Lester Lee Cruse Commercial Airline Collection

Collection

Identifier: 2024-08-01

Contents of the Collection

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The Lester Lee Cruse Commercial Airline Collection is a small collection that holds textual and visual materials relevant to the 1956-1977 career of Lester Lee Cruse, pilot for Japan Airlines, Saudia, Southern Airways, Trans Mediterranean Airways, and Trans World Airlines (TWA).

Materials include his flight log books, which start with his flight training in 1949 and continue through his career through 1977. The logs include brief information about type of aircraft, origination and destination point, and time flown. There is a booklet about the "Jaybird," a Douglas Super DC-3 owned by Harbert Construction Corp. in Alabama that Cruse served as first officer on from 1956-1959. The booklet is accompanied by three color snapshots of the "Jaybird" in flight. Additionally, vaccination certificates, a conference invitation and agenda for "40 Years of Saudi aviation history," and blank travel forms are present. A highlight is Cruse's Japanese and Lebanese pilot licenses as well as his annual residence permit for Lebanon, which help underline his international commercial pilot service. Another highlight is a 20x24-inch certificate issued by Trans Mediterranean Airways (TMA) to commemorate the first around the world all cargo service on April 14, 1971.

Although Cruse served with several airlines, it is his time with TWA that is best represented in the collection. These materials include a 1967 common stock certificate, a 1967 recognition letter and certificate of commendation for his "conduct and efforts during the Middle East crisis," and a congratulatory letter for being awarded TWA's Man of the Year in 1966 with a photograph of Cruse receiving the letter of commendation. There are also two additional photographs: an undated color snapshot of Cruse in the pilot's seat of a cockpit and a 1964 black-and-white snapshot of Cruse and crew in front of an obscured aircraft in Iran.

While the collection focuses on his commercial airlines career, there are also two military documents: a statement of duty and a photocopy of Cruse's notice of separation; and his circa 1977 resume accompanied by a supplemental biographical note.

Dates

Creation: 1945-1984

Creator

Cruse, Lester Lee, 1926-2016 (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: Lester Lee Cruse

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Lester Lee Cruse (1926-2016) was a commercial airline pilot who flew for Japan Airlines, Saudia, Southern Airways, Trans Mediterrean Airlines, and Trans World Airlines.

Lester Lee Cruse was born on March 2, 1926 in Norman, Oklahoma to Noel Titus and Kathrene (Armbrust) Cruse. He gradudated from high school in 1944 and joined the military. From 1944 to 1946, Cruse served with the United States Naval Reserve as a ship's supply (now known as Retail Services Specialist). He was stationed at NTC Great Lakes, Illinois, PSC Bremerton, Washington, and aboard both the U.S.S. LST-1142 and Dorchester. During his service, Cruse earned the American Area Campaign Medal, Asiatic Pacific Area Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.

Post-military service, Cruse worked a variety of jobs, including as an assistant chef at White Castle Restaurant; a purchasing agent; a line maintenance mechanic; and as a foreman for Aerodex, a company that provided general aircraft maintenance, overhaul, and interior conversions. Cruse utilized his GI bill to learn to fly and joined the aviation industry as a pilot. From 1956-1977 he worked in commercial airlines as a first officer, instructor, and pilot. The airlines he served with were Japan Airlines, Saudia, Southern Airways, Trans Mediterrean Airlines, and Trans World Airlines. Cruse flew the Boeing 707, Douglas DC-3, Douglas Super DC-3, Douglas DC-6, and Douglas DC-8. In 1966, Cruse won TWA's Man of the Year for his community work while he was on assignment to Saudia airlines. Cruse fundraised $1.5 million dollars to build a new facilty for a Saudi Arabian school that served ex-pat children in the area. From 1969-1973, he was assigned by TWA to serve as Director of Flight Operations for Trans Mediterranean Airways in Beirut, Lebanon.

After his retirement, Cruse enjoyed cooking, quilting and sports fishing. Cruse married Betty Jo Haney (1928-2020) in Vinita, Oklahoma on March 19, 1948. They divorced at some point, and Cruse then married Kay Whitworth. He had two daughters and two step-children. Lester Lee Cruse died on May 22, 2016 in Vian, Oklahoma.

Biography derived from collection materials, donor information, and records on Ancestry.com.

Full Extent

.5 Cubic Feet (1 5-inch legal size document box, 1 20x24-inch folder)

Language

English

Additional Description

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

Separated Materials

As part of the archival processing, the following item was separated and is kept in the Library:

Kelly Field, Texas Pictorial Review

In addition, several items are kept in Objects storage, including airline tie tacs and pins, arctic survival shield, TWA letter opener, amenity bag, and silverware; and Japan Airlines document folder and cloth wings, among other items. Please inquire for additional details. Two brochures for Saudia, the Saudi Arabian airline, have been moved to the Commercial Airlines collection.