A group of Clarksdalians calling themselves The Fletcher Field Group addressed the Clarksdale-Coahoma County Airport Board at its regular meeting held Monday, Aug. 13 in the Fixed Base Operations Center. The group was led by historian Jean Duff from Alligator.
Duff informed board members that Fletcher Field was one of 64 sites designated as official flying schools in the United States during World War II and the group was beginning a search for information and artifacts from the local airport, which not only served as a flying school during the war but also served as a Prisoner of War camp. The POW camp opened on Fourth Street, but was moved to Fletcher Field in the early 1940s.
“We are asking the Airport Board to assist us in our effort to open a museum dedicated to the flying school and POW camp to preserve the history of Fletcher Field,” Duff said.
She said the group has already made some headway into what she called “ The Fletcher Field Project” in that the group has collected some photographs, as well as some artifacts, from the region connected with the flying school and POW camp and would like to place them in a building at the airport “if space was available and suitable.”
Other members of the Fletcher Field Group present at the meeting were Missie Craig, Charles Allen, Tommy Allen and Jo Ann Blue, who is serving as the group’s digital coordinator.
Board Chairman David Huggins said he was “in full support” of the project.
“I have always wanted to preserve the history of this airport as I feel it is needed and deserved,” Huggins said.
On a motion by board Vice President Bob Howard and a second by board member Charles Reid, the board voted unanimously to pass the motion to support the effort to continue the effort to collect and preserve the history of Fletcher Field.
Following the Fletcher Field Project vote, the board voted to approve the minutes of the May and July Board meetings after correcting some minor errors: (1) that anti-collision lights were changed to read anti-collision system in the rental airplane at a cost of an estimated $6,000 (May 14 meeting); (2) “Neil-Schaeffer felt assured” that the money for the construction work would be in place and the (FAA) construction work would be in place and the construction should begin in early fall (July meeting), “lighting around the hangars on the south end,” (July meeting), “on the old hangar”, (July meeting).
Finally, the board approved paying bills totaling $10,249.76 for August. The Airport Board moves forward with $47,916.09 in its coffers and $21,571.29 in its rental plane account.
