classnotes
Carmichael recollects days with flying squadron
Northwest was one of the first institutions to have a civilian pilot training program.
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The Bearcats Flying Squadron began in 1940 when Northwest started a civilian pilot training program to prepare young men for service in the United States Navy. Bruce Carmichael ’49, a member of the squadron, participated in civilian pilot training while attending Northwest. After he completed training, he was sent to Kansas City, San Francisco and Texas for U.S. Navy training. Carmichael, a chiropractor who lives in Lebanon, Mo., offers a personal recollection of his experiences with the Bearcats Flying Squadron. The following is an excerpt from his written recollection. If you were around then, you may still recall, as I do, the spring of 1940 as being cold and wet. War clouds were gathering over the entire
world, and it was a time for decisive action by our nation’s leaders. Northwest Missouri State Teachers College was one of the first institutions to adopt the new civilian pilot training. Two metal airplane hangars were erected along with a small flight office. There was no radio contact with the airplanes. There was no compensation for being a student pilot, other than we were privileged to wash the airplanes down, sweep the hangars and “prop” the planes. It soon became common to see the student pilots at the college, going to and from classes in their white coveralls. As the war heated up, the demand for pilots by the Army and Navy grew stronger. Northwest’s newly formed contingent of fliers was called the Bearcats Flying Squadron. On a warm day in August 1942, 22 fledgling aviators lined up. There were pictures, well wishes and good-byes. These young men would soon be manning the lethal machines of war, to play their part in keeping our nation free. If you stand quietly close to the grass-covered runways, you still may hear the echoes of those brave young men shouting and laughing, celebrating their first solo flight more than half a century ago. n
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Michael and Jamie Swan (’06) Casteel
to alumni@nwmissouri.edu.
were married Nov. 24, 2007. Michael is the maintenance supervisor at the Maryville Housing Authority, and Jamie is a second-grade teacher at St. Gregory’s School in Maryville. She will begin a master’s in reading at Northwest this summer.
(Photographs with children or
Melissa Strnad Kula
pets will not be accepted.)
and her husband, John, announce the birth of
life by using the enclosed envelope, by e-mail at alumni@nwmissouri.edu or online at www.nwmissouri. edu/alumni/magazine/ classnotes.htm. You also may submit a photograph. Please include a self-addressed envelope so the photo can be returned, or e-mail it, in high resolution,
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1996
Sarah Ann on April 22, 2008. She joins Timmy, 5, and Andrew, 3. Nicola Hensler Ricci
and her husband, David, announce the birth of Sophia Nicole on Nov. 6. She joins Ella, 2. Nicola is a clinical dietitian. Doug Sellers
and his wife, Brooke, announce the birth of Morgan Renee on Aug. 26. She joins Jake Douglas, 4. Doug is an insurance broker at Sellers-Weis Insurance, and Brooke is a stay-at-home mother. They live in Salisbury.
S P R IN G 2 0 0 9 NO R THW E ST A L U M NI M A G A Z IN E
1997
Scott Wiederstein
and his wife, Julie, announce the birth of Emma Rae on April 2, 2008. She joins, John, 3. Scott teaches K-5 music at Studebaker Elementary in the Des Moines (IA) Public Schools. Julie is a youth ministry coordinator at New Life Church. They live in Pleasant Hill, IA.
1998
Kristin McMurry Aguirre
and her husband, Peter, announce the birth of Trenton Robert Michael on Nov. 11. He joins
Makayla, Abigail and Grace. Kristin is an early childhood teacher in the Hickman Mills C-1 School District. They live in Belton. Matt and Lisa Sears Becker ◆
announce the birth of Kathryn Elizabeth on April 11, 2008. She joins Nick, 5, and Ryan, 3. Matt is the bioimaging project leader at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Lisa is a second-grade teacher in the Frederick County Public School District. They live in Gaithersburg, MD.