Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1942 [PAGE 849]

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846

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[April 22

BEQUEST OF LYDIA E. PARKER BATES

(31) The Comptroller reports the receipt of the following on the bequest of Lydia E. P a r k e r Bates, deceased: U. S. Treasury bonds, 2^.% of 1947, with all unmatured interest coupons attached, par value $5 U. S. Treasury bonds, 2%,% of 1956, with all unmatured interest coupons attached, par value 2 Home Owners Loan Corporation bonds, V/2%, 1047, all unmatured interest coupons attached, par v a l u e . . . . additional payments 100 00 500 00 925 00 $ 8 525 00 Cash representing the partial settlement of the sale of a farm of 320 acres in Austin Township, being one of the two farms held by the estate as reported to the Board of Trustees on September 26, 1941 As reported to the Board on June 24, 1941, we had previously received cash in the amount of Total receipts to date, including par value of bonds accepted T h i s r e p o r t w a s received for record.

$60 000 00 1 351 20 $69 876 20

CONFERENCE W I T H GOVERNOR ON AIRPORT AT UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS (32) T h e President of the University conferred with Governor Dwight H . Green on April II concerning the proposal for the development of an airport at the University of Illinois. A copy of the " P r o g r a m of Education and Research Related to Air Transportation at the University of Illinois Including a University Airport," prepared for the Board of Trustees of the University by Dean M. L. Engcr and President A. C. Willard, dated April 10, 1942, was presented to the Governor at this conference. Others present were Dean Enger, Mr. John J. Hogan, Regional Airport Engineer of the Civil Aeronautics Administration in this area, Messrs. R. A. Stipes, Jr., President of the Champaign Chamber of Commerce, August Meyer, and F r a n k K. Robeson, Jr., of Champaign. The Governor was previously requested that if he calls a special session of the General Assembly he include in his proclamation a provision for an appropriation to the University of Illinois of $200,000 for the purchase of one section of land to be used as an airport. For the reasons stated in the report already presented to the Board, the Governor was asked at the conference on April 11 not to limit this appropriation to $200,000 for land alone but to leave this provision general in the event the Board of Trustees decides to request an appropriation sufficient to insure completion of the project as outlined in the report. This the Governor agreed to do if he calls a special session, the actual amount to be determined by conference with him. H e expressed a strong interest in the entire program of the University for education and research related to air transportation as well as for military and civilian training, and discussed at length sources of funds for this project. In this connection the Board will be interested in the following report on Airport Development published in the November 20, 1041, issue of the Engineering News-Record:

AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT

"A survey of commercial airport facilities by the Civil Aeronautics Authority prior to the start of the defense airport construction program indicated there were some 4,000 airports in this country. But more than 2,000 would not meet even minimum specifications for commercial a i r p o r t s ; only a handful of the remaining were usable from a commercial viewpoint; only five fully met Class I V specifications established by the CAA and only 31 met Class I I I specifications. " T h e army recognized the cost involved in developing and maintaining a system of airports for strictly military purposes, and was desirous of having the CAA develop commercial airports, which would be available in time of emergency for military use.