Clarence Frank Cornish papers
Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSP 323
Scope and Contents
The Clarence Frank Cornish papers consist of letters, correspondence, photographs, awards and certificates, flight logs, aviator textiles and goggles, newspaper clippings, and artifacts documenting Clarence "Cap" Frank Cornish's air training and service during World War One, his service at Army Air Forces Headquarters during World War Two, his work for the Aeronautics Commission of Indiana, his participation in several aeronautical organizations, and his role in the development aeronautics and aviation in the Fort Wayne, Indiana, in Indiana. Of particular interest are letters Cornish wrote home during WWI discussing the beginnings of his interest in flight and the Spanish influenza pandemic and photographs and clippings depicting the beginnings of Fort Wayne International Airport, formerly known as Paul Baer Municipal Airport.
Dates
- 1908 - 2018
- Majority of material found within 1917 - 1995
Creator
- Cornish, Clarence Frank, 1898-1995 (Person)
Language of Materials
Collection material is primarily in English. Two Spanish textbooks are present in the collection.
Access Information
The collection is open for research.
Copyright and Use Information
Copyright held by Purdue University. Consult with Purdue University Archives and Special Collections
prior to reproduction of materials.
Biographical Information
Clarence Frank Cornish was born in Canada in 1898 and grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Cornish trained to fly during World War One, and following his service in the war, continued in the Army Reserve. He flew in air shows and races, and among other aviation related work, Cornish was the head of the aviation division of Aereco Flying Service (1928-1934) in Fort Wayne, Indiana, managed the Fort Wayne Municipal Airport (1934-1941), and served at the Army Air Forces Headquarters in Washington D.C. during World War Two (1941-1945). Cornish became Indiana's first director of the Aeronautics Commission of Indiana from 1945 to 1953, thereafter working in the insurance business. Starting in 1968, Cornish began an annual tradition of piloting a plane to commemorate his first flight in 1918 and did so until his death in 1995. Cornish was a member of several aeronautical organizations, and in 1995, he was cited by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest actively flying pilot at the age of 97. He died less than three weeks after his final flight in December 1995.
Extent
8.276 Cubic Feet (Six cubic foot boxes, five flat boxes, one legal-size full-length manuscript box, three flat folders, and one oversize flat folder.)
Arrangement
The Clarence Frank Cornish papers are arranged chronologically into five series.
- Personal Files
- Military Career
- Aviation Career
- Aviation History of Indiana
- Ruth Ann Ingraham Materials on Clarence Frank Cornish
Physical Access Information
Some photographs in all five series and two pairs of pilot goggles in series 3, subseries 1 are fragile and should be handled with care.
Technical Access Information
Digital content will need to be migrated to a digital format before use. Contact Purdue University Archives and Special Collections if interested in using this material.
Acquisition Information
Materials donated by Ruth Ann Ingraham, Cornish's daughter, on January 31, 2020.
Processing Information
The original order of the materials has been retained whenever possible, with brackets appearing around file titles not originally created by the donor. All materials have been rehoused in acid-free folders and boxes. Some oversize materials have been removed from frames and placed in flat folders and boxes. Oversized materials have been kept in their original series; however, items requiring storage in a larger container have been moved to a box labeled oversize. Rusted staples and paper clips have been removed from the materials and plastic paper clips or file folder inserts have been used in their place. Photographs have been placed in protective sleeves. Some documents that were formerly restricted remain in the collection. Photographs and documents that were rolled have been flattened and placed in flat folders. Items housed in binders have been removed and rehoused in acid-free folders, and the binders have been discarded. Banking deposit slips found within the collection have been destroyed for privacy reasons.
- Aereco Flying Service
- Aerial photographs
- Aeronautics
- Aeronautics Commission of Indiana
- Air mail service--History
- Air pilots, Military
- Air pilots--Indiana
- Air shows
- Aircraft
- Airports
- Artifacts (Object genre)
- Awards
- CD-Rs
- Clippings (Information artifacts)
- Cornish, Clarence Frank, 1898-1995
- Correspondence
- First day covers
- Flags
- Flight logs
- Flight--History
- Floppy disks
- Influenza Epidemic, 1918-1919
- Manuals (instructional materials)
- Newspapers
- Pamphlets
- Personal papers
- Photographs
- Pilots (Aeronautics)
- Textiles
- United States. Air Force--Medals, badges, decorations, etc.
- World War, 1914-1918
- World War, 1939-1945
- Yearbooks
- Title
- Clarence Frank Cornish papers
- Status
- In Progress
- Author
- Sara Pettinger
- Date
- 2023-04-14
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Edition statement
- First edition.
- Box: 1 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 2 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 3 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 4 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 5 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 6 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 7 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 8 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 9 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 10 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 11 (Realia)
- Box: 12 (Mixed Materials)
- Folder: 1 (Realia)
- Box: Communal Collections 71, Placement: 04 (Graphic Materials)
- Box: Communal Collections 71, Placement: 05 (Graphic Materials)
- Box: Communal Collections 71, Placement: 06 (Mixed Materials)
Repository Details
Part of the Purdue University Archives and Special Collections Repository
Contact:
504 Mitch Daniels Boulevard
West Lafayette Indiana 47907 United States
765-494-2839
archives@purdue.edu
504 Mitch Daniels Boulevard
West Lafayette Indiana 47907 United States
765-494-2839
archives@purdue.edu