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November, 2004
Dear EAA Chapter 179 Members, Past, Present & Future,
I would like to thank all of the individuals who saved newsletters, clippings, photographs or memorabilia and subsequently donated part or all of it to
this project. I would especially like to thank Lynne Buckingham for her collection of newsletters and fly-in brochures. Former members Pat and Linda Kirkpatrick also donated newsletters, EAA
technical magazines and some photographs. Former member and Chapter Historian Frank Rowton also collected a large number of early newsletters and important documents, which he left with the Chapter
Library. Bill Barber has lent his time, photographs and use of his personal library to further this project. Former members Bill Laskar and Lew Longmire have also lent time and photographs to
this project. As of June 2004, this Index to Newsletters represents a partial completion of the first phase of our Chapter 179 History Project.
The Goal of Phase One is to collect and archive material which reflects any aspect of our Chapter's history. Many newsletters,
flyers, programs, news clippings and photos have been collected and scanned onto disk so far. As you can see from the Index there are currently large gaps in our newsletter collection from 1963 to
1987. This represents the first 25 Years of the Chapter's history. We have already managed to locate and retrieve some documents, which were thought to be lost, such as our original charter
from EAA National. I am sure many people out there have photos, news clippings and memorabilia, which could be added to complete the chapter's history of the last 41 years. With your help, I
hope to expand our collection.
Phase Two of the project involves a cataloguing and collating of the collected information so that it can be made available to all members
who wish to use it. This phase has been initiated, but is far from complete. I hope to create a collection of CDs with everything in Adobe Acrobat 'PDF' files, which will be archived in the
Chapter Library and copies of same will be free to current members.
Phase Three has the long term goals of creating a concise Chapter History and establishing a permanent Chapter Library location, which members can
visit.
Far beyond the drudgery of cataloging, scanning, indexing and creating 'PDF' files, this has been a journey of discovery for myself. I have learned
a great deal about the events our chapter has been involved with and the people who made them happen. The real rewards are having the opportunity to meet former members and gaining an insight into
the people who have belonged to this chapter. The 'Getting to Know You' series of 22 member's bios initiated by Lynne Buckingham during her two years (1991 & 1992) as newsletter editor are
worth all of the effort so far. Linda Kirkpatrick also initiated a "Know Your Fellow Pilot" series in 1999, but only published two bios. I hope some of you will take the time to go back and
read them.
Lastly, any errors in fact and opinions expressed are entirely my own and not of the Experimental Aircraft Association or the Albuquerque EAA Chapter
179. If you wish to correct any information presented in this Index, please con tact the Editor as follows:
EAA Chapter 179, Historian
P.O. Box 3583
Albuquerque, NM, 87190
Or email: dgillmor@rt66.com
Sincerely, Don Gillmore, Newsletter Editor 2004-2005
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