Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1946 [PAGE 235]

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232

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[September 29

on September 28, 1944. T h e final agreement will necessitate the expenditure of approximately $7,000 additional required for the placing of the power line underground for a short distance in order to conserve the trees. Since we will ultimately wish to place the entire line underground this expenditure is entirely justified at this time. T h e priority already granted for the construction of this line by t h e W a r Production Board is sufficient to cover the additional cost of the construction.] 13. Airport Information Sheets. W i t h authority from your office, I prepared on September 15, 1944, an information sheet showing a sketch map of the airport and pertinent facts relating to it. This was in response to a widespread demand for basic information. A copy of the document is attached hereto. Five thousand copies were ordered and are available for distribution. 14. Airport Passes. On July 6, 1044, with the approval of your office, I ordered printed 300 card passes to the airport site. These were printed and distributed, and thus far, have served two important functions: 1. They have improved University public relations by confining issuance to persons who have materially aided the airport project or who have shown a real interest in it. 2. They have enabled the contractors to deny admission except -to responsible persons and thus to reduce greatly the loss resulting from vandalism which occurred during the early stages of the construction. Passes have been sent to the University Board of Trustees and to many other University and local persons. 15. Operations. T h e first landing of an airplane on the new concrete runways occurred at 3:46 p.m. on September 14, 1944, when, with Honorable P a r k Livingston, President of the Board of Trustees, and the Supervising Engineer as passengers, Pilot Earl Taynor of Champaign landed the Stinson Reliant, Airplane License No. N C 31587, on the Southeast runway.

J. J. DOLAKD

This report was received for record.

Supervising

Engineer

ADMISSION OF JAPANESE STUDENT T h e P r e s i d e n t of t h e B o a r d r e a d t h e f o l l o w i n g l e t t e r f r o m M r . W a l t W e s s m a n , c o n c e r n i n g t h e a d m i s s i o n of H e n r y A i h a r a a s a s t u d e n t , a n d requested that M r . W e s s m a n be heard on the matter. 26 September 1944 Mr. Park Livingston c/o Dean Milk Company 20 N. Wacker Chicago, Illinois

DEAR P A R K :

A few days ago I called you relative to H e n r y Aihara, an American born Japanese boy who wants to enter the University of Illinois and who has been refused permission to enter by the registrar's office because his grades are below the upper quarter of his class at New T r i e r H i g h School. I am attaching to this, letters of recommendation from John Nay, his high school adviser and also his track coach, and from Walter T. Fisher who gave this boy a home last year. I believe that Mr. Fisher is a former trustee of the University of Illinois. This boy has outstanding athletic ability in track, having placed second in both t h e high and broad jump in the state meet last spring. You will note by the last paragraph in Mr. Fisher's letter that H e n r y has a brother who is a sergeant in the medical corps of the United States Army. I hope that the board of trustees can make an exception to their ruling regarding the admission of American born Japanese students and allow H e n r y Aihara to register at the University of Illinois this coming semester. I shall appreciate your letting me know what decision the board makes. Cordially,

W A L T WESSMAN

Director

of Field

Activities