casablanca Conference

    with Prime Misister Churchill and General DeGaulle in1943.

 

 - the Independence, a Douglas VC-118, flew President Truman

   to Wake Island in October 1950 to discuss the Korean situation

   with General Douglas MacArthur.

 

 - the Columbine III, a C-121, the military version of the Lockheed

   Constellation, was the aircraft used by President Eisenhower

   from 1954 to 1961.

 

 - Air Force 1, a VC-137C, was the aircraft used by Presidents

   Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, and also served their successors

   through President Clinton. This was the aircraft on which

   Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as the new President on

   November 22, 1963 - - and you may recall the famous photograph

   of Vice-President Johnson taking the oath of office from

   Judge Sarah Hughes, with Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Kennedy

   watching. That scene took place in this aircraft.

 

In the Presidential Gallery, you'll be able to board the Sacred Cow,

the Independence, the Columbine III, and Air Force 1, and view

several other smaller Presidential aircraft.

 

I mentioned that the Presidential Gallery (as well as the adjacent

Research and Development Gallery) is in a restricted section of

Wright-Patterson. Wright-Patterson has some highly restricted areas,

and we can't just go wandering through them. There's a special

shuttle bus that transports people to the restricted area (and back)

four times each day - - 9:30 AM, 11:15 AM, 1:30 PM, and 3:15 PM.)

You must sign up for a particular shuttle bus run, and it's strictly

"first come, first served".

 

Here's what you'll need to show them to register and board the bus:

 

For US Citizens, a current government-issued photo ID

  (original passport, State photo ID, State Driver's license)

 

For Canadian citizens, an original passport (not a copy or image),

  or a NEXUS card.

 

For all other non-US visitors, an original passport (not a copy or image)

 

Those under 18 must be escorted by an adult (1 adult per 2 children)

Children under 18 are not required to produce ID when accompanying

 their parents.

 

I cannot begin to mention, let alone describe everything that's here.

There is so much to see in this incredible Museum that you really

should allocate the entire day. Get there early (9 AM or so) so you

can sign up for the shuttle bus to the Presidential Gallery and the

Research and Development Gallery.

 

One more caveat - - Shuttle buses are not handicapped accessible.

Individuals requiring special assistance to board the bus should contact

the museum's Operations Division in advance at (937) 255-3286 to

arrange transportation.

 

Now, what about Tours of the Museum?  Let's look at them.

 

1. Self Tour.  Because the museum is laid out in chronological order,

    beginning with the Wright brothers and going through today's stealth

    aircraft, it's easy for you to self-tour the facility. (You can even take

    a virtual self-tour of the Museum to help you plan your visit.)

 

2. Heritage Tours.  These are free guided tours that are open to the

    general public. Tours are offered daily at 1:30 p.m., with an additional

    tour at 10:30 a.m. on Saturdays. All tours begin at the entrance to the

    Early Years Gallery (through the Gift Shop and turn right).

    Advance registration is not necessary.

 

3. Behind the Scenes Tours. These are regularly scheduled, free

    guided tours of the museum's restoration area. Participants are

    shuttled to the restoration hangars, located about one mile from

    the main museum complex. Tours are offered nearly every Friday 

    at 12:15 p.m. Advanced registration is required.

    Registrations are currently being taken for tours through May 2012.

    (If you're interested in the Behind the Scenes Tour, let me know and

    I'll tell you when you can register for an August tour.)

 

4. Presidential and R&D Galleries Tours.  I told you about these above.

    They're located on the controlled-access portion of Wright-Patterson

    Air Force Base, are accessible using the shuttle bus service from the

    main museum complex. This service is offered on a first-come,

    first-served basis, so you'll want to sign up as soon as you arrive at the

    Museum, since the shuttle buses will fill quickly. Be sure to review the

    ID requirements that I listed above.

 

When you go to the National Museum of the US Air Force, remember

that while there are chairs and benches in the exhibit hangers, the

floors are concrete, so be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes !!

 

Yes, there's a cafeteria, the Valkyrie Cafe, located on the second floor

of the Museum. They serve a chicken dinner, a nice variety of

sandwiches both hot and cold, soup, chili, salads, pizza, desserts.

Even breakfast if you get there early. The prices are quite reasonable.

 

HELPERS
Those who have attended Conventions know all about the "Helper" Prizes.

For those who haven't attended yet, the "Helpers" are wonderful paper

doll or paper doll-related prizes that are donated to the Convention, and

raffled off. The raffle is an exciting time and one of the high points of any

Convention.

 

Elaine Price is in charge of the Helper prizes this year, and since many

people have registered already, Elaine would like to get started on the

Helper prizes. So, those who have Helper prizes that they'd like to

donate to the Convention may send them to:

Elaine Price, 5492 Asbury Lake Dr.,#62, Cincinnati, Ohio 45247.
Or - - you may contact Elaine to tell her what you'll bring by writing

to her at the above address or emailng her at elainerprice@gmail.com

For their protection, be sure that donated items are encased in plastic

and your name and address are on a card enclosed with each item.

 

In three weeks, we'll be back to tell you of some wonderful buildings

that you can visit - - including a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house,

an 1804 Federal style home, and an 1803 Inn that has hosted

12 US Presidents plus many other notables.

 

- - Garth

 

            2012 INTERNATIONAL PAPER DOLL CONVENTION

                               August 9 - 12, 2012

                Hope Hotel, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base                             

                                   Dayton,  Ohio                                                                     

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                          CONVENTION REGISTRATION

 

NAME__________________________________________________

 

ADDRESS_______________________________________________

 

CITY_______________________STATE_______ ZIP/PC__________

 

EMAIL_____________________________________

 

PHONE____________________________________

 

Registration:  $185,00 USD 

 

Absentee Registration:  $75.00 USD

  (Absentee Registrations are limited in number.)

 

Guest Registration (3 Meals) $85.00

 

  GUEST NAME:__________________________________________

 

Make Checks payable to:  Louise Leek 

 

Mail to:

 

Mary Young

P.O. Box 9244

Dayton,  OH    45409

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