Contents of the Collection
The Stanley J. Dec Naval Aviation Collection consists of documents, logs, and publications documenting the training and military career of World War II U. S. Navy Ensign Stanley J. Dec.
The beginning of the collection is comprised of documents related to Dec's military training and career. Included are identification cards, military records and personnel papers, a pilot rating book, a flight log book, and an air navigation notebook. Also present are copies of the Elmore comic books, which were created by Robert Gadbois and Theodore Ritter. The books, drawn in cartoon style, have very minimal text and cover five phases of cadet training in a slightly humorous manner.
Additionally, the collection contains several answer sheets from an Officers' Correspondence Course, all sent to a H. M. Hancock; several documents, as well as correspondence, relating to and from the Veterans' Administration regarding Dec's Naval Reservist status and life insurance policy. At the end of the collection is an assortment of ephemera, including the transcript from a Naval Officers World Affairs Seminar by Professor George Taylor on "The Far Eastern Situation." There are also three decals with the logo for the U.S. Navy Pre-Flight School in Iowa City, Iowa and a dance card for the 3B Battalion Graduation Formal at the U.S. Navy Pre-Flight School.
Dates
- Creation: 1942-1953
Creator
- Dec, Stanley J. , 1920-1954 (Person)
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. For more information contact us.
Conditions Governing Use
The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.
Biographical Note: Stanley J. Dec
Stanley Joseph Dec was born July 2, 1920 in Raymond, Washington. After attending flight school in Iowa, Dec joStanley Joseph Dec was born July 2, 1920 in Raymond, Washington. After attending flight school in Iowa, Dec joined the military and served as a pilot for the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war Dec worked for the D. K. McDonald & Co. insurance group in Seattle, Washington.
Dec married Betty Jo Wheat on December 27, 1947; the couple had a daughter. He died on March 24, 1954.
Source:
Biography derived from collection materials and Ancestry.com.
Historical Note: Civilian Pilot Training Program
In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt unveiled a new program through the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) called the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP). The goal was to boost aviation and increase the number of trained pilots in the United States, although there was an underlying military motivation for the training as well. One year later the onset of World War II boosted the program as the United States sought to prepare for possible entry into the war. After Pearl Harbor, the CPTP became the War Training Service (WTS) and from 1942-1944 it served as a screening program for potential military aviators. The program ultimately trained over 400,000 pilots and was not only a boon to the war effort but also supported aviation activities on the Home Front.
Extent
0.55 Cubic Feet (1 5-inch legal size document box, 1 oversize folder (16x20"))
Abstract
Stanley Joseph Dec (1920-) was born in Raymond, Washington. After attending flight school in Iowa, Dec joined the military and served as a pilot for the U.S. Navy during World War II. The collection contains documents, logs, and publications documenting the training and military career of World War II U. S. Navy Ensign Stanley J. Dec.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was donated to the Museum of Flight by Dec's daughter in 2010.
Accruals
No further accruals expected.
Subject
- Civilian Pilot Training Program (U.S.) (Organization)
- Dec, Stanley J. , 1920-1954 (Person)
- United States. Civil Aeronautics Administration (Organization)
- Hancock, H. M. (Person)
- United States. Veterans Administration (Organization)
- United States. Marine Corps (Organization)
- United States. Naval Reserve (Organization)
- United States. Navy (Organization)
- Taylor, George (Person)
- Ritter, Theodore J. -- Pictorial works (Illustrator, Person)
- Gadbois, Robert William -- Pictorial works (Illustrator, Person)
- Title
- Guide to the Stanley J. Dec Naval Aviation Collection
- Status
- Completed Level 3
- Author
- L. Zaborowski, J. Parent
- Date
- 2014; 2024
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
- Edition statement
- 3rd Edition
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