In Search of Aline Rhonie’s Mural “The Pre-Lindbergh ERA of Flying on Long Island” First Installed in Roosevelt Field
Al Velocci, Sam Berliner III and Gary Hammond are having a wonderful discussion of a historic aviation mural. Of course, I was compelled to search for more information of this painting and its artist.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
Al Velocci: Art, Did not see the name of Aline Rhonie Brooks on either membership list. Read that she joined in 1930’s. Club thought Aline was a male name. ( her husband, Peter, was also a flier.) Dropped Brooks after he died, early 1940,s. Fascinating woman, socialite, lived in Sands Point, took flying lessons as a teenager, married several times, went to Europe beginning of WW 11, help set up field hospitals in France, then flew war planes in England from factories to military bases, before coming back to the States to do the same here. Painted an aviation mural on an interior hanger wall at Roosevelt Field that measured 12’x100’. Said to have about 500 life size images of individuals connected to aviation. (studied under Mexican muralist Diego Rivera), Mural was removed before the hanger was taken down. Understand Cradle of Aviation now has it.
Sam Berliner III: No WONDER the name rang a bell! “Aline ‘Pat’ Rhonie Hofheimer Brooks (August 16, 1909 – January 7, 1963) - - - is also known for her aviation history mural which is now located at Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology.” Vaughn was previously Casey Jones’ famed Academy of Aeronautics, still there in Elmhurst (Elmhoist?), across GCP from LGA. See above. Sam, III
Gary Hammond: Aline Rhonie’s mural “The Pre-Lindbergh Era of Flying on Long Island” was purchased by the Long Island Early Fliers Club (LIEFC) after her death. It was then placed on a long term loan the the Nassau County Division of Museum Services. It was stored in several of our collections facilities through the decades, finally winding up in storage at the County’s Sands Point Preserve. Parts of it was at one point displayed at the Cradle of Aviation Museum (CAM) in the early 1980’s, where we had hoped the entire mural could eventually be displayed. Unfortunately, this was never to be. Around 2006, the LIEFC ended the loan and arranged for the mural to be donated to the Vaughn College of Aeronautics & Technology in Queens, where is was promised to be displayed in its entirety. I don’t know if this ever happened. I know this to be accurate as in the 1980’s I was the Ass’t Curator at CAM and involved in its display, and then as the Museum Registrar for the Nassau County Division of Museum Services I was responsible for its return to the LIEFC prior to my retirement in 2011. I took thesephotos on November 29, 2005 while in storage at Sands Point.
Note that to our surprise there were also some unfinished panels stored in the custom fitted blanket coverings. Everything was in good condition considering its age, and the fact they originally were in an hanger!
Links to information on Aline "Pat" Rhonie Hofheimer Brooks (1909-1963) and the mural
Artist Aline Rhonie Tried to Capture All of Early Aviation in a Single Painting
Aline Rhonie Brooks and Peter Brooks
Aline Rhonie ‘Pat Brooks’ Hofheimer (1909-1963)
The mural was installed in Hangar F of Roosevelt Field
Other views of the mural
Comments
Today’s aviation history blog is wonderful! It adds so much to the unsung heroes. Thanks to y’all who went out there to capture and record it for future generations.
Sorry to go off on a tangent but does anyone remember if there was a mural of the R-34 or some other dirigible in the Garden City post office during the 1960s or 1970s? Different from the well-known WPA harvest mural on the south wall.
Hi Howard: Thank you for the Aline Rhonie Roosevelt Field Mural article. As always you have done top shelf work. Ken
The R-34 WPA Mural was located in the Hempstead Post Office, not Garden City.
Thanks for clarifying that.
I did some move digging and pulled out my old daily calendars - the return of the mural didn’t happen overnight. After our meeting when the photos were taken on November 29, 2005, I had another examination of the Mural by LIEFC representatives on February 22, 2006, and a meeting with the movers on April 5, 2006. Finally, on May 2, 2006, the Rhonie Mural was removed from Sands Point, and the Loan between the LIEFC and the Nassau County Museum was ended! As I previously stated, what has happened since then is unknown to me.
Additional information found among the Peter Heck Family Collection. From “The Pegasus” (May, 1952), a monthly publication of the Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation”.
“The Pegasus”