Personal materials, 1943, 1961, 1987-2006
Contents of the Collection
The Margaret E. (Wolfe) Berry Collection largely documents Margaret Berry's volunteer work with three aircraft restoration projects during the 1980s-1990s with visual and textual components. A small amount of material is personal in nature. The collection is arranged into two series: Aircraft Restoration materials and Personal materials.
Series I: Aircraft Restoration materials makes up the bulk of the collection and has been further divided into three subseries based on restoration projects that Berry participated in: Boeing B-17 "Boeing Bee," Boeing B-29 "Fifi," and Boeing B-29 "T-Square 54." Each subseries has been arranged alphabetically. Some subseries have been further divided.
Subseries A holds materials related to the "Boeing Bee" (Serial #42-29782, Registration #N17W), a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. The Bee was owned by Museum of Flight trustee, Robert Richardson, who worked on its restoration until his death in 1990. The Museum purchased the aircraft after his death and with the help of more than 100 volunteers, including Margaret Berry, the Bee was restored to its wartime condition. "Boeing Bee"-specific materials in this collection include correspondence, notes, negatives, financial receipts, and clippings focused on restoration work and fundraising efforts for the aircraft by The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington. Some items pertain to B-17s in general and are not specific to the "Boeing Bee," such as materials for the B-17's first flight 50th Anniversary event in 1985, including an invitation, name tag, commemorative flight cover, clippings and photographs. Additionally there is a small amount of ephemera, mostly non-event specific clippings about B-17s as well as an undated list of B-17 reference books and a booklet, "The Story of an Airplane" by Benton Williams.
Subseries B: Boeing B-29 "Fifi" is the largest subseries. "Fifi" (Serial #44-62070) was bought by the Confederate Air Force (CAF), the volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation and display of historic aircraft. CAF purchased Fifi from the U.S. Air Force in the early 1970s. Late in 1974, CAF volunteers completed a full restoration of the aircraft. In anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the B-29 in 1992, The Boeing Company and CAF asked for volunteers for refurbishment of Fifi. Many former Boeing employees answered the call, including Margaret Berry. The "Fifi" subseries contains clippings specific to the aircraft as well an information booklet, fact sheet, and publicity poster issued by the CAF. Of note is Marge Berry's handwritten diary that provides in-depth insight to her work shifts as a restoration volunteer from February through May 1991. Entries include details about the work she contributed to the restoration of "Fifi," such as riveting and bucking; names of other volunteers and their work; and personal tidbits. Related materials about the volunteer restoration efforts include correspondence, a roster and organizational chart, invitations, decals, and progress reports. Additionally there are a few items not specific to "Fifi" but that commemorate the B-29's first flight 50th Anniversary event in 1992, including clippings, a program and tickets, and correspondence.
Within the "Fifi" subseries, there is also a small Photographs and negatives subseries with 168 photographs and 90 negatives. Most of the photographs feature "Fifi" with people, including during restoration work or publicity events. The rest of the prints depict the volunteers who worked on the aircraft, including office staff. Margaret Berry is included in several of the images. She is shown polishing a bubble, holding tools, and assisting other volunteers as well as posing with people in office settings. The negatives appear to correspond to some prints, although it is possible some do not have a corresponding print. The photographs, some of which are digital prints, are mostly color and are primarily casual snapshots. Sizes vary from 3x5 inches to 8x10 inches and many have brief captions providing contextual information, such as names, dates, and locations.
Subseries C: Boeing B-29 "T-Square 54" is the smallest subseries. "T-Square 54" (Serial #44-69729) was obtained by The Museum of Flight in 1993 from Lowry Air Force Base where Lowry Heritage Museum volunteers had begun restoration efforts. Upon arrival at The Museum of Flight, those efforts resumed and continued over a period of several years. The restoration was not complete until 2016. Many volunteers contributed to the project with a goal of returning the aircraft to its original 1945 configuration, including Margaret Berry although details about her contributions are lacking in this subseries. Materials present in the collection focus on restoration work and fundraising efforts for the aircraft by The Museum of Flight, including correspondence, invitations, newslettters and a Certficate of Appreciation for Margaret Berry due to her volunteer restoration work. It also contains clippings, a fact sheet, two photographs, and photocopies of two photographs, technical information and a cartoon. Of interest is "T-Square 54: The Last B-29," a 1987 student paper written by Lieutenant Colonel John R. Buschman, USAF (Ret.) that focuses on the history of the aircraft.
Series II: Personal materials provides further contextual information on Berry's interest in aviation and includes assorted correspondence, including some between Berry and her twin brother, Wade Wolfe; membership materials for the Cascade Warbirds Association; "Rosie" appreciation event materials, including invitations, programs and correspondence; and Museum of Flight documents, such as event notices and posters, clippings, and correspondence. Clippings make up a large portion of the series, primarily as retrospectives on women's experience in World War II as "Rosies" and Women Airforce Service Pilots, although some feature Berry's specific experiences as a "Rosie the Riveter" for Boeing during World War II. Note that the clippings about Berry's World War II era work as a riveter are all retrospective and not from 1942-1945.
Within the Personal series, there is also a small Photographs subseries with 58 photographs and 14 negatives. Most of the prints depict scenes from aircraft tours and aviation events Berry attended, such as shots of the Boeing B-17 "Aluminum Overcast," aircraft within The Museum of Flight's Great Gallery as well as an outside shot of the Museum, and aircraft at the 1991 Paine Field Air Show. There are three prints related to Boeing buildings; two depict the Red Barn after its acquistion by The Museum of Flight and the other is a copy print showing Boeing's Plant II camoflauge efforts during World War II. There are nine assorted photographs; three feature Berry at unidentified aviation events and five show various aicraft, including a shot of "Memphis Belle," Air Force One, and "Rosie Wrecked 'Em," a AT-6 Texan, and one digital print reproduction that depicts a storefront identified as "Wade H. Wolfe, General Merchandise, Chevron Gasoline." Additionally, there are nine prints and 14 negatives that show railway cars during a 1993 "Branson trip." The photographs are mostly color and are primarily casual snapshots. Sizes vary from 3x5 inches to 8x10 inches and many have brief captions providing contextual information, such as names, dates, and locations.
Dates
- Creation: 1943, 1961, 1987-2006
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. For more information contact us.
Extent
From the Collection: .65 Cubic Feet (1 5-inch letter size document box, 1 2-inch letter size document box, 1 oversize folder (20x24"))
Language
From the Collection: English
Repository Details
Part of the The Museum of Flight Archives Repository
9404 East Marginal Way South
Seattle Washington 98108-4097
206-764-5874
curator@museumofflight.org