3400 WEST FRONTAGE ROAD
OWATONNA, MN 55060
OWATONNA, MN 55060
History
of the Airport
Excerpt from Glenn Degner's speech [Full Version - PDF] upon having the airfield named after him
"The development of the operation at the airport was a 'team effort' and I
was merely a member. More importantly, it was backed by the support of the
community, business, and political leaders. At the start the team was made
up of Tom Walsh, Joe Dulak, and my first wife, Billie. The development of
the idea of an airport operation began when Tom, Joe, and myself were members
of the same flight training squadron at Pensacola, Florida. Tom was an expert
fighter pilot instructor. Joe was a capable airplane maintenance mechanic
and I was a safety officer. We all shared the belief that aviation would become
a major factor in business and transportation after the war was over. Aside
from its proven record as a vehicle of destruction; cargo and passenger airplanes
became the primary means of transportation.
"Looking
to the future, the manufacturers of light aircraft were then widely advertising
the 'family car of the air' in flight publications. We all liked aviation.
Why not carry on after the war was over? Billie had some misgivings, being
a lawyer by profession, but she went along with the idea. In fact, when I
transferred to the Pacific, she took flight instruction and became a pilot,
herself. Bob Crocker, who was also an instructor in the same squadron, was
not released from active duty at the end of the war, but joined us late in
1946, after we had the operation setup. He was called back to active duty
as a Marine pilot in the Korean War. He was shot down on a low-level strafing
mission, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, post-humuosly.
Before returning again to active duty, he became one of the finest aerial
sprayer pilots. He, along with Russell Iverson, an ex-air force pilot from
Waseca, initially carried on the spraying operation; which became a most important
part of our operation. Other sprayer pilots who joined the operation later
were Alvin Carstensen, Ralph Angel, Russell Paschke, Gary Underland, Joe Rollins
and Tom Buscovik.
"Those
who performed strictly on the airport operations, including aircraft maintenance
and repair, charter, sales and instruction were Bill DeBlonk, Jerry Jackson,
and Kenneth Brandwold. Those who handled travel reservations and ticketing
included: Marion Druckenbrod, Donna Fostveit, Jan Utoft, and Terry Ferise,
along with Billie and La Verne. So you see, we did have a team and a good
one. All of the members deserve as much credit as yours truly.
"I
would like to brag a bit about one aspect of our flight training: the students
who made a mark after finishing at the Owatonna Airport. These included Alvin
Carstensen and James Cole, who became airline captains with many years of
service. Also, I wish to mention Terry Pfeil, who won the first scholarship
in flight training we offered to Owatonna High School students who showed
promise and ability in aviation. After completing his training he setup an
aerial spraying operation at Waseca for us. Also, deserving special recognition
is Gary Underland, who continues to operate from the airport, specializing
in ancient aircraft re-building for Buzz Kaplan, who has achieved national
and international recognition.
"As for community
support, Owatonna was fortunate at the offset to have as the first airport
commission Ave Kaplan, as chairman, along with Marvin Bock, both pilots, and
A.O. Lindedkugel, a prominent business man; all of whom took their appointments
very seriously. They in turn had the backing of the Owatonna City Council,
headed by Fred Austin, Sr., known widely as "Sharkey". The Commission and
Council were fortunate in having the active support at the State level by
John Hartle, Speaker of the House, and Senator Harold Nelson, with all activities
fully covered by press and radio frequently.
"Finally, what is essential to the success of a business operation is, of course, customers. Many residents learned to fly, travel services were widely used both by charter, airlines and steamship. Farmers used the spraying service extensively.
"So in accepting this great honor with the deepest appreciation, as well as reluctance, I hope I have made clear that 'team-work' made it possible."
Web Weaver: VoyageurWeb
Excerpt from Glenn Degner's speech [Full Version - PDF] upon having the airfield named after him
"The development of the operation at the airport was a 'team effort' and I
was merely a member. More importantly, it was backed by the support of the
community, business, and political leaders. At the start the team was made
up of Tom Walsh, Joe Dulak, and my first wife, Billie. The development of
the idea of an airport operation began when Tom, Joe, and myself were members
of the same flight training squadron at Pensacola, Florida. Tom was an expert
fighter pilot instructor. Joe was a capable airplane maintenance mechanic
and I was a safety officer. We all shared the belief that aviation would become
a major factor in business and transportation after the war was over. Aside
from its proven record as a vehicle of destruction; cargo and passenger airplanes
became the primary means of transportation. "Looking
to the future, the manufacturers of light aircraft were then widely advertising
the 'family car of the air' in flight publications. We all liked aviation.
Why not carry on after the war was over? Billie had some misgivings, being
a lawyer by profession, but she went along with the idea. In fact, when I
transferred to the Pacific, she took flight instruction and became a pilot,
herself. Bob Crocker, who was also an instructor in the same squadron, was
not released from active duty at the end of the war, but joined us late in
1946, after we had the operation setup. He was called back to active duty
as a Marine pilot in the Korean War. He was shot down on a low-level strafing
mission, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, post-humuosly.
Before returning again to active duty, he became one of the finest aerial
sprayer pilots. He, along with Russell Iverson, an ex-air force pilot from
Waseca, initially carried on the spraying operation; which became a most important
part of our operation. Other sprayer pilots who joined the operation later
were Alvin Carstensen, Ralph Angel, Russell Paschke, Gary Underland, Joe Rollins
and Tom Buscovik. "Those
who performed strictly on the airport operations, including aircraft maintenance
and repair, charter, sales and instruction were Bill DeBlonk, Jerry Jackson,
and Kenneth Brandwold. Those who handled travel reservations and ticketing
included: Marion Druckenbrod, Donna Fostveit, Jan Utoft, and Terry Ferise,
along with Billie and La Verne. So you see, we did have a team and a good
one. All of the members deserve as much credit as yours truly. "I
would like to brag a bit about one aspect of our flight training: the students
who made a mark after finishing at the Owatonna Airport. These included Alvin
Carstensen and James Cole, who became airline captains with many years of
service. Also, I wish to mention Terry Pfeil, who won the first scholarship
in flight training we offered to Owatonna High School students who showed
promise and ability in aviation. After completing his training he setup an
aerial spraying operation at Waseca for us. Also, deserving special recognition
is Gary Underland, who continues to operate from the airport, specializing
in ancient aircraft re-building for Buzz Kaplan, who has achieved national
and international recognition. "As for community
support, Owatonna was fortunate at the offset to have as the first airport
commission Ave Kaplan, as chairman, along with Marvin Bock, both pilots, and
A.O. Lindedkugel, a prominent business man; all of whom took their appointments
very seriously. They in turn had the backing of the Owatonna City Council,
headed by Fred Austin, Sr., known widely as "Sharkey". The Commission and
Council were fortunate in having the active support at the State level by
John Hartle, Speaker of the House, and Senator Harold Nelson, with all activities
fully covered by press and radio frequently. "Finally, what is essential to the success of a business operation is, of course, customers. Many residents learned to fly, travel services were widely used both by charter, airlines and steamship. Farmers used the spraying service extensively.
"So in accepting this great honor with the deepest appreciation, as well as reluctance, I hope I have made clear that 'team-work' made it possible."
Web Weaver: VoyageurWeb 
