The girls are researching donating dad's Navy ...

Flight suits, vests, uniforms, logbooks, scrapbooks etc ... to a museum or somewhere. I'm kind of against it, but whatever they want to do I'll support. They (edit: WE) sold dad's Globe Swift to a guy who lives close to my older sister in North Carolina on condition he restores it to original condition and we have visitng rights. The fellow is a real nice, christian guy, just what the girls wanted ... I had a few here on WIX who I would have been happy to donate the Swift, but I'm just the youngest in the family ... haha ... Question is: What or where would be a good place to donate "WW2 US Navy stuff" too? ... dad was no big deal, he was just one on many, many WW2 Navy pilots, I'm sure his "stuff" is not a big deal, but that being said, I wouldn't want the girls to donate dad's things to a place where they just throw most of it away ... Any suggestions?

NOTE: I had to edit this original post a bit. It didn't come across the right way. It still doesn't read right, but I think I cleared it up in posts below ... sorry for any confusion ...

I didn't read an e-mail correctly, the family does NOT want to donate anything, they were just interested in ideas for preservation ... oops!

Last edited by Hellcat on Sun May 03, 2009 2:20 pm, edited 4 times in total.

[Mark_Pilkington]

Hellcat,

didn't you post earlier that your dad flew the CAF Hellcat?

If that was the case I would recommend offering it to the CAF subject to confirming it would be displayed and kept together as an intact collection?

I would have thought the link between a veteran and an aircraft would make the best outcome from all points of view?

regards

Mark Pilkington

[Obergrafeter]

Ditto on the CAF, but not to Midland keep it with the plane in California.

[Dave Downs]

Hellcat,

didn't you post earlier that your dad flew the CAF Hellcat?

If that was the case I would recommend offering it to the CAF subject to confirming it would be displayed and kept together as an intact collection?

I would have thought the link between a veteran and an aircraft would make the best outcome from all points of view?

regards

Mark Pilkington

While I persponally would vote to keep the items in the family, this has got to be a great alternative.

To display the aircraft with your father's gear and personal items, along with some photos and a narrative would give some real ties to the history of both your father and the plane.

[Jerry O'Neill]

I'm always recommending that stuff like this stays in the family. Sounds like the CAF in California is a good idea.

I've always told people with similar problems to shy away from the big museum's (because they have so much) and take the time to look for the museum that really needs this donation and can use it in a display. It's easy to find memorabilia, it's hard to get stuff with a personal history to it.
As an example, the New England Air Museum opened in the mid-1960's but never received a painted A2 jacket until 1991! They needed one, and it's on display. It worked out very well.

There's a lot of smaller museum's out there with specific focus, it;s always worth the effort to find a good match.
Jerry

[Dave Cheeseman]

dad was no big deal, he was just one on many, many WW2 Navy pilots

Can't say I would agree with this, your dad was one of many HERO'S ( I think most on this forum would agree ) who gave us the freedoms we all share today.

If ya can without getting into a family dispute you should keep that history in your family to be passed on from generation to generation if possible.

Cheers dave C

[Enemy Ace]

Why don't you tell them you want to keep the stuff and back the F--- off. I would be seriously pizzed off about the swift too, you should have had it bought to your local airport for YOU to fly. I bet your dad would have gotten a real kick out of that.

[Owen Miller]

Check your PMs, Hellcat.....

I better clear some stuff up, my sisters are wonderful people who truely care about my dad's stuff and Swift, we have discussed what to do many times and the girls have all along wanted to do the right thing. And did the right thing with the Swift, it's at a great home ... I'm actually very pleased, So I should have made that more clear. The guy that got the swift is a class act as well. I also should have used better words to explain what they want to do with dad's Navy stuff. They, and I, (if we decide to donate) just want some good advise from others here who know much more about the subject than I. This is my first attemp to do research. Just like when I first saw dad's Navy logbook and started to notice dad may have flown the CAF's Hellcat ... very cool stuff to figure out ... Just looking for some good advise for my sisters and myself ... Sorry for any confusion. Easy to do here sometimes ...

Thanks for the PM's guys, ... great, great advice .... I'll pass on to the family ...

M

[Enemy Ace]

"I'm kind of against it"
"THEY sold Dad's globe swift"
"Not what I wanted"

I still don't see how any organization or museum is going to treasure your family heirlooms more than you could. "Visiting rights?" give me a break. Once this stuff is gone... it's gone. Do you actually think a museum (of any size) is going to care about you if they want to do something with it?
"The little boy"???!!! WTF!!! Tell those Hens they can donate the stuff to your Man Cave. You are a gen-u-wine aviation enthusiast.
If you have a son or daughter or neice/nephew they are going to hate your guts later for letting this stuff go. I know if we were related I would scream bloody murder. I still hold it against my dad for selling his 70 mustang Mach 1 back in 1982. For $200.00 no less. You know what that car is worth now? what an investment that could have been.
Don't back down. It's time for the mouse to Roar, and loudly.

[TAdan]

"I'm kind of against it"
"THEY sold Dad's globe swift"
"Not what I wanted"

I still don't see how any organization or museum is going to treasure your family heirlooms more than you could. "Visiting rights?" give me a break. Once this stuff is gone... it's gone. Do you actually think a museum (of any size) is going to care about you if they want to do something with it?
"The little boy"???!!! WTF!!! Tell those Hens they can donate the stuff to your Man Cave. You are a gen-u-wine aviation enthusiast.
If you have a son or daughter or neice/nephew they are going to hate your guts later for letting this stuff go.... Don't back down. It's time for the mouse to Roar, and loudly.

I completely agree. If they want it out of the way I think that you are more than capable of giving it a good home and appreciating it.

"I'm kind of against it"
"THEY sold Dad's globe swift"
"Not what I wanted"

I still don't see how any organization or museum is going to treasure your family heirlooms more than you could. "Visiting rights?" give me a break. Once this stuff is gone... it's gone. Do you actually think a museum (of any size) is going to care about you if they want to do something with it?
"The little boy"???!!! WTF!!! Tell those Hens they can donate the stuff to your Man Cave. You are a gen-u-wine aviation enthusiast.
If you have a son or daughter or neice/nephew they are going to hate your guts later for letting this stuff go. I know if we were related I would scream bloody murder. I still hold it against my dad for selling his 70 mustang Mach 1 back in 1982. For $200.00 no less. You know what that car is worth now? what an investment that could have been.
Don't back down. It's time for the mouse to Roar, and loudly.

Come on now, re-read my post above, As ususal, I used some wrong wording. My mistake, the girls are NOT just trying to get rid of stuff. Sorry for the confusion. I don't want to start a sh*tstorm ...

Go easy, my sis does visit this site on occation to see what a fool I'm making of myself ... haha ... The girls are doing the right thing. Again, we have done nothing yet, but I think if we did do something the thought of loaning some stuff somewhere would probably be the best idea ... As long as we could get the stuff well taken care of and returned someday ... Again, we have done nothing yet other than inquire and research ... We're in no hurry. I just truely appreciate the great advice I always get from many here. This kind of thread is exactly why I still stick around .... Good stuff always!! ... "the little boy" appreciates it .... haha right! ... And I don't own a "man cave" but I probably should someday ... but it sounds like some of you need to crawl out of your "man cave" every now and then .... .... joking

Does anyone here have a few photos of museums with displays of Uniforms? I've seen a few by Googling a bit. Are most uniform displays in cases air-tight sealed?

[Enemy Ace]

I still don't get it..... What's the problem with YOU keeping the stuff?

[Jack Cook]

Mark,
Knowing what your dad ment to you and knowing how important this stuff means to you I'd really try to hang on to it. Once it's gone it's gone....period. Donating it to a museum doesn't mean it'll ever see the light of day. Or worse be disposed of has excess via trade or sale. Once it's theirs it's not yours anymore. Has a example if it went to Pensacola what would they do with it?? Display or store?? They have so much stuff already it's excess before they would even get it. Jack Lenhardt sent his Wildcat to them years ago. When the Wildcats started rising from Lake Michigan it was suddenly excess and was sold. Has for the CAF where the F6F is, my only issue raised would be recalling the ruckas raised by one of their members that its a fake ID your dad never flew their a/c. Maybe not the right atmosphere.
Get it, keep it and maybe find someplace near you that wants it, WILL display it and LOAN the items don't give them away.

the "stuff" is in a much better place with my sister. She is very careful and maticulous. Trust me, dad's stuff is where it should be. She is the head of the family. It makes sense ... Again, this is not mean't to be a debate about where the stuff is now, I'm just only interested in others advise and opinions on possible locations to loan down the road if we ever decided to do anything .... it just tells you how much I respect some peoples opinions here ...

Thanks Jack, I completely agree with you. My sister has a local museum that has a great process for preservation of certain items that can deteriorate very quickly if not taken care of. Dad's Navy uniforms are becoming fragile. I think if we ever decided to do anything down the road we would work out a loan with a museum that had all the right processes in place to assure proper preservation ...