Harvard Aeronautical Society
The Harvard Aeronautical Society was organized 11 Nov. 1909 with membership open to any present or former member of Harvard University. The Society incorporated in Massachusetts in 1910 and became officially affiliated with the Aero Club of America. Organized as an educational and scientific institution, it established a library, sponsored lectures and exhibits, and hosted both international and intercollegiate aviation and glider meets. Members built a glider and bi-plane, the latter named Harvard I. In 1910, 1911, and 1912, it sponsored the Harvard-Boston Aero Meet, also known as the Harvard-Boston Aviation Meet. The Society also sponsored the first intercollegiate glider meet from 3-6 May 1911. The Society was especially active between 1909-1911 and 1919-1920. Records of the Society at the Harvard University Archives are dated 1909-1986; however, documents dated later than 1920 were not created by the Society, but instead recount the history of the organization.[1]
Prof. Abbott Lawrence Rotch was founding president. Rotch, founder of Harvard's Blue Hill Observatory, was the first president of the Aero Club of New England. Other officers elected at the founding include students Hugh Nawn, vice president; E. C. Brown, secretary; and A Sweetser, treasurer; A Professor Pickering is listed as a founder. Membership grew from 250 charter members to some 385 members in June 1910. In 1910, members built two biplanes under the direction of J. V. Martin, but neither craft made it off the ground.
Affiliated with ACA in 1910 or earlier.
Archives are available at Harvard University libraries.[2]
Sources
- ↑ Records of the Harvard Aeronautical Society, Harvard University Archives
- ↑ Harvard records inventory
- 1909 Boston Daily Globe, 12 Nov.
- 1909 Christian Science Monitor, 13 Nov.
- 1910 NYT 27 Mar.,1 & 24 May, and 23 June
- 1910 Aircraft, 1 Mar.
- 1910 Boston Daily Globe, 13, 14, & 16 Aug.
- 1911 Aircraft, 1 Mar. and 1 May
- 1911 NYT 8 May
- 2:11 Flying 34 (1913)
- 5 Flying 250 (1916)
- ACA annuals (1910-1917, 1919)
- Goodyear (1919), p. 11
- Dir1920
- LOC OPAC
- WorldCat.org and WorldCat-OCLC
| Organization names | Harvard Aeronautical Society |
|---|---|
| Entity type | |
| Country | US |
| City | Cambridge, Massachusettts |
| Affiliated with | ACA |
| Scope | University |
| Started aero | 1909 |
| Ended aero | 1920 |
| Keywords | |
| Key people | Abbott Lawrence Rotch, Hugh Nawn, E. C. Brown, A Sweetser, Professor Pickering, J.V. Martin |
| Wikidata id |
