From the Executive Director
by
Tom Drugan

It’s in the mail! The invitations, that is. The invitations to the 4th annual reunion for members of the 390th Memorial Museum Foundation. This reunion is for all members. This includes Life, Veteran, Descendant and Associate members. We are well on the way to our goal of establishing a new reunion tradition, and we hope to see a large contingent of members here for the latest iteration March 10-12, 2005. Now that Don Brooks has flown his B-17 “Liberty Belle”, we are all hopeful that it can be here for our reunion. There are no assurances of that, but Don is dedicated to making it happen if at all possible.

As a reminder, please notice that our reunion does not replace the annual 390th Veterans Association reunion. That gathering will occur September 20-24, 2005 in the Washington D.C. area.

Our latest additions to the museum have proven to be quite popular. The nose art displays on the north wall attract a great deal of attention, and we are in process of preparing more nose art posters for display on the south wall. Our plan is to have those in place late this year. The Prisoner of War display, which was dedicated in September 2004, draws a great deal of interest. This exhibit was donated by the 390th Veterans Association and is a somber reminder of the deprivation and stark existence endured by the 731 men of the 390th Bomb Group who finished the war caged as prisoners.

We are looking better on the outside too. Building maintenance and landscaping efforts have been stepped up resulting in a more pleasing experience for our visitors. Your museum is without question one of the most appreciated attractions at the Pima Air Museum.

It is my great pleasure to report to all of you that we have finished another successful year. Membership has increased once again and we have managed our resources in a prudent manner, setting the stage to complete some much needed projects in 2005. This success is due entirely to all of you and your loyal support of the mission to preserve the legacy of courage established by the men of the 390th Bomb Group. I know we can count on you to continue that support.