Oral
History Stories
Collected from Preston Plantation
Gayle Rodgers was plowing
his fields in March 1954, when a 21-car parade of black limousines charged up the road and stopped. Limousines are /
were rare in Trimble County, let alone 21 of them together, so Gayle paid attention.
Men
in military uniforms poured out of the cars. They looked around, spread out large maps on the hoods of the cars, pointed
here and there on the maps, then looked around again.
One individual in particular stood
out. Gayle remembers this fellow wore jodhpurs, riding boots, had a riding crop that he used to point to places on the
maps, and all the other men paid attention to him. When they finished, all got back into the cars and roared off.
Nobody said a word to Gayle just over there on his tractor and very visible.
From
the newspapers, Gayle learned that man was Charles Lindbergh who was o n the Siting Committee for the new Air Force Academy.
He also expressed his opinion the school is in Colorado because Maime Eisenhower wanted it in her home state.
The former editor of the Trimble Banner said he heard the school didn't move
here because Trimble County magistrates at the time knew the Academy would change the county forever and didn't want that
to happen.
articles
THE LOUISVILLE COURIER JOURNAL,
11 March, 1 April, 8 April
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