Gray, Tom - 2018-01-27, 2018
Contents of the Collection
The Museum of Flight Oral History Collection chronicles the personal stories of individuals in the fields of aviation and aerospace, from pilots and engineers to executives. This collection, which dates from 2013 to present, consists of digital video recordings and transcripts, which illustrate these individuals’ experiences, relationship with aviation, and advice for those interested in the field. By the end of 2019, approximately 76 interviews will have had been conducted. The interviews range in length from approximately 20 minutes to 4 hours and 45 minutes. Most interviews are completed in one session, but some participants were interviewed over multiple occasions.
The personal stories in this collection span much of the modern history of flight, from the Golden Age of Aviation in the 1930s, to the evolution of jet aircraft in the mid-twentieth century, to the ongoing developments of the Space Age. The selected interviewees represent a wide range of career paths and a diverse cross-section of professionals, each of whom made significant contributions to their field. Among the many interviewees are Calvin Kam, a United States Army veteran who served as a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War; Robert “Bob” Alexander, a mechanical engineer who helped design the Hubble Telescope; and Betty Riley Stockard, a flight attendant during the 1940s who once acted as a secret parcel carrier during World War II.
Dates
- Creation: 2018
Creator
- From the Collection: Museum of Flight (Seattle, Wash.) (Organization)
Language of Materials
All materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. Interviews are being made available online on an ongoing basis. For more information contact us.
Extent
1 folder (- 1 folder containing transcript. Digital files available on server.)
Summary
[From transcript] Thomas Gray has been a member of the Sam Bruce Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. for over thirty (30) years and is presently serving as its Corresponding Secretary.
He served in the New Mexico Air National Guard and transferred to the Washington State Air National Guard when the Boeing Company hired him as an electrical engineer after his graduation from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
His career with Boeing has included twenty seven (27) years as a flight test engineer on commercial aircraft from the 707 through the 767 including tests on Air Force One SAM 27000. He participated in the testing of Boeing hydrofoil craft as well as the first Space Shuttle Landing tests at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
He has also held positions in the Sales Support and Customer Service Engineering organizations at Boeing before his retirement in 1995.
In additions to his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Mexico he has a Master of Business degree in Marketing from the University of Washington.
He is presently serving as a docent at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.
He is married and has two sons and two grandchildren.
Table of Contents: Introduction -- Family and early years -- Interest in aviation -- Favorite and least favorite airplane -- College/Air Guard/Boeing -- Dyna-Soar -- Next projects -- Hydrofoil -- 727 story -- 707 Air Force One -- Boeing 737 -- Boeing 747 -- Lightning strikes -- Hailstorm fun -- No Hawaii trip -- RBO-15 excitement -- Seaboard World/Space Shuttle Launcher -- Further testing through 757 and 767 -- Last 10 years at Boeing -- Tuskegee Airmen -- Awards -- Final thoughts.
Subject
- Gray, Thomas (Interviewee, Person)
- Martinez, Mike (Interviewer, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the The Museum of Flight Archives Repository
9404 East Marginal Way South
Seattle Washington 98108-4097
206-764-7874
curator@museumofflight.org