![]() ![]() When their book was released, California State Historian and USC University Professor Kevin Starr (’58) praised the book as being both “informed and vividly written. ![]() Montgomery and the Dawn of Aviation in the West, published in October 2012 by the University of Oklahoma Press To set the record straight, Craig Harwood (a descendent of Montgomery’s brother, James) and co-author Gary Fogel wrote Quest for Flight: John J. ![]() In short, the friendly skies haven’t been that friendly to Montgomery’s legacy. Montgomery is all the more significant, the two books argue, as his efforts helped make the early Silicon Valley the epicenter of aviation development in the Western U.S.ĭespite the historical facts, only a minority of history books make mention of Montgomery, the result of a concerted effort by Orville Wright and the many advocates of the Wright Brothers, according to the authors. Ignatius College (BA 1879, MS 1880) and a professor at Santa Clara College from 1898 to 1911, flies higher than any other aviator in this regard. The better question, they argue, is this: Who made heavier-than-air controlled flight possible? And they have no doubt that John J. These authors credit the airplane’s invention to the combined efforts of dozens of early aviators and inventors who toiled for decades on several continents. John Montgomery Makes Aviation History of the Second Campus: 1861-1862Īsk any child in school who invented the airplane, and you’ll hear a chorus of Wright answers.Īccording to the authors of two upcoming books, that answer, and the question prompting it, are both deeply flawed. They did not know tragedy would befall them one year later. In 1905, when SI celebrated its 50-year anniversary with grand parties and high Masses, everyone in the community felt on top of the world. SI students also added to the school’s history when they played rugby against Sacred Heart College in 1893, inaugurating the oldest athletic high school rivalry west of the Rocky Mountains. Many consider this the Golden Age of SI, when, it seemed, nothing could diminish the school’s luster.Īdding to that sheen were several distinguished alumni, among them John Montgomery ’78, the first person ever to make a successful glider flight. In its third campus on Hayes and Van Ness, SI became the premier college on the West Coast, with the greatest enrollment of any Jesuit college and some of the finest scientific equipment and collections found in any university in America.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |