Contents of the Collection
The Blake V. Stoltey Vietnam War Collection is a small collection comprised of materials related to Stoltey’s military service in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. The documents date from 1965 to 1971 and include textual and photographic materials.
The textual documents consist primarily of military personnel records, such as orders, vouchers, receipts, forms, and official correspondence. In addition, there are Stoltey’s military training materials which include certificates, exams, course notes, and evaluations. Another component to the textual documents is the numerous letters written by Stoltey to his future wife, Catherine Orvasky. The correspondence gives insight on Stoltey’s experience while stationed in Vietnam and Taiwan from 1966 to 1969. Similarly, the 18 color photographic prints and 24 color slides that are part of the collection illustrate his time abroad. The images capture the barracks, images of Stoltey and other crew members, as well as “Betty Boop” the Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft that Stoltey was a crew chief for.
Dates
- Creation: 1965-1971
Creator
- Stoltey, Blake V., 1947-2004 (Person)
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: Blake V. Stoltey
Blake V. Stoltey served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War.
Blake Victor Stoltey was born in Long Beach, California on March 1, 1947. He attended David Starr Jordan High School in Long Beach, and upon graduation transferred to Northrop Institute of Technology in Inglewood, California. In 1965, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and began his service in the Vietnam War from 1966 to 1969. He was ranked as a crew chief in a Lockheed C-130 Hercules squadron. During the war he was stationed in both Vietnam and Taiwan. Following the war, he was employed by the Boeing Company in Seattle, Washington.
In January of 1969, Stoltey and Catherine M. Orvasky were married in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey. From 1969 onward Stoltey and Catherine lived in Seattle, where they raised their two children. He passed away on November 16, 2004, in Seattle.
Biographical note derived from donor information and records on Ancestry.com.
Extent
.25 Cubic Feet (1 2-inch legal size document box)
Language
English
Overview
Blake V. Stoltey served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War from 1966-1969. This small collection is comprised of textual and photographic materials related to his military service. The documents date from 1965 to 1971.
Separated Materials
The following books have been separated from the archival component of this collection and are kept in the Library:
- The United States Air Force, 1965-1966 edition
- McGuire Air Tides, U.S. Air Force – Aerospace for Peace, Pemberton, N.J., vol. 18, no. 14, April 8, 1966
The following items have been separated from the archival component of this collection and are kept in Objects storage:
(1) United States Air Force Vietnam era dress uniform
Processing Information
This collection has been fully processed.
Subject
- Stoltey, Blake V., 1947-2004 (Person)
- United States. Air Force (Organization)
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Guide to the Blake V. Stoltey Vietnam War Collection
- Status
- Completed Level 2
- Author
- Charise Dinges
- Date
- 11/2023
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
- Edition statement
- 1st 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