There have been a lot of interesting things happening at the museum over the last couple of weeks.
Tony Cashman’s 95th birthday
If you don’t know Tony Cashman, check out this link right away. It’s a page from the Alberta Order of Excellence, which recognized Cashman in 2014 as a historian, writer, storyteller and playwright. For many years in this city he was the go-to expert for any story on Edmonton’s history. His encyclopedic knowledge could come up with facts and stories without a moment’s hesitation.
But we at the museum know him for his aviation connections. Cashman served as a navigator on Halifax bombers during World War II. When he returned
to Edmonton he joined 418 City of Edmonton Squadron and served as a navigator on B-25 Mitchell bombers.
Last Sunday Cashman celebrated his 95th birthday. Several of his fiends took the opportunity to bring him to the museum last week so he could see the progress we have made.
Some of the staff and volunteers provided a birthday cake, and we are pleased to report that Cashman is still able to blow out the candles in one breath. Happy Birthday to an Edmonton aviation legend and a good friend of the museum.
Terry Champion
The annual general meeting of the Alberta Aviation Museum Association, held last Sunday, made a special presentation to long-time member Terry Champion.
Champion began his flying career with 418 Squadron and went on to become an airline pilot for PWA and Canadian Airlines. He has been involved with the museum from its inception, performing many much needed tasks.
Recently he took it upon himself to raise some money for the museum’s revitalization project. Working through friends and aquaintances,
Champion has so far brought in almost $20,000.
The board and management of the museum recognized Champion’s amazing, single-handed campaign by presenting him with a jacket, embroidered with the museum’s name. We salute him and thank him for his never ending efforts to help us keep Edmonton’s aviation heritage alive.
PWA crash cleanup
Last fall, we told you about our curator’s work with the City of Leduc to document the crash site of a PWA Boeing 707 cargo jet that crashed 45 years ago while on approach to the Edmonton International Airport. Last Friday curator Lech Lebiedowski, Assistant Curator Ryan Lee and Marketing Coordinator Zena Conlin made a final trip to the site.
It was part of Leduc’s efforts to clear the site of all remaining crash debris, document the pieces and make way for a new park planned for the spot.
The team returned with hundreds of pieces that will have to be identified and labelled. CTV News was along for the trip you can watch their story here. This is just another way that the AAM is playing an important role in the Greater Edmonton area.