WIX Archives
Re: Memphis Belle moving?
Posted by Ryan Keough on Wed Dec 03, 2003 11:04:19 PM
In reply top Re: Memphis Belle moving? posted by Will Fowler on Wed Dec 03, 2003 11:38:46 AM
I was at Millington only about a month ago at the B-17 Co-op meeting and from my viewing of the operation, I have the following opinions.
I feel what the M.B.M.A. is currently pursuing with the Memphis Belle is a step in a positive direction. Unfortunately the local media has done really nothing to portray it in a positive light. There was an article about 2 months ago that really shed a negative light on their efforts and the media, being negative news hounds, have done a great job in casting further doubts on the future of the Belle in Memphis.
The Mud Island display was not the right venue for the Belle and everyone knew it. It was a blessing in disguise when the display had to be moved. Since that time they have taken the course of setting up a well staffed and well stocked restoration facility at Millington and will be restoring the Belle right this time to prevent any further damage or deterioration. All components of the Belle have been broken down to the point where they can inspect, repair, and restore everything to the smallest detail. Their organization of the workshop and the storage for the components is really astonishing and worthy of a flying restoration shop in my opinion. Furthermore they are going about fixing the cheap and shoddy quality "restoration" work that the USAF did in initial restorations (using lawnchair aluminum and pop rivets). The dedication of the volunteers was evident in every way and I think that no other organization could be doing it better... the passion is there in the personnel, and that is what was lacking in the article.
Yes, the city may not be backing the effort and I feel that it is a shame to say the least. I can say from personal experience that this doesn't surprise me though... working on the Wings of Freedom Tour for the Collings Foundation, I am continually amazed at how disinterested communities are to our aircraft flying into town... both from the media standpoint and the local business and government standpoint. I am not sure if this is a commentary on how our modern culture does nothing to promote the heritage of its citizens, or if it is a commentary on how busy the world has become to not care about its heritage. I feel that the city that FedEx and Graceland call home sees more potential attracting Blue Suede Shoes and Blues than the aircraft and WWII enthusiast. Surely the media hasn't helped the cause because it seems they have already cast their vote that the Belle will leave.
Additionally the movement with rousing public support for the Belle has been a bit stalled by the fact that the restoration facility has not been able to be opened to the public as the city of Millington has been giving them grief in making sure the place complied with local building codes. I think that has been solved and the visibility of the Belle will greatly increase over the next few months.
Though I respect and admire the USAFM and its collection, I think Memphis should have the chance to make right this situation. Like I said, the restoration is a positive step and will build support as it develops. I think it is a hasty decision to cast the plane to Dayton... and I think that it would be bordering on a crime if they did it at this point or at a further point down the road as the restoration continues after all of the hard work and personal monetary and time sacrifice that the volunteers and supporters invested in keeping the Belle in Memphis.
My .02.
Ryan Keough
: My own feeling is that it will probably be better off movi
: ng to Dayton, I know this may seem hard, but if it cannot
: be looked after in Memphis is it not better to move it to
: Dayton where many more thousands of aircraft lovers will h
: ave a chance to see it and many other great aircraft and w
: here it will receive the care needed to maintain its condi
: tion.
:
: Regards,
:
: Giles
: :
: : Once a rallying cry, Memphis Belle now met with indiffer
: en
: : ce
: : Faded glory
: :
: : By Blake Fontenay
: : Contact
: : December 2, 2003
: :
: : To some Memphians, it might seem as unthinkable as someo
: ne
: : loading Graceland onto a truck and shipping it to Las V
: eg
: : as.
: :
: : Nevertheless, Charles Crawford doesn't have any trouble
: im
: : agining a day when, to see the Memphis Belle - once one
: of
: : the city's proudest symbols - people might have to plan
: a
: : road trip to Dayton, Ohio.
: :
: :
: :
: :
: :
: : The worst part, in Crawford's view, is that Memphians do
: n'
: : t seem motivated enough to keep the artifact that bears
: th
: : e city's name here.
: :
: : "I don't think people really identify it with the city o
: f
: : Memphis," said Crawford, who teaches history at the Univ
: er
: : sity of Memphis.
: :
: : The Belle, an aircraft that seemed invincible during its
: s
: : toried run of World War II bombing missions, has fallen
: on
: : hard times lately.
: :
: : For more than two years, efforts to raise funds to build
: a
: : permanent museum for the Belle in the Memphis area have
: s
: : puttered and stalled.
: :
: : And when the vintage B-17 bomber was moved from its high
: p
: : rofile perch on Mud Island to a hangar at Millington Mun
: ic
: : ipal Airport this year, few in the community even notice
: d.
: :
: :
: : The United States Air Force Museum near Dayton stands re
: ad
: : y to take custody of the Belle if the aircraft can't get
: t
: : he care it needs in Memphis.
: :
: : The Belle is one of only 15 remaining B-17s owned by the
: m
: : useum. According to a Web site run by Aero Vintage Books
: ,
: : an organization that sells books about aviation history,
: t
: : here are 43 complete B-17s left around the world.
: :
: : Terry Aitken, the museum's senior curator, believes the
: Me
: : mphis Belle Memorial Association, a local group entruste
: d
: : with the airplane's upkeep, is committed to building an
: en
: : closed exhibit space that's considered a must for effect
: iv
: : e preservation.
: :
: : But Aitken notes the association needs the community's h
: el
: : p to raise money for the project, which has been estimat
: ed
: : to cost $10 million to $15 million.
: :
: : "Quite frankly, thus far we don't see the necessary supp
: or
: : t in the community," Aitken said.
: :
: : To some, the seeming indifference to the Belle's plight
: is
: : a bit mystifying.
: :
: : Frank M. Norfleet II, a retired auto parts wholesaler, s
: er
: : ved in the Army during World War II and appreciates the
: ai
: : rplane's contribution to the war effort.
: :
: : "It's certainly a wonderful symbol of World War II," sai
: d
: : Norfleet, 85. "Yet it has never been well-received or gi
: ve
: : n the recognition it's due. I'm not sure exactly why. It
: j
: : ust doesn't ring a real nostalgic bell with people."
: :
: : Fame has become fleeting for the Belle, which was once u
: se
: : d to rally the American public behind the war effort som
: ew
: : hat like the Jessica Lynch rescue did in the Iraq war.
: :
: : The Belle was the first of America's "Flying Fortresses"
: t
: : o complete 25 successful European missions with its orig
: in
: : al crew.
: :
: : The publicized romance between the plane's pilot, Robert
: M
: : organ, and Memphian Margaret Polk, the woman for whom th
: e
: : plane was named, brought the Bluff City a measure of ref
: le
: : cted glory.
: :
: : Several factors may explain why a local "Save the Belle"
: m
: : ovement has never gotten off the ground.
: :
: : Gayle Rose, a local philanthropist who has been involved
: i
: : n other historic preservation projects like the Hunt-Phe
: la
: : n Home, said the Belle's backers haven't really instille
: d
: : in the public a "sense of urgency" that the airplane cou
: ld
: : one day be shipped out of town.
: :
: : "I'm not sure that has been articulated in a manner that
: c
: : aptures the imagination of the community," Rose said. "I
: w
: : ould hate to think Memphis is indifferent to its own his
: to
: : ry."
: :
: : Crawford, the history professor, said it was hard to get
: p
: : eople fired up about preservation projects in general.
: :
: : "You're dealing with something that happened 60 years ag
: o,
: : " Crawford said. "This does not have the immediacy peopl
: e
: : need to get involved."
: :
: : Brent Taylor, the City Council's chairman, would like to
: s
: : ee the Belle remain in Memphis. But Taylor thinks fundin
: g
: : for the museum needs to come from private sources, not t
: he
: : government.
: :
: : Taylor is among those who are unconvinced the Belle migh
: t
: : be moved to another city.
: :
: : "The Memphis Belle only makes sense in Memphis," Taylor
: sa
: : id. "It's not the Cleveland Belle or the San Antonio Bel
: le
: : ."
: :
: : Another problem has been a lack of consensus about where
: a
: : Belle museum should be located.
: :
: : W.S. 'Babe' Howard, a member of the Millington Municipal
: A
: : irport Authority, thinks the plane should remain in his
: to
: : wn after an expected two- or three-year restoration proj
: ec
: : t is finished.
: :
: : "I look at it as representing all World War II personnel
: ,
: : not just the ones from the town of Memphis," Howard said
: .
: :
: :
: : Morgan, the former pilot, comes down on the side of keep
: in
: : g the plane somewhere in the Memphis city limits.
: :
: : Morgan, a retired Air Force colonel, said the museum pro
: je
: : ct might be further along if not for a lack of coordinat
: io
: : n between the Memphis Belle Memorial Association and the
: s
: : eparate Memphis Belle War Memorial Foundation, a group f
: or
: : med in 1999 to raise money for the project.
: :
: : "If the two groups can get their heads together, I'm opt
: im
: : istic they'll be able to raise the money," said Morgan,
: 85
: : , who lives in Asheville, N.C. "If this constant bickeri
: ng
: : between the groups goes on, I think they'll have troubl
: e
: : raising the money."
: :
: : Andy Pouncey, a board member for the memorial associatio
: n,
: : said his group hopes to have a business plan outlining
: th
: : e Belle's future ready by the beginning of the new year.
:
: :
: : That plan will outline a strategy to raise money not onl
: y
: : for the renovation work at the Millington site, but also
: f
: : or the permanent museum - wherever it might be located.
:
: :
: : Pouncey, who is also Germantown's assistant city adminis
: tr
: : ator, said the association plans to launch a public awar
: en
: : ess campaign about the Belle's past, present and future.
:
: :
: : That campaign will include a Dec. 7 dedication ceremony
: at
: : the hangar where the Belle will be restored.
: :
: : "You have to make people aware of your commitment and yo
: ur
: : seriousness to restore and find a permanent home for th
: e
: : Belle," Pouncey said. "This doesn't just speak to those
: wh
: : o were involved in World War II. It speaks to all genera
: ti
: : ons."
: :
: :
: : - Blake Fontenay:
: :
: : 529-2386