Banquet Programs Collection

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of approximately 0.35 cubic feet of banquet programs, menus, and similar items from aviation-themed events. Some are from events honoring individual pilots such as Charles Lindbergh, Richard Byrd, the Wright Brothers, and Amelia Earhart, and some are from events held by organizations including the Aero Club of America, the Early Birds of Aviation, the Manufacturers Aircraft Association, and the 31st Division Air Corps of the Alabama National Guard. Additional programs relate to specific events including the Hudson-Fulton Celebration, various air racing events and record setting flights, memorial dedications, and air route inaugurations.

Arrangement

Items in this collection have been organized by topic with a miscellaneous folder at the end. Folders are arranged alphabetically by organization name or by last name when the topic is a particular person. Within each folder, items are arranged chronologically.

Biographical / Historical

During the early flight period, World War I, and on into the 1920s and 1930s, numerous famous flights by pioneering pilots represented the cultural acceptance of the airplane from an entertaining novelty into an instrument of commerce, a weapon of war, and a vehicle for spectacle. In response, there emerged a new form of technological enthusiasm called "air-mindedness." To be airminded meant the zealous support of aviation to bring about the next great era in human civilization, which many people called the "Air Age." With such a great interest in aviation, many of the pilots during this era were treated as celebrities whose activities were followed with interest by the press as well as the public. Pilots making trailblazing flights were often fêted with parades, banquets,and other events in order to celebrate their achievements, and many aviation events were similarly celebrated. Also during this time period, numerous aviation-related societies and clubs were formed and their members would meet for dinners and other social occasions.