"Where &  What" you are doing these days?

Rex Booth

Thanks for the tip Charline.

While we are on the same subject...

"What was the name of the miltary base south of Roswell during WW2"?

Fred Miller

Rex,

That is an easy one. Anyone who has read about where the aliens' bodies from the UFO crash site were first taken should know the answer.  Go for it...

Fred is giving "All Y'all" a chance to answer the quiz!  Better Hurry!

~ The Shadow

Rex Booth

I hope Fred's answer doesn't mislead potential 'quizzees". The UFO Incident reportedly happened in July of 1947.

The question raised was: "What was the name of the military base during WW2" ??

Fred Miller

Rex,

The name was changed 6 months after the UFO crash site was discovered.  

The bodies were only there for a short period of time before they were flown to Wright-Patterson AFB never to be seen again.

Rex Booth

Fred,

You are getting warmer with those subtle hints... ain't it fun! 

Cal Turley

You guys are confusing me ( which isn't hard to do today). The base actually had 3 different names during WWll (1939-1945). PRIOR TO 1941 the base was named Army Air Corps Flying School, 1941-1942 Roswell Army Flying School and 1942-1947 Roswell Army Air Field. Then in 1947 Walker AFB.

Rex Booth

Cal Turley nailed the names!

Army Air Corps Flying School, Roswell Army Flying School, and Roswell Army Air Field during WW2 (1941-1945). 

Back then, the Army and Air Corps were combined. There was no Air Force during WW2 (nor any 3 feet tall ET's either). 

Two years later in 1947, the Air Force became independent of the Army. The base became SAC Strategic Air Command. Walker AFB was named after General Kenneth Walker, a native of Los Cerrillos (near Santa Fe), New Mexico,  who was killed during a bombing mission over New Guinea, in1943.

My Dad was a 1st Lieutenant at the Roswell Army Air Field in 1943. He taught 18 year old kids how to fly the twin engine Beechcraft Model 18 trainer which prepared them "by the seat of their pants" to fly a B-17 bomber.  Dad flew both B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator. 

And to quote Paul Harvey:  "And now you know the......"

Beechcraft Model 18

Fred Miller

Congrats, Cal.  You nailed it!  

The aliens and ship debris were flown from Roswell Army Air Field secret hanger 84 to to Wright Patterson AFB and it's mysterious Hanger 18.  

RAAF and Wright Patterson have denied ever having the non-existent (??) bodies or airship..  

Hanger 84 is still open and in use, but it is my understanding there is a museum in the hanger that you can visit and learn more about the 1947 incident.  

Do you believe the aliens really did crash near Roswell, and it was covered up by the government?

Sherry Hester (Trasp)

You know when I was 5, in 1947 we moved to
Roswell, New Mexico! I heard nothing of Aliens,
Ships crashing or any thing being secret or
cover up until I was in High School. When I first
heard anything and it was just barley talked about.
Maybe because I was young and naive.
I don't remember when the first time was when
someone ask me If I believed, I said sure, and out on the 
Landing Site they, the Aliens, laid a egg put it under
a rock and 3 years later my little brother was hatched!! 
Billy Graham said something like, if God can put us 
here on Earth he can do anything. I believe!
 

John Landess

Well, I don't know too much about the UFO crash, but my dad who was in the 509th was held on base for three days then along with most everyone else. Strange??? One thing is for sure, Roswell makes a pretty good income out of this.

I finally made it to Alaska, what with a 3 hour delay while they changed some tires on one plane, then another being pulled out of service?? and having to get a substitute. About 18 to 20 or more hours of being up and traveling. But I am here and this am its drizziling and 40 degrees. OH! the great land...however fish are already running!

Cal Turley

I did a report on the local economy back when I was in the 9th grade at East Junior High that included the effects of the base on Roswell. Never dreamed that 60 years later the research would pay off. I also did some evaluation of the effects of some of the local business people. Does anyone remember Wayne Adam's ( prominent realtor with the slogan" there will always be more people but there will never be more land). William Brainard owner of the Flying H Ranch located in Mayhill, it was the 2nd largest ranch in the US. Robert O Anderson ( founder of Atlantic Richfield oil company ) and also at one time was the largest individual land owner in the US. If I remember correctly he owned controlling interest in the famous King Ranch of Texas. We need some of those community leaders back today!

John Landess

Cal, 

Those are some old memories!!

I went to church with some of the Adamses. His daughter, Kathleen (sp?) who I think graduated a year or two ahead of us, had Halloween parties and things like that out at their home. They were spectacular, 'specially to a poor boy like me. She got a 1960 Corvair to drive her senior year.

My Dad was a masonary contractor later and did a lot of work for Mr. Anderson. As I recall he helped rebuilt a little mission brought up from Mexico for a daughters wedding. His big impression was that Anderson had a lunch truck come around everyday for the workers at no cost.  

Money, money!

btw, Remember when the base had a big cutout of an atomic cloud on the gates with the motto: Home of the Atomic Air Force!! When they closed the base, my Grandfather said that the town was dying! You could by a nice home for $5000..........

Rex Booth

It was the late 1960's,  that R.O. Anderson's approval of geological plans led to ARCO's discovery of the largest oil field yet found in North American at Prudhoe Bay on Alaska's North Slope. This oil field has produced billions of barrels of crude and provides a fifth of domestic oil production. 

In 1972, R.O. opened the Atlanta Richfield Plaza, 52 story Twin Towers in downtown Los Angeles which became the headquarters for ARCO. If you ever have the opportunity to see the twin towers, it is on Flower and 6th Street in L.A. 

I dated Mari Anderson during 9th grade at North Junior High.  She was a very polite sweet girl.  Mari and I enjoyed skating at the Roller-Rink on north Virginia. The following year R.O. whisked Mari off to a private women's college in Texas, which put the kibosh to any of that.. 

Fred Miller

The Anderson house was on my paper route when I was at North Junior High.  So I got to spend time now and then talking with Mari away from school.  As Rex said, she was a very quiet and polite girl.  I wish I had known then what I know now.

RE: Post 9070....Cal,  Anderson didn't own controlling interest in the King Ranch.  That was descendants of the Kleburg family. Anderson  personally amassed over 1 million acres of farm and ranch land himself, more than the King Ranch.  Additionally, he and David Rockefeller owned a million acres in Brazil.

Just a side note, Robert O. Anderson began warning of global warming from the use of fossil fuels back in the early 80's.  A lot of people thoght it strange coming from an oilman.

Rex Booth

It was not much of a surprise R.O. Anderson warned of global warming in the 1980's.
 

In 1967, I worked for a large LPG company in Los Angeles. That same year, the 'Clean Air Act' known as Mulford-Carrell Act was passed, which created the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Factories in LA which processed food were targeted due to their use of gasoline operated forklifts inside these facilities. Not only was exhaust pollution from these forklifts unsafe for food processing, it was unhealthy for a forklift driver and other plant workers to breath exhaust fumes. I contacted well over 400 industrial plants in LA. Within three years had secured contracts to convert forklifts to run on LPG (propane). Why? Because propane burned cleaner emitting much less pollution. In 1968, was transferred to San Diego to do LPG conversions at major forklift companies like Hyster, Yale, and Clark including domestic trucking companies with large fleets. 

Patrick Riley

I too remember the red-brick Robert O. Anderson home in Roswell. While he could afford any vehicle most of us could only dream of, he navigated Roswell's streets in a 1950 yellow Chevrolet convertible.

He also owned the historic South Spings Ranch, located just south of Roswell, which originally belonged to cattle baron John Chisum.

Robert O. Anderson spent most of his time in New Mexico not in Roswell but at his Circle Diamond Ranch located in the Rio Hondo Valley along the Hondo River. It was situated approximately eight miles off U.S. Highway 70, between Roswell and Ruidoso. It feature its own landing strip so he could easily fly in/out for the weekends in his Atlantic Richfield Company (better known as ARCO) private jet.

Besides his ARCO Chairman position, he was also the largest private landover in the United States and the largest private landholder in the state of Hawaii.

Mari Anderson was about our age but unknown to most of us as she was in a private school away from Roswell. Her little brother, Robert Bruce Anderson, was ~2 years younger than us and also attended a private school. I recall, during my senior year, having a terrible crush on a RHS sophomore (best left unnamed). Unfortunately Robert junior liked the same girl. I remember the weekend I hoped the girl in question would go to the movies with me but she had a better offer to go to Aspen with the Anderson family in the ARCO corpporate jet for the weekend.

Many of you will remember the four Robert O. Anderson owned historic restaurants in New Mexico including:

• Double Eagle: Located on the historic plaza in Old Mesilla, NM
• Silver Dollar: Located along the Hondo Valley on U.S. Highway 70 in Tinnie, NM (near Lincoln)
• Maria Theresa: Located in the Old Town district of Albuquerque
• Legal Tender: Located just off the Santa Fe Trail in Lamy, NM (next to the train depot)

All of these were beautify renovated and full of expensive antiques. They served excellent prime beef sourced exclusively from his Double A Land and Cattle Company ranch. For a number of years, I lived just off Rio Grand Blvd. in Albuquere a few miles north of the Maria Teresa and dined there regularly both at lunch and dinner.

Of the above, I believe the Double Eagle and Legal Tender are still in operation but I don't know if the Anderson family retains any ties to them.

Robert O. Anderson also owned The Lodge in Cloudcroft and The Palace in Las Vegas, NM, at various points during his ownership of the above historic properties. Rebecca's, the dining room in The Lodge, was long a fovorite of mine featuring a grand piano (and pianist) along with west facing picture windows overloooking White Sands in the distance. Watching the sun set over on the gleaming white gypsum sand was always memorable. The piano player was happy to take requests ... another plus.

The first tee and the 9th green at The Lodge Golf Course in Cloudcroft are both at an elevation above 9,000 feet. It's only a nine-hole course but holds the distinction of being the highest golf course in North America (or maybe the Americas). This par 34 course is very short at ~2,400 yards. You play it twice from two different tee box location on each hole for a full 18 hole experience. Despite its short length, it's more challenging than you'd think because of narrow fairways and dense surrounding forests.

If you remember John Lackey, Jr. from the RHS class of '64, his father (John Lackey) ran all of Robert O. Anderson's ranching and other side interests from an office in Roswell.

Robert O. Anderson was a Life Trustee of the California Institute of Technology and of the University of Chicago (founded by John D. Rockefeller). He was a member of the National Advisory Board of The University of New Mexico where the business college, the Anderson School of Management, is named after him. I'm a graduate of this college and remember taking many classes in a building with his name on it.

His brother, philanthropist and art collector Donald B. Anderson, worked for his brother for a time and died in Roswell (I think) at age 101.

A final note, when Robert O. Anderson died in 2007 at ~ age 90, he chose to be buried in Roswell.

FYI: I know a lot about the Anderson family as my mother was a sometimes friend of his wife, Barbara. She and Robert met when both were attending the University of Chicago. When they first moved to New Mexico, it was initially to Artesia where Robert O. Anderson had purchased the Malco Oil Refinery. They later moved to Roswell after purchasing a second refinery there (I can't remember its name). The funds to make these purchase came from one or more successful wildcat oil wells that Robert O. Anderson brought in. These were in Texas, I think.

Cal Turley

Thanks to everyone for the comments and information. I had forgotten a lot of it and never new even more. A couple of comments on Brainerd and Adams. William Brainerd was the Mayor here in Roswell from 1968-1974 and again from 1986-1994.This in addition to being a Rancher and lawyer. Your are right about the Adam's family attending the First Church of the Nazarene (where my older brother Gary and I also attended). Thanks to the generosity and financial support from the Adam's family my brother Gary graduated from Pasadena Nazarene College at 26 years old with 2 Master degrees and went on to teach High School Science and Math for almost 50 years. When I said we need more community leaders like these people today I have to mention and give a great deal of credit to my next door neighbors Morris and Holly Schert. They are very strong community supporters and have given numerous college scholarships out to local students in need of financial support. Is there anyone that you guys think should be mentioned on the site?

Rex Booth

Kew Gardens - London Borough of Richmond near Thames River

Fred Miller

I checked with my "all things London" source in London about Kew Gardens.  Our niece started her own business, [American Tour Guide in London.com] when she moved over there when her husband was transferred to London. 

Kew Gardens has several amazing plants, one of which is the Corpse Plant.  It only blooms for 24 hours once every 7 years.  and it smells like a dead body.

 Veddy in'tres-ting...  who would put that event on their 7 year calendar?  ~The Shadow

Rex Booth

On this 6th day in 1944, Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower launched the largest amphibious military operation in history: Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of northern France, commonly known as D-Day.  Click " D-Day ".

 

Rex Booth

You like going to Drive-In Movies...? 

How bout a Drive-In Movie "Love Story" !!

A Virginia man surprised his Girlfriend at a Drive-In Movie by playing a video he'd made professing his love on the big screen. He then dropped to one knee and proposed. The couple's engagement was met with "cheers, clapping and honking horns by the other movie-goers".  Click on (More)

Goochland Drive-In Theater - Hadensville (N.W. of Richmond, Va.

             Click:  https://www.goochlanddriveintheater.com/

Fred Miller

Your Monday morning funny...

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ATfKR5QrC/

Fred Miller

I would like to announce the engagement of our beautiful granddaughter, Kelsey, to Conor.  They were both living in Austin working for the the same company.  Conor got promoted to a magement position, and was transferred to Chicago.  Kelsey went with him.  They plan on getting married this coming September...

Rex Booth

Way to go Fred, your granddaughter is beautimous! 

Gonna be in the Windy City this September...?  Check out  Al Capone's house in South Side Chicago...

7244 S. Prairie Avene  1930

Rex Booth

On this June day in 1934, Donald Duck made his film debut in Walt Disney's "The Wise Little Hen", a short about a hen who can't get anyone to help her plant corn. Ninety-two years later, the short-tempered sailor is still one of the most beloved cartoon characters in the world.   (Watch Cartoon)