Came into the world on March 24, 1892 at 11 Temple Street, Nashua, New Hampshire. Father, Editor of the Nashua Telegraph. First recollection: returning from the circus with my father, walking with an older girl hand-in-hand to kindergarten through an open field.

Age 5, broke my left leg at Grandma Dame's summer camp, Blodgetta Landing, Lake Sunapee — fell through a porch floor. Carried on a stretcher a mile through a path in the woods to the boat dock, by launch across the lake, in a railroad express car to Nashua. Carried on a stretcher into our Locus Street home. A small girl watching apprehensively asked, "Is he dead?"

At age 23, Father went to Cuba — the 1st American Colony at LaGloria, 30 miles by sailboat from Nuavitas. While he tested life there, Mother, Connie and I lived at North Weare in the home of Grandma Greenleaf. Attended a small brick school a half mile walk — primitive. Met my earliest school friends: Earl Breed, the Sawyer boys, Hawley, Ted Brown, Gertrude Breed, Ruth Whittaker. In spring, operated a maple sap camp with 39 trees deep in the woods with Fred Nichols. Most of the syrup produced after much effort was bought for $1 a gallon by my grandmother! One day carting a gallon jug home along the railroad track, we spilt half of it. Sheer tragedy!

A year later we all moved to Cuba in 1904. Lived for a year in a palm shack — one of about 20 in the small colony of LaGloria. Attended a small Cuban-American school with an American woman teacher, Mrs. Stevens. Primitive life: no electricity, no town water, no amusements of any kind, monthly mail from the U.S., small variety of canned foods mostly — plenty of bananas, honey and some fruit. No transportation except horseback and wagons to haul supplies from the port on a muddy road 4 miles from town.

Only amusements were some swimming and riding wild horses on abandoned plantations several miles into the jungle. We killed large but harmless boa constrictors, cut stalks of green bananas and sold them in town for 10 cents per hundred. My first sweetheart, Josephine Park — we exchanged notes in school. A gay, lovely blonde, daughter of the town's mayor of sorts. She attended my H.S. graduation in 1909, five years later, and then married a wealthy member of the Mollenhawer family, organizers of the colony.

Although the rich soil produced wonderful crops of oranges and pineapples, they could not be profitably transported and the project failed. We moved to Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1905.

I felt entirely out of place at Dorchester High School but to my surprise I made out. Next year we moved to New York City — attended Morris High School in the Bronx, lived on Bathgate Avenue, now a completely different neighborhood. Was a member of the rifle team — we were City Champions. Had a stunning blonde French teacher, Miss Carlton — I remember her wearing a huge bunch of violets.

Next year moved to Palisades Park, New Jersey. Bought a little house backing up to the river. Went into athletics in earnest — basketball and member of the track team. Won several events in the quarter mile and sprints, also won the North Jersey title in 1909. Parents moved to Brattleboro, Vermont.

After going to work in Boston I worked as a "super" in the Boston Opera House — on stage with great stars, Destin, Zenatello, Eames, perhaps Mary Garden. Joined the "Littlest Rebel Company" in small parts and toured the entire U.S. with Mary Miles Winter, Dustin & Williams Farnum for 2 seasons. During summer, ticket seller in the box offices of Ebbets Field for the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Polo Grounds, and Yankee Stadium — days of Hans Wagner and Christy Mathewson. Salesman with the American Tobacco Company for 2 years in the Boston area, earning the job by passing a Harvard professor's psychology test, the first ever given.

December 1916 Started my military career joining the American Field Service through Henry Sleeper, organizer with Piatt Andrews in Boston. Sailed for France on the S.S. Chicago. Six weeks organizing in Paris H.Q. at 21 Rue Raynouard in Passy, near the American Hospital. Assembled Ford ambulances in the garden of a Vanderbilt estate on the River Seine, opposite the Eiffel Tower and near the stable of Benjamin Franklin. Took the French driving test, issued a carnet rouge and permit de sejour — authority to drive in the war zone.

In February, took the train to Bar le Duc, south of Verdun, with several new drivers. Then drove by ambulance to the small village of Hargevill, closer to Verdun, where we joined Section 8 with their 16 or so ambulances. Bitterly cold — slept on the upper floor of a concrete French barn in bunks with straw and a few blankets. No heat, temperature about freezing.

One shell broke 50 feet from our group watching — we dug up a shell fragment while it was still hot!

Our section moved to Glorieux, installed in a former hospital on a hill about 3 miles south of the City of Verdun. We were surrounded by the Germans on all 3 sides with shelling day and night. After dark we moved 6 ambulances into Verdun, parked them in a deserted schoolyard and we slept underground until the call came. We drove along the bank of the River Meuse, through Belleville along a road with camouflage nets about 5 miles to Bras — a deserted and ruined town, not a roof standing. Then, leaving the cars, we hiked through trenches a quarter mile to a deep abri, a command post and first aid station a few hundred feet from the front line trenches. Dirty, damp, cold and smelly. Fifteen feet underground, lined with sandbags.

I once slid down the entrance as a shell burst 30 feet away — splashed with dirt but no injuries. When the wounded (blesses) were brought in by pouillos branchardiers on stretchers, we hauled them through the trenches to our cars, then rushed them back to the Verdun citadel — dangerous driving with rushing horse traffic of guns, food and ammunition going both ways. We used whistles and no horns, by which the Germans could have spotted us. Only little blue lights visible 20 feet or so. On many dark nights our co-driver rode sitting on the front of the car hood with a whistle to guide the driver.

August 1917 We entered the war in April 1917, and in August I reported to Billy Mitchell at the Hotel Plaza Athene Air Service Headquarters to volunteer. I considered being a motorcycle dispatch rider but was talked into aviation. Spent two weeks as orderly and coordinator in the office of Billy Mitchell, then a Colonel.

Sent to Tours for training on Caudron G3 biplanes with an Anzani engine. Instructor was Poitevin, a famous flyer. Awarded French Brevet #8916 in October. Commissioned 1st Lieutenant after 25 hours of flight. Reported to Issoudun in November 1917 for advanced Nieuport training alongside Rickenbacker, Doug Campbell, and many later top aces. Base commanders were Hiram Bingham and Casey Jones.

Transferred in February to LeValdehon near the Swiss border to fly the 2½ Strutter Sop with observation two-seater planes — an excellent post on an artillery base. I flew many high-ranking officers on their first flight as observers.

About Armistice time, I was assigned to the 138th Pursuit Squadron, 5th Pursuit Group at a small field at Lay St. Remy near Toul. Commanders were Major Maxwell Kirby, Clayton Bissell (later Major General), Fauntleroy, and Billy Street (later Major General). Had a visit from Fonck, the top Allied ace.

November 1918 After the Armistice we collected German souvenirs by trucking to the Verdun area. The Group moved to Coblenz, Germany on the Rhine about Christmas 1918. I flew my Spad to Coblenz Airdrome via Trier on the Moselle — the field was on top of a hill overlooking Coblenz, formerly Fort Alexandria. Small and dangerous for Spads, with rivers on both sides below us. I flew a captured German Fokker and a Camel from another squadron for the first time.

Was one of several pilots who flew under the railroad bridge over the Rhine! I also ferried an S.E.5 from Coblenz to Columbey les Belles — the plane had been flown by top ace Field Kindley in combat and had black German crosses painted on it for each plane brought down. Kindley was killed at Kelly Field a year later, where I was flying with him in the 1st Pursuit Group.

Soon after, while on patrol over the bridgehead, my engine boiled over and I landed at Dernbach on a polo field with a dead engine. I took off downwind and downhill but couldn't make it — the prop hit the wheat in the field, rolled over 3 times — but I crawled out without a scratch! The plane was a total wreck.

Before leaving Coblenz, I had a winter leave in Chamonix, France and won several bobsled races, including second place in the Princess Vlora Cup. In summer of 1919, Offray, Prettyman and I climbed Mont Blanc with a guide — over 15,000 feet high, the highest in Europe. Started the climb at 3 A.M. in deep snow and made the top about noon in clear, cold weather. Given a fine large certificate signed by the Mayor of Chamonix and the Alpine Club President.

Won 4 important cups on the famous Cresta Run, including the Bott Cup which is still in competition. Piloted a 5-man bobsled team in the Grand National — the first ever for an American. I was far from the favorite in the sweepstakes betting, totally unknown with a hastily picked-up bobsled and against the top drivers of Europe. My crew were heroes — we took the 50-foot high horizontal curves at 60 miles an hour and got away with it.

About Christmas, with credentials as a representative of the Amaroc News, I traveled to Amsterdam and was admitted to a small motor boat that took me to the tiny island of Weirengenn where the German Crown Prince Frederick Wilhelm was living. Spent the night there, met him twice, returned to the mainland next day on a boat with him as he was on the way to Doorn Castle to spend the holidays with his father, Kaiser Wilhelm. Had a nice talk with him in excellent English — he said I was the first American he had talked to since the war ended.

1919 Joined the revitalized 147th Squadron with the 1st Pursuit Group at Kelly Field, Texas, with Capt. Frank Tyndall as my C.O., Carl Spaatz, and later Reed Chambers and Ray Brooks as Group Commanders — all but Spaatz being aces. Our ball team played the N.Y. Giants who trained there with their all-stars Christy Mathewson and John McGraw. I was Group athletic officer and won the quarter-mile Southwest championship, and qualified for national tryouts for the American Olympic team for the Olympics at Antwerp, Belgium, 1920.

Resigned from the Air Service and returned to Coblenz, where I spent a year preparing the "History of the American Forces in Germany" under authority of General Henry T. Allen, Commander in Chief. Very successful, partly due to the total inflationary drop of the German mark. Sent a gold-bound copy to General Pershing and received back a nice signed letter. Both the Library of Congress and the British Air Museum asked for and received copies.

1922–1928 Returned to New York. Met Mitzi at Seagate — she was governess for the Files family in 1922. Spent the next 5 years in Miami, married in Sorrento, July 14, 1925. In Miami was manager for the Piper Realty firm before and after the great realty boom. Made and lost $50,000 in paper profits. Went through the Miami hurricane of 1926, the worst in American history. Mitzi was in a hospital on Miami Beach where we rode out 126-mile hurricane winds. My new Chrysler was safe in Miami 6 miles back from the ocean, luckily. In deep depression, we moved to New York in 1928.

1931 Took the civil service test for "Airport Inspector" for New York City, passed #1, and was appointed to Floyd Bennett Field in July 1931 — New York City's first municipal airport, and the hub of the golden era of aviation history. Daughter Jacqueline born in 1930 and Betty in 1935.

It was here, as operations supervisor at Floyd Bennett Field, that I began collecting the autographs of aviation's greatest figures on the photograph of three biplanes flying over New York City in front of the Empire State Building. Over the next four decades, that photograph would come to bear the signatures of over 125 of the most celebrated names in aviation and aerospace history — from Orville Wright, the first in flight, to Neil Armstrong, the first to walk on the Moon.

Reserve flying as 1st Lieutenant at Mitchell Field until the Second World War became imminent. Was a staff officer with Col. Frank Lahm, Chief of Air Force, at the 1st Army maneuvers in 1940 at Pine Camp, New York, with Major Bob Douglas, later a Major General and Commander of the 1st Air Force.

"I cleared Douglas 'Wrong Way' Corrigan for takeoff for California — but then he flew to Europe instead."

October 1941 Went on active duty, reported to Wayne County Airport at Detroit. Living in a nice lakefront cottage in Belleville at the time of Pearl Harbor. Appointed Provost Marshal. Promoted to Captain. As a staff officer, I drove Charles Lindbergh to Willow Run for his first visit there.

Next assignments were to Kansas City where I commanded the Penn Valley Camp, followed by a year at Camp Luna, New Mexico, where I was C.O. of the 57th Ferrying Squadron, then a year at Reno Air Base as Squadron C.O. and Fire Marshall. Came off active duty in Spring of 1945 at the time of the death of President Roosevelt.

1946–1952 Re-appointed Supervisor of Operations at LaGuardia Field in 1946 and retired in 1948. Retired in 1952 as Major in the U.S. Air Force. Moved to Palm Beach, 1957.