MOULTRIE -- There's a lot of
new stuff out at
Spence Field off Quitman Highway these days. And there are
a lot of memories.
It was the memories that took center stage Saturday.
Standing in the shadow of the air conrol tower they used more than 50
years ago, some 30 former instructors, pilots, workers and
family gathered at to remember the Hawthorne Flying Service.
A memorial was dedicated to remember the training program
that Hawthorne ran from 1951 to 1961 at Spence.
Vivian Griner, the former publication chief for Hawthorne, organized
the reunion and memorial at the site of the former instruction
program's base. The air control tower and a few hangers still remain
from the era, but the former Hawthorne building was torn down. The
Sunbelt
Agricultural Exposition building now sits on Hawthorne's former site.
The instructors and pilots who came to the dedication ranged from as
far away as Springfield, Ill., Richmond, Va., and Nashville, Tenn.
Others remained in Moultrie when the training program was deactivated
by the U.S. Air Force in Dec. 1960.
Henry Klar, a former pilot at Spence, said he came to the
training program from Los Angeles but remained in Moultrie after
meeting
and marrying his wife in the local Presbyterian church.
A total of 6,470 young men came to Spence Field and were trained to fly
and to defend their country. Instructor Doyle White said some trainees
came from other countries like Norway, Denmark, France, Germany and
Belgium. Those pilots trained for military service, and many went on to
fly commercial airliners in their flying career.
The training program was even recognized by the Air Force
for its efforts, White said. During its existence, Spence was
recognized as being the best training program for flight safety.
During the dedication ceremony, an Air Force T-6A flew overhead, which
the group recalled as being very symbolic. White said the Hawthorne
instructors and pilots flew the original T-6 trainers used by the Air
Force.
Bert Harsh, then vice-president and general manager of Hawthorne, said
the memorial reflects the attitude of all the employees at the training
facility. The company made every employee, from the mechanics and
pilots to the food service personnel, feel like they were making
a difference and that their jobs were essential to the operations.
'What made Hawthorne was the people," Harsh said. "Every person was
important."
As the numbers of people who worked and trained at the facility
decreases each year, White said the dedication was a "satisfying yet
moving experience" for those remaining. Looking at the tower allows
him to remember when the air field was covered with hundreds of trainer
planes.
"It brings back a rewarding experience and a great time in our lives,"
White said. "There are a lot of memories here."
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