In March 2021 I posted an article about the 8th annual National Air Carnival held in Birmingham on June 4-5, 1938. This air show was a well-attended event over a number of years in the city. As fate would have it, I have come across an item on the 1940 Carnival in the Gadsden Times. Several individuals are mentioned; let's explore the details.
See comments below the article.
Source: Gadsden Times 26 May 1940
Steadham Acker [1896-1952]
Acker was a Gadsden native who became an important figure in early aviation, especially in Alabama. He was a member of the Early Birds of Aviation, pilots who flew before World War I. While serving in the U.S. Navy, he organized its first night flying unit. Acker was named manager of the newly opened Birmingham Municipal Airport in January 1932. About the same time he and Asa Rountree organized the National Air Carnival, which eventually attracted hundreds of thousands of spectators and many performers to the city. Although suspended during World War II, the Carnival attracted 400,000 in 1946. Since the airport was busier by that time, the shows ended in the 1950s. Acker was inducted into the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame in 1984.
Anna Neagle [1904-1986]
Anna Neagle, Queen of the Carnival in 1940, was an English dancer, singer, stage and film actress. In the 1930s, early in her career she became renowned for playing historical figures such as Queen Victoria, Florence Nightingale and Edith Cavell. She moved to the U.S. from 1939 until 1943, then returned to stage and film in England.
Vincent "Squeek" Burnett [1913-1989] was a well-known aerobatic pilot by the mid-1930s who performed several particular maneuvers in his shows. He was a member of the Flying Aces Air Circus and became a technical advisor and pilot trainer on B-26 bombers in World War II.
Wilbur Shaw [1902-1954]
Wilbur Shaw was a race car driver who won the Indianapolis 500 three times in 1937, 1939, and 1940, the second triple winner. That last race was held on May 30, shortly before he appeared in Birmingham. I'm not sure what he would have done at an air show, except be one of the celebrities in attendance.
Captain Alex Papana [1906-1946]
Papana was a Romanian bobsledder who won championships in that sport and competed in the 1932 and 1936 Olympics for his country. As an aviator he competed in many U.S. air shows and races in the 1940s. At one time he was a glider test pilot for Northrup.
Don McNeill [1907-1996]
McNeill was a radio personality best known for "The Breakfast Club", a show that ran from 1933 until 1968 and featured music and comedy.
Joy Hodges [1915-2003]
Joy Hodges, Queen of the Carnival in 1939, was an American singer with big bands and on the radio and a stage and film actress.
National Air Carnival at the Birmingham Municipal Airport
Date unknown; presumably 1941 or earlier
Terminal building is visible center right
Birmingham Municipal Airport Terminal
5 February 1947
Photo by Charles Preston
Source: Birmingham Public Library Digital Archives via BhamWiki
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