WWII Fighter Pilot to Speak at Unveiling of New Collection 


The EAA AirVenture Museum recently made a significant addition to its collection, which will be unveiled at a special presentation on January 26, 2005, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The evening also features a talk from P-47 Thunderbolt pilot, Mike Titre. In 1942 George Rarey, a young commercial artist, was drafted into the Army Air Corps. He learned to fly a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter before he drove a car. A talented and prolific cartoonist, Rarey kept a illustrated journal of the daily life his squadron. He also documented his experiences in several hundred letters written home to his sweetheart, Betty Lou. Sadly, a few weeks after D-Day, he was killed in combat over France.

George Rarey's widow, Betty Lou, recently donated the entire Rarey collection of letters and artwork to EAA. At the January 26 event, EAA Museum Director Adam Smith will tell the story of this nationally significant collection. Additionally, visitors will have a chance to inspect artifacts from the collection up close.

Also in attendance will be World War II veteran pilot Mike Titre, who, like the artist George Rarey, flew the P-47 Thunderbolt in Europe. In fact, Mike completed 58 combat missions in 1944 and 1945, and was decorated for his part in winning the Battle of the Bulge. Using images from the Rarey collection as his reference point, Mike will share recollections of the life of a fighter pilot in World War II, and his own appreciation for the unique collection recently acquired by the Museum.

  EAA Aviation Center
  P.O. Box 3086
  Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086

www.warbirds-eaa.org
Phone: 920.426.4800
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