From the Executive Director
by
Tom Drugan

Our fourth annual reunion is in the history books and by most accounts was a big success. The group was not as large as we hoped, but those who attended enjoyed some fine field trips, an interesting day at the museum, and a sumptuous sit down banquet. Now is the time to put a reminder in your date book for the 2006 reunion. The tentative dates are March 30-April 1 or April 6-8. We will confirm the exact dates in the next J-Bulletin.

We were all excited to see Don Brooks’ B-17 “Liberty Belle” at the reunion. He had the plane parked near the hotel and we shuttled many of the attendees over to look at this beautiful restoration. One of the highlights of the reunion occurred when Don was able to complete a low altitude flyover of the Museum on Saturday afternoon. We may be able to have the plane here again next year, at which time rides and tours will be available. In the meantime, Don will be touring the country offering rides and tours and we wish him the greatest success in this effort. Please visit his web site at www.libertyfoundation.org and sign up as a member of his foundation to support his endeavor.

We are off to a great start this year. Some of our major projects are completed or well under way. The museum roof repair is complete well before the “monsoon season” hits. The new skylights really brighten up the entire museum. Also, Phase II of the Nose Art project is under way with four new nose arts up along the south wall. The plan is to adorn the entire south wall with nose art.

This is the opportune time to announce a new program. Anyone who would like to have a full color poster of the nose art of his airplane displayed in the museum can donate the cost of $275 and we will install it on the south wall with the others. Please contact Andy or Tom to find out whether we have a proper photo
graph of your particular plane.

While we are adding new members every week, we are also losing old members through the ravages of time. Membership is our most important means of guaranteeing that we remain a viable entity. Please encourage your friends and family to become members and join us in making sure the story of the 390th Bomb Group is accurately portrayed and passed on to future generations.