Leroy O. Olson World War II Collection

Collection — Folder: 1

Identifier: 2014-09-30

Contents of the Collection

The Leroy O. Olson World War II Collection is quite small and relates to the 1943-1945 United States Navy pilot career of Leroy "Lee" O. Olson. It is comprised of a logbook and five photographs. The logbook covers from May 1943 to October 1945 and includes information such as duration of flight, locations, and type of aircraft. Identified aircraft include the North American SNJ-4 Texan, Douglas SBD Dauntless, Grumman F-2 Wildcat, and Grumman F6F Hellcat.

All of the photographs are 4x6"; three are in black-and-white, and two are in color. Some include captions on the reverse providing contextual information, such as name, date, and location. The black-and-white images are not vintage prints, but appear to be digital copies and include two group portraits that include Olson. There is also a 1944 portrait of Olson seated in the cockpit of an obscured plane. The two color photographs are both undate (circa 1990s-2000s?) and depict a man, possibly Olson, standing next to an aircraft. One of the images has a different person's name and contact information on the reverse, it is possible this was a friend of Olson's.

Dates

Creation: 1943-1945, undated

Creator

Olson, Leroy O., 1921- (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: Leroy O.Olson

Leroy "Lee" O. Olson was a Naval aviator who served during World War II. Olson was born to Peter C. Olson and Ella M. (Thompson) Olson on October 28, 1921 in Montana. He had seven sisters and two younger brothers. Olson enlisted in 1942 with the United States Navy Aviation Cadet program. He was commissioned on December 1, 1943. Olson flew Grumman F4F Wildcats and Grumman F6F Hellcats during World War II Pacific campaigns. Olson left military service in December 1945. On December 3, 1943, Olson married Marjorie Henderson. The couple had a daughter, Joanne. Post-war, he worked at a variety of jobs but did not keep an active flight license. As of 2014, he was living with his family in the Greater Seattle area, Washington.

Source:

Biography derived from collection materials and donor information.