Found a Founder! John J. Noll.
11 May 2015. Today! I spoke with Nancy “Buffy” Wimmer – daughter of John J. Noll. He was one of the seven core founders of Veterans Air Express. John was also a pilot for Veterans first flight to Warsaw, Poland.
Until one month ago, John Noll was unknown to me – just a name listed in the June 1946 Air Transport* 3-page article about Veterans Air. Then my research uncovered a 1999 Florida newspaper feature about John himself in The Ocala Star Banner. * Early in the story of his multi-faceted, fascinating life were paragraphs about founding Veterans Air Express “with six other guys.” Once I read that, I began my search for someone in the Noll family. And, this very morning, I found Nancy’s name (sadly in her father’s obituary). After some “inspired” digging, I found Nancy’s phone number.
Wish I could have seen the expression on my face when Nancy answered the phone and confirmed that she was, indeed, who I was hoping she was. (Understandably, she was reluctant at first to confirm her identity. I would have been, too, if some crazy lady called me out of the blue on a Sunday morning, saying she thought our fathers knew each other in 1945!!!) But, once convinced, she was delighted to talk to me. We were on the phone for over an hour.
John Noll deemed the airline “a big deal”
Buffy (what family & friends call her – and, now, I do, too!) regaled me with stories from back then. She wondered if John may have recruited some of his buddies from the service to join Veterans Air. She clearly remembered her Dad flew the first trip of hatching eggs to Warsaw – another historic Veterans Air post-WWII relief flight. (Our Prague relief flight was the first time a civilian air cargo service was given permission to fly behind the “Iron Curtain.”) Veterans flew a number of times under that contract with the UNRRA, United Nations Relief & Rehabilitation Administration. (Another post contains further details about UNRRA.)
Can you Name our Diva??? We finally did!
And John took movie footage of a famous opera singer christening the DC-4 before the Warsaw flight. [Correction 12/11/2015: …before the first PRAGUE flight.] In his voice-over to the footage recorded many years later, John was unsure of her name. [Update 9/8/2015: Jarmila Novotna. More of the story here.] If any of you opera buffs out there recognize this lovely woman from these fuzzy “stills” I captured off John’s moving pictures, please let me know. I’m also searching for newspaper accounts of the christening, too. So far, nothing.
But of greatest import to me? Buffy talked about how her Dad considered the airline to be “a big deal.” And how happy both Dads would be that I’m doing this research.
What a story!
Buffy will review her Dad’s many mementos for photos and material about Veterans Air. But, whatever she finds and shares, she cannot top (1) my excitement of finding her and hearing her personal memories and (2) the aforementioned film footage that absolutely knocked my socks off!!! I will share it as soon as/if the file size can be reduced.
MY SOURCES
Author: Welch, Gwenn, Correspondent
Title: “Man has mastered many trades, including clock making.”
Publication: The Star Banner [Ocala, FL]
Date/Page: 29 Sept 1999: 41.
Most names listed in Can You Identify… were obtained from:
Author: Herrick, George
Title: “Veterans Air Line. Flies…Anything. Any Place. Any Time.”
Publication: AIR TRANSPORT
Date/Page: July 1946: 36-38.
Research Tool: Library of Congress. Provided by Loan Division, Complimentary Copy.
Image of John Noll & Veterans Air Express DC-4 Globe Trotter: Courtesy of Noll Family & John Noll video.