The Milwaukee Post

By TOM JOZWIK Special to the Post MILWAUKEE — Does the address of 5300 S. Howell Ave. look familiar? It proba- bly will to many who've patronized one of the city's best-known venues, General Mitchell International Airport. Few who recognize the foregoing street name and number, however, are likely to recognize it as an address the airport shares with a museum: the free-of-charge Mitchell Gallery of Flight. Thirty years old this March, the MGF was the brainchild of Milwaukee aviation historian George A. Hardie Jr. Hardie thought a museum would be an appro- priate way to recognize the airport's namesake, pioneer air power advocate General William "Billy" Mitchell. The MGF is near the C con- course on the airport's con- cession level and is open dur- ing normal airport hours. Visitors can park in the Mitchell International park- ing garage. The museum is supported by the Friends of the Mitchell Gallery of Flight, a wholly volunteer, nonprofit corporation. The Friends group was established to obtain artifacts for display and to promote aerospace education in the mid-1980s, when Mitchell International was renovated and terminal space was set aside to accom- modate the museum-to-be. The MGF's president, Bill Streicher, noted that some 100,000 people visited the museum in the year just ended. "The majority" of the visitors, Streicher said, "are certainly travelers who visit- ed the airport for reasons other than seeing the muse- um. But the museum pro- vides a unique experience for any visitor by focusing on our area's contribution to aspects of aviation history." Just why is what could be the metro area's best-kept aviation secret worth visit- ing, Streicher was asked. "The Mitchell Gallery of Flight," its leader respond- ed, "aspires to preserve, bring to life and share avia- tion-related achievements that in some way are con- nected to Wisconsin and par- ticularly this area. This often rekindles memories in those visitors who experi- enced the events firsthand, but, most importantly, our message is aimed to help educate and inspire the younger generations. The stories behind people with names like Billy Mitchell, Jim Lovell, Lester Maitland should be inspirations to future generations." Individuals highlighted in the MGF exhibits include Charles Lindbergh, who vis- ited Milwaukee's airport eight years into its existence — the same year (1927) as his celebrated flight across the Atlantic; Milwaukee- born Vietnam hero Captain Lance Sijan and Milwaukee- reared astronaut Lovell; sometime Milwaukeean Mitchell, visionary son of U.S. senator John, and grandson of Marine Bank and Milwaukee Road founder Alexander for whom Milwaukee's Mitchell Park was named; Major Dick Bong from Poplar, Wis., "America's leading fighter ace"; and USMC combat fighter pilot Tom Benes, a major general and product of Milwaukee Custer High School and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A "Milwaukee in Space" exhibit deals with a local hospital's connections with the space shuttle Columbia in 1986. A full-scale Graf Zeppelin II replica hangs from the MGF ceiling. There are paintings of aircraft, as well as models; a diorama of the Mitchell airport as it appeared in the 1950s; arti- facts representative of the ill-fated Hindenburg dirigi- ble. Advertised as "a must see" is a scale model Caravelle cockpit, used by American Airlines during the 1961-70 period. Propellers, dating as far back as World War I, are mounted on museum walls. "We periodically arrange tours of the museum by appointment (school groups, civic groups, veterans, etc.)," Streicher said. "In addition, we occasionally arrange appointments for behind- the-scenes tours of our archives (which include) his- torical items that have not, as yet, been displayed in the museum." For additional informa- tion, visit www.mitchell- gallery.org. January 26, 2018 • Milwaukee County Post • 17 ENTERTAINMENT Milwaukee aviators, astronaut spotlighted at Mitchell Museum propels travelers' mental flight One of several displays contains artifacts that illustrate the long career of Gen. William Mitchell, whom Milwaukee's international airport is named after, at the Mitchell Gallery of Flight. Catherine Jozwik The Mitchell Gallery of Flight contains aviation, military and spacecraft exhibits. Catherine Jozwik MILWAUKEEE — Built on one of the largest fresh- water lakes in the world, the community has a unique relationship to water as a valuable resource. This season, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra will have three free water-themed concerts. They will give insight into how water influences music and creative expression. ■ Prelude to "A Sea Symphony" at the Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 W. Wells St. — 6 p.m. Feb. 6 An evening inspired by Vaughan Williams's "A Sea Symphony." Stroll through the third-floor exhibits, enjoy live music by MSO musicians and the Florentine Opera's Baumgartner Studio Artists, lear n from local experts, and discover how seas and oceans have con- nected cultures, inspired artistic expression and influenced history. ■ "The Sound of Water: Prelude to 'Become Ocean'" at the Urban Ecology Center — Riverside Park, 1500 E. Park Place — 6 p.m. March 21 Inspired by the Pulitzer Prize-winning John Luther Adams piece "Become Ocean," this family-friend- ly event focuses on what can be found in the Milwaukee watershed and how plants and water affect music. Live performances by MSO musicians will take place throughout the build- ing, each partnered with a UEC expert. This is a pay- what-you-can event; all pro- ceeds go to the Urban Ecology Center's education programs. ■ Prelude to "Four Sea Interludes" at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, 1111 E. Brown Deer Road, Bayside — 6 p.m. April 10 Explore how seafaring and shipping have impact- ed the Great Lakes and how these themes are tied to Benjamin Britten's "Four Sea Interludes" from "Peter Grimes." A live perfor m- ance by MSO musicians will be accompanied by a talk about the many ship- wrecks off the Wisconsin coast of Lake Michigan — now being considered for historic preservation status — given by Tamara Thomsen, maritime archae- ologist with the Wisconsin Historical Society's Maritime Preservation and Archaeology program. Free Water Currents events to connect water and music

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