Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1942 [PAGE 820]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

1942]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

8l7

PRESENT STATUS OF ESTABLISHMENT OF AN AIRPORT NEAR THE UNIVERSITY (21) On January 24, 1942 (Minutes, page 757), the Board of Trustees approved recommendations of the President of the University that (1) the Governor be asked to include in a call for a special session of the General Assembly the request of the Board that $200,000 be appropriated for the purchase of one section of land near the campus of the University for use as an airport; and (2) that the President of the University be authorized to make a survey, in consultation with the College of Engineering and with appropriate State and Federal agencies, and to report a proposal for the operation of such airport. The first proposal has already been presented to the Governor, who replied as follows: "I wish to acknowledge your letter of January 31 enclosing a petition requesting the Board of Trustees to ask that in the event of a second special session of the Legislature, the call include a request for an appropriation to purchase land for the building of an airport near the University of Illinois. "I note that the Board of Trustees voted to make this request and have also instructed you, as President of the University, to have a survey made in this connection. I have had several requests along this line, as you know, and the matter is receiving my careful consideration." In order to carry out the second proposal effectively, it was necessary to secure first-hand information in Washington from appropriate government agencies as to any existing policies or programs affecting a University-owned airport. It would be a waste of time and effort first to formulate our own plan of development and operation of such an airport through either State or Federal support unless our plan could be correlated with the policies of the government agencies which might be concerned with or interested in such an airport. The airport program is, of course, a first obligation of the College of Engineering. Since certain aspects of this program would probably include housing and feeding of Army and Navy personnel if it became a war activity, the Physical Plant Department was also involved in making any adequate presentation of our proposal in Washington. For these reasons Dean M. L. Enger and Director C. S. Havens were authorized, after consultation with Mr. Ben Regan, Chairman of the Illinois Aeronautics Commission, and others, to proceed to Washington and thoroughly discuss with the appropriate officials both the location and development of an airport at Champaign-Urbana and also the possible assignment to the University of Illinois of units for training in the Army, Navy, or Air Corps. T h e detailed reports of the University's officers are submitted; they supplement the informal report made to the Board by Director Havens on February 14. These two men were selected to represent the University for the following reasons: 1. Dean Enger has been constantly in charge of the Civilian Aeronautics Authority program here at the University, and has been in all conferences with local citizens sponsoring the proposed airport. H e is fully aware of the need for a military and civilian flight training program involved in developing and operating such a field as one of the services of the College of Engineering. No one else has had his continuous contacts and experience with the growth of this project. T h e College of Engineering will be entirely responsible for whatever scientific and technical use is made of such a field. It will also be in charge of the flight training of students as it has in the past under the C.A.A. program. 2. Director Havens has been constantly in the discussions of the various proposals for housing and feeding contingents of the Army and Navy. These have included the V-5 (Naval Aviation) and V-7 (Engineering and Deck Officer Training) programs of the Navy and flight training programs of the Army Air Corps. H e has furnished officers of the Army and Navy with plans, specifications, cost estimates, and other data needed in considering the facilities of the University of Illinois for housing and training from 1,000 to 10,000 men in these various programs. H e is thoroughly familiar with our entire physical plant and is competent to advise on any housing and feeding questions likely to arise.