Biographical Note

Clarence A. DeGiers, also often seen as deGiers or de Giers, was born in 1888. He is notable as the first pilot ever to fly in Panama, flying an American-built Bleriot XI on April 21, 1912. He was also a member of the Early Birds of Aviation, a group whose membership was limited to those who have piloted a glider, gas balloon, or airplane before December 17, 1916. In 1940, DeGiers commissioned his friend Justin Gruelle to paint four murals, including one of Gruelle's most famous murals, "The Early Birds," for the Long Island City, New York, headquarters of the Liquidometer Corporation. Liquidometer Corporation, founded by DeGiers after World War I, marketed patents for measuring fuel in aircraft. DeGiers died in 1987.

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