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Tandy C. Hennings Collection of E. Scott Osler Materials

 Collection
Identifier: 2015-07-08
The Tandy C. Hennings Collection of E. Scott Osler Materials is comprised of photographs, newspaper clippings, and correspondence collected by Hennings concerning E. Scott Osler. Also included is the biography of Osler that Hennings wrote using these materials. The collection has been organized into three records groupings: a binder of biographical materials curated by Hennings, photographs, and newspaper clippings.

The biographical binder is comprised of five sections titled by Hennings: Boeing, Accident, Personal, Photos, and Biography. The Boeing section includes large photographs of Osler, the B-47, and an unidentified aircraft. Also included is the October 1947 issue of Boeing Magazine and newspaper clippings about Osler’s work on the B-47. The Accident section contains two newspaper clippings about the fatal test flight as well as a written account by James Frasier. The third section, Personal, contains correspondence, a newspaper clipping about Osler’s sister Priscilla Osler, and the funeral program for James Fraser. Included in this section is a telegram from Osler to his sister announcing the birth of his son Scott McMicken Osler in February 1949. The Photographs section contains images from throughout Osler’s life, beginning with his childhood and ending with some Boeing photographs. Also included are a few photographs of Osler’s gravesite. The last binder section, titled Biography, contains a copy of the Osler biography written by Hennings.

The loose photographs are comprised of snapshots from Osler’s personal life, spanning from his early childhood to 1946. There are also photographs of his professional work, which include Boeing corporate photographs of Osler, Robert Robbins, W.D. Showalter, Guy M. Townsend, John Fornasero, and the B-47. In addition, Hennings included two pages from a family scrapbook that relate to Osler. The newspaper clippings are comprised of stories about the B-47 project and an obituary for Osler’s son Scott from 2013.

Dates

  • 1918-2015

Creator

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.

Extent

0.51 Cubic Feet (one full-width legal size box and one folder)

Abstract:

The Tandy C. Hennings Collection of E. Scott Osler Materials are comprised of photographs, newspaper clippings, and correspondence collected by Hennings concerning commercial pilot, flight engineer, and test pilot E. Scott Osler. Also included is the biography of Osler that Hennings wrote using these materials.

Biographical Note: Edward Scott Osler

Edward Scott Osler was a commercial pilot, flight engineer, and test pilot. He was born in 1918 in Ann Arbor, Michigan to Harold and Janette Osler. In 1936 he started at the University of Michigan where he earned a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. In 1941, Osler was hired by Pan American World Airways to fly between Seattle, Washington and Alaska. In 1944, Boeing hired him as a test pilot to work on the B-29 and B-17 bombers. In 1947 Osler was assigned to the B-47 Stratojet project as the co-pilot to Robert Robbins. They piloted the B-47’s maiden flight on December 17, 1944. Osler continued to work on the B-47 for the next five years and was ultimately promoted to project pilot. James Frasier was assigned to be his co-pilot. During a test flight on May 11, 1949 Osler was killed when the bubble canopy on the B-47 came unlatched during flight and struck him in the head.

Source: Biography derived from collection materials and information provided by the donor, Tandy Cook Hennings.
Biographical Note: Tandy C. Hennings Tandy Cook Hennings is the daughter of William Hough “Bill” Cook, Jr. and Priscilla Osler Cook. She is also the niece of Boeing test pilot E. Scott Osler. Hennings worked as a programmer for Boeing for over twenty years. She has also taken on the role of family historian and in addition to donating this collection, she has also donated materials concerning her father.

Source: Biography derived from collection materials and information provided by the donor, Tandy Cook Hennings.

Immediate Source of Acquisition:

The Tandy C. Hennings Collection of E. Scott Osler Materials were donated to The Museum of Flight by Tandy C. Hennings.

Related Materials:

Related Materials at The Museum of Flight:

  • John Fornasero Papers (accession 2011-06-24)
  • Maria Osler Collection of Edward Scott Osler Logbooks and Photographs (accession 2016-07-20)


Related Materials at Other Institutions:

  • Boeing Airplane Company airplanes and personnel photographs (call no. LOT 6011 (F) [P&P]) from the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

Separated Materials:

The following items have been removed from the archival component and are kept in Object Storage:
      Aviation earphones with case, circa 1940s
      Boeing badge no. 480 for Scott Osler, Test Pilot, undated
      Allison Turbo Prop Engines badge

Processing Information:

The original order of the individual files has been maintained. The records have been organized first by format and then chronologically. A binder of documents organized by the donor was disassembled for preservation purposes, but the binder sections and labels were preserved. The rest of the records are organized into two groups: photographs and newspaper clippings. The photographs have been sleeved and the newspaper clippings have been interleaved with acid free paper. All the materials in this collection were identified and labeled by Tandy Cook Hennings prior to their donation. Many of those labels are still present in the collection along with additional contextual information also provided by Hennings.
Title
Guide to the Tandy C. Hennings Collection of E. Scott Osler Materials
Status
Completed - Level 4
Author
H. C. Galper
Date
2018
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
English.

Revision Statements

  • November 2018: Finding aid migrated to ArchivesSpace.

Repository Details

Part of the The Museum of Flight Archives Repository

Contact:
9404 East Marginal Way South
Seattle Washington 98108-4097
206-764-7874


The Museum of Flight | 9404 E. Marginal Way South | Seattle WA 98108-4097 | 206-764-5874
Contact us with a research request
curator@museumofflight.org