Vanderbilt Cup Races

Art Kleiner, those Curt Teich POs are awesome. I may ask you if I can use a few in my book. I have been collecting Postcards for a long time too and never saw those. There is a full page on my website dedicated to the MF PCs in my collection but I am sure I am missing some. https://mitchelfield.weebly.com/postcards.html I only know of 2 pools on the base, the OC pool (above) and the Enlisted men’s pool by the Gym. The OC pool was grassed over, and the EC pool still stands but hasn’t been filled in years.

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

Can anyone locate where the three swimming pools at Mitchel Field were?  And are they still somewhere to be found today or what might have they become?  From Aviation magazine, Jan. 1942.

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

And last but not least . . .

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

A few more.

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

Great commentary by all!  Thanks for sharing your memories.  I was a neighbor in the mid-70s having spent my college years at Hofstra. As a commuting student my car was parked on the runways. 

I’m a fan of postcards and came across the work orders for the series of postcards shown in this blog.  The postcards were produced by Curt Teich & Company, Inc. in 1942, one of the largest post card producers in the world.  Each work order listed the subject and where the copy should go and also contained the work schedule.

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

Great stories Lee. It must have been very cool to live there. I will PM you.

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

I attended NCC at the same time as Paul did.  In fact, we both worked at the college station, WHPC at the same time!

NCC and the Navy always had a good relationship.  One point of contention however were students parking in front of Military homes along Ellington Ave. West, preventing locals from parking anywhere near their homes.  My father had the row of Temporary Buildings closest to Stewart Avenue torn down around 1966 to create a very sizeable parking area for the remaining buildings on the North Campus including the Firehouse Art Gallery which had at one time been an actual firehouse used to put out dwelling fires on the Base.  Thereafter, the parking situation improved overnight, much to the delight of the Military families in the area.

Riding our bikes past the demolition of the Temporary Buildings one Summer night, we found the street sign for 1st Street and Avenue E laying on the ground and took it home as a souvenir.  It remained in our basement for many years.  Today, is still sitting in perfect condition in my garage, 3,000 miles away in LA!   

Regarding the student protests, I was there too, but not as a student.  I witnessed firsthand the demonstrations in 1971 following the invasion of Laos and Cambodia.  Unlike other schools that had dormitories, when it got dark, the protestors would leave and go home for the night.  Then they’d be back the next day.

Some of them defaced the Parade Grounds reviewing stand which had been repainted to say ‘Nassau Community College’.  Graffiti changed the middle word to ‘Communist’.  A lesser known fact was the existence of what could be described as professional protestors, who did not reside in the area and traveled around the country to rile up anti-war sentiments.  Some were wanted by the FBI. 

When tensions hit their peak, with Administration Buildings at campuses around the Country being occupied by protestors, my father had an emergency HELP button installed in the President’s office under his desk that he could use to instantly contact the NC Police should his office ever be taken over by protestors.  Thankfully, that never happened. 

Similarly, another HELP button was installed in the President’s Residence at 363 Rice Circle for the same reason.  As children, we were taught where the button was and what it was for.  Coming home from school, we were also told not to walk in plain view from our school bus stop at the corner of Rice Circle to the front of our house where protestors on the Quad could easily intercept us and were told to use the Back Alley entrance to our house instead.  Fortunately, that too never occurred. 

In a comical conclusion, the button in our house remained operational well past the demonstrations in the early ‘70’s.  Periodically, there were false alarms resulting in NC Police responding.  For some reason it happened most frequently after heavy snowfalls.  Then one day in 1974 in the middle of Summer while our parents were away from home, several squad cars suddenly came racing up our driveway.  The hilarity reached a crescendo when the NC Police helicopter landed on the Quadrangle with officers storming our house wanting to know what the emergency was.  Of course, there was none and it was just another false alarm.  After that episode, the button was removed.  Upon my last visit to the house several years ago, the holes where the button had been hidden under one of the kitchen cabinets were still there!

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

I have an original photo of the #5 Oldsmobile 1910 car that supposed to be raced in the 1910 Vanderbilt race. Would you be interested.
Rick Jessup,  Strasburg, Pa.

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Helps Solve an Old Oldsmobile Photo Mystery in the Lansing State Journal

Wayne, I was there a little later than that so missed all that stuff at the college. But your building IDs sound right, they were the same when I was there. Gym in Hangar 5-6 classes in the “Halls” and art studio in the barracks, lunch in the mess hall and theater in the Chapels. During my walking tours, (I’ll be giving more in the Spring) I always say the best thing that happened to preserve MF was having it taken over by NCC. The exteriors and much of the interiors have been preserved. Re-purposed, but preserved nonetheless. Many people complain about the loss of the barracks north of the tracks but they were just T buildings anyway (T for Temporary). A few of the NCO duplex houses were taken down for condos but most of those and the officers houses on the south side of the tracks still remain as military housing. All in all about 70-80 % of the buildings remain, including 5 of the original 1930 hangars as part of the COAM and other museums. Thanks

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

Loved it thanks,I love the history of long Island..

From Video of the Week: Long Island's Hidden History: The Long Island Motor Parkway

Looking at your map and my aging memory I would say that 104 Hdqtrs was the Engineering Building and 103 Hdqtrs was I think the Bursur’s building. That’s were some of the anti-war protests took place, in front of 103 and onto the “Quad”. I could tell you a story about the flag pole at that time but perhaps I better not. 105 looks like North Hall and 101 South Hall. We had most classes that were non-Engineering in those halls. Except an Art class in the 103 barracks area and a Human Biology class in a room connected to one of the hangers. Oh, of course, Gym in one of the hangers. Thanks for the memories.

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

Paul, I was at NCC from 1968-1971. I could tell you stories about the anti-war campus protests and other associated stuff. We in the Engineering area tended to stay away from that stuff but it wasn’t easy. There were even plans to “defend” the Engineering Building in the event of a student “takeover”. Wild times.

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

Rich, when Donnelly told me about your new endeavor, I was happy for you. You deserve it my friend. Count me in as a subscriber. Miss our days at Hemmings. GM

From Update with new video: Crankshaft, Richard Lentinello's new quarterly magazine, is available for orders

Wayne, you are very welcome.  So glad you like my website. BTW, I attended NCC in the mid 70s and many of the pics I took at that time are in various places on the website. I know there’s alot to look at on my site, but this page has my 2020 walk around with current pics of all the remaining buildings. Thanks so much. https://mitchelfield.weebly.com/walk-around-2020.html

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

Interesting Art!
Horatio L. Babb was still listed as working for the LIMP in the 1922 Grand Catalogue of Phi Kappa Psi. He was a graduate of the Case School (a predecessor to CWRU) circa 1905, according to fraternity records.
Perhaps another engineer like Hardin? Given his long tenure at LIMP, wonder if his name shows up somewhere in LIMP archival business documents.

From Kleiner's Korner: And Now For Something Completely Different: Part 1 (Motor Parkway 1906 - 1910)

Thanks for the update. I stand corrected. When I read this am that he was at 30,000 feet I realized that he would not be on approach to or climbing from Mitchel.
One hell of a website BTW. I am still going over the pictures and maps. I find myself trying to place my movements at NCC in the late 60’s by using the maps as a guide. At that time I don’t think the outward appearance of the campus was much different from it’s time as an air base. At least I didn’t have to salute anyone!

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

We are over East Williston looking east.  Major roads are East Williston Ave. AKA as Hillside Ave. bisecting the photo.    Jericho Tpke. top right of photo.  Northern State Pky. abutting the east side of the Wheatley Hills Golf Club, green of the 10th hole in the distance.  Glen Cove Rd. east of Pky. The large building is the North Side Elementary School, Yes, on the SOUTH side of E. W. Ave.  The Pky. ROW is the dark strip visible on the south side of E. W. Ave. and going under Jericho Tpke.  Portions of Jericho Tpke. and Glen Cove Rd. were part of some of the Vanderbilt Cup Races.    Photo taken early 1950’s, Motor Pky bridge over E. W. Ave. is gone.

From Mystery Foto #10 Solved: A 1953 East Williston aerial from the Cradle of Aviation Archives

Thanks.

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

Wayne Woodbury. This crash was NOT Mitchel Field related. Captain William H. Weiland, the Air Force Pilot died when his jet crashed at Wantagh, Long Island, New York. About 12:30 PM on August 3, 1954, the Air Force Republic F-84 Thunderjet crashed in the center of Denver Road in Wantagh. Captain Weiland was traveling from Dover AFB Delaware to Dow AFB, Bangor Maine. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. Detailed in my forthcoming books and on my website: https://mitchelfield.weebly.com/crashes-50-55.html

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

When my father was the Historian for the Wantagh FD, I recall looking through the FD records and pictures of various FD related incidents. The one listed below stands out in my mind. I assume that the jet was going to or coming from Mitchel Field. Really highlights the risks of having an active air base surrounded by a growing suburbia.

https://www.liherald.com/stories/plane-crash-60-years-ago-stunned-wantagh-street,56841

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)