LRB-1782/1
RAC:klm
2017 - 2018 LEGISLATURE
February 6, 2017 - Introduced by Representatives Vorpagel and Katsma,
cosponsored by Senator LeMahieu. Referred to Committee on Rules.
AJR6,1,1 1Relating to: designating the state of Wisconsin's aviation heritage center.
AJR6,1,42 Whereas, the Aviation Heritage Center of Wisconsin was founded by a
3dedicated group of volunteers and EAA Chapter 766, who raised $1.4 million to
4construct its magnificent facility; and
AJR6,1,65 Whereas, since it opened its doors in 2005, the Aviation Heritage Center has
6hosted thousands of visitors and pilots from across the state, nation, and world; and
AJR6,1,107 Whereas, the Aviation Heritage Center of Wisconsin is a nonprofit, 501 (c) (3)
8organization, which exists due to the generous contributions made by visitors,
9friends, and Wisconsin companies, and which receives no government support, does
10not charge admission fees, and does not have a paid membership; and
AJR6,1,1511 Whereas, the Center houses the Governors Kohler Aviation Conference Room
12and exhibit, which pay tribute to former Wisconsin Governor Walter J. Kohler Sr.
13(1929-1931), the first U.S. politician to use a private aircraft to campaign for public
14office and to carry out the duties of the governorship, and to Governor Walter J.
15Kohler Jr. (1951-1957), who was a private pilot and WWII U.S. Navy veteran; and
AJR6,2,3
1Whereas, the Center's mission is to preserve the aviation history of Wisconsin
2and the legacy of unique episodes in civil, commercial, and military aviation via
3archiving and public exhibits; and
AJR6,2,64 Whereas, the Center's mission also includes operating aviation education
5programs so as to encourage young people to pursue careers in aviation-related
6fields; and
AJR6,2,117 Whereas, situated in the heart of the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport in
8Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, the Center's award-winning building is home to
9several aviation events that attract thousands of people annually, some of which,
10such as the Annual Air Clinic in July, attract some of the world's rarest military
11aircraft and the world's finest pilots and formation/acrobatic performers; and
AJR6,2,1412 Whereas, the Center is one of the three significant aviation museums in the
13state of Wisconsin, and the only one whose mission focuses primarily on the aviation
14history of Wisconsin; and
AJR6,2,1915 Whereas, the Center recently acquired a 1946 Douglas DC-3 and is currently
16working to complete the nation's only exhibit honoring North Central Airlines—the
17major air carrier in the Great Lakes regions for 40 years, founded in Clintonville,
18Wisconsin—which will feature the 1946 Douglas DC-3, which was actually flown by
19the airline between 1946 and 1968; and
AJR6,2,2520 Whereas, the Center, in its mission to help Wisconsin residents understand the
21origins of the significant Hmong population in Wisconsin, also houses the nation's
22only exhibit that honors the Hmong pilots who flew the T-28 attack aircraft in
23support of U.S. operations in the “Secret War” in Laos during the Vietnam War and
24which includes, as its centerpiece exhibit, a T-28 aircraft that was actually used in
25Thailand to train the Hmong pilots to fly; and
AJR6,3,6
1Whereas, at the Center, the flight of Felix Waitkus, “Wisconsin's Charles
2Lindbergh,” is recounted via photos and artifacts from his successful trans-Atlantic
3crossing. In 1934, Waitkus was only the sixth person in history to successfully fly solo
4from the United States to Europe. Waitkus lived in Kohler, Wisconsin, and his
5aircraft was customized for the trip by Anton Brotz, the chief engineer for the Kohler
6Company; now, therefore, be it
AJR6,3,11 7Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That from this day
8henceforth, the Aviation Heritage Center of Wisconsin shall be known as the “State
9of Wisconsin's Aviation Heritage Center,” bestowing honor on all those who have
10worked to preserve the unique civil, commercial, and military aviation history of
11Wisconsin.
AJR6,3,1212 (End)
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