The Clark Special Collections of the Library contains a significant body of personal papers donated to the Academy by Air Force officers and civilians who were instrumental in the development of American air power. The Friends often plays a crucial role in the acquisition, processing, cataloguing, and/or digitization of many of these collections. Following are some of the many collections in the Clark Special Collections section. Select those with a for an expanded presentation.

The Aeronautical History Collection of Colonel Richard Gimbel

The Crown Jewel of the Clark Special Collections, it consists of more than 20,000 books, prints, manuscripts, and other items which trace 3,000 years of humanity’s aspirations and eventual achievement of flight. Included are the rarest aeronautical print in existence, manuscripts from H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, early letters of the Wright brothers, and the first air mail.

Stalag Luft III

This collection tells the story of the Allied airmen who, having been shot down in combat over Europe in World War II, were prisoners of war in Stalag Luft III, the German camp located in Silesia (now Poland). This was the camp that became famous for the Great Escape of March 1944.

Albert P. Clark          Stalag Luft III

Albert P. Clark had a long and distinguished Air Force career, culminating in his service as the sixth Superintendent of the Air Force Academy. He retired as a lieutenant general in 1974. His collection includes a wealth of photos, diaries, and other documents from his career with special emphasis on the years he spent as a prisoner of war in Stalag Luft III.

Burton C. Andrus          International Military Tribunal of 1946

Andrus was called to active duty in 1917 and by June 1942 he had advanced to the rank of Colonel. His most significant military duty came after World War II when he served as Commandant of the 6850th Security Detachment. This unit was responsible for guarding the accused Nazi war criminals who were tried by the International Military Tribunal in 1946, also known as the Nuremberg Trials.

Erwin Beardslee          37th Aero Squadron

Private First Class Erwin W. Beardslee served in the 37th Aero Squadron in France during World War I. His widow, Mrs. Lily V. Beardslee contributed his collection of newspapers printed overseas for servicemen assigned to the American Expeditionary Forces.

Charles Dolan          Lafayette Escadrille

While in Paris, Dolan met some American Lafayette Escadrille pilots, who felt he would be an asset to their squadron. He eventually chose to join the French Foreign Legion as a first step toward that goal. After a series of flight training assignments, he finally joined the Lafayette Escadrille in May 1917.

James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle          Tokyo Raiders

After leading the Tokyo Raiders as a lieutenant colonel in 1942, he was promoted to brigadier general and given command of the Northwest Africa Strategic Air Force. In November 1943, he took command of the 15th Air Force. In January 1944, he became the commander of Eighth Air Force. President Reagan awarded him a fourth star on June 13, 1985.

Wilson Edwards          RAF Eagle Squadrons

In 1989, Brig. Gen. Phil Caine of The Friends persuaded the Eagle Squadron Association to make the McDermott Library its official depository. In 2009, The Friends were instrumental in the acquisition of his collection of photos, aircraft manuals, and other documents.

Benjamin Foulois          Military Aviation Pioneer

Benjamin Delahauf Foulois (1879-1967) was a United States Army General who learned to fly the first military planes purchased from the Wright brothers in 1909. He became the first military aviator to pilot an airship, and he was the only pilot, navigator, instructor, observer, and commander in the heavier-than-air division of the U.S. Army from 1909 to 1911.

Leroy Gover          RAF Eagle Squadrons

Leroy Gover was an experienced pilot when he volunteered for service with the British RAF. He arrived at Liverpool, England on December 7, 1941 and was assigned to the 53rd Operational Training Unit at Llandow. After graduating, he transitioned into an instructor role at the school. In March he was assigned to the 66th Fighter Squadron based at Portreath, England and in August transferred to the 133rd Fighter Squadron at Biggin Hill. 

Alexander Jefferson         Stalag Luft III

Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Jefferson was a Tuskegee Airman and second lieutenant who flew in Europe with the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. He was shot down on August 12, 1944, and became a prisoner of war in Stalag Luft III. His collection in the Cadet Library includes numerous drawings made while he was a prisoner. He published his wartime experiences in Red Tail Captured, Red Tail Free: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman and POW.

Laurence S. Kuter         War Planner & MAJCOM Commander

Kuter was a brilliant planner and leader. As a major in August 1941, he was one of four principal authors of the plan that guided the use of air power in World War II. Later that year he became the youngest brigadier general in the Army. His career included command of Military Air Transport Service, Pacific Air Forces, Air University, and North American Air Defense Command.

Pat Pateman          Women's Airforce Service Pilots

Lt. Col. Yvonne “Pat” Patemen entered the Army Air Forces in 1943 and earned her wings as a Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP). She was the only WASP to have served in three wars (World War II, Korea, and Vietnam) and retired in 1971 after 22 years as a U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer.

Royal Air Force Eagle Squadrons                

Over a year before the United States entered World War II, American volunteers began flying with three “Eagle” squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Over the nearly two years of the Eagle Squadrons’ existence, 245 American pilots were assigned to one of these RAF units and nearly half were killed or taken prisoner.

Lance Sijan          The Medal of Honor

On 9 November 1967, Sijan and his commander, Colonel Armstrong, were struck by antiaircraft fire while on a night mission over North Vietnam. He parachuted into the karst hills, suffering severe injuries. Despite these injuries and subsequent severe weight loss, he remained at large for about 46 days. Following his capture, Sijan was removed to a holding point from which he escaped after overpowering a guard. Recaptured, he was kept in solitary confinement and tortured, but refused to reveal any information to his captors. He was then placed in the care of fellow prisoner, subsequently contracted pneumonia, and died at Hoa Lo on 22 January 1968. On 4 March 1976, in ceremonies at the White House, President Gerald R. Ford posthumously awarded Captain Sijan the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Walter Steck          Stalag Luft III

Lt. Walter Steck (Ulana’s late husband) was a POW in Stalag Luft III, 1944-1945. In the camp he was the leader of the band “The Flying Syncopators,” and together with others, put on several shows for the prisoners. The collection includes some 40 pages of drawings, original poems/songs, and illustrated showbills. 

Reade Tilley          RAF Eagle Squadrons

Reade Tilley was a World War II fighter ace who flew with the Eagle Squadron of the Royal Air Force. He kept photos, flight logs, and diaries of his experiences. His collection includes these documents as well as others from his service as Public Affairs Officer for Gen. Curtis LeMay at Strategic Air Command.

Unmanned Aerial Systems

Nazi Germany launched the first V-1 drones (pilotless flying bombs) against London in June 1944 only one week after the Allies landed at Normandy. The Friends helped acquire collections of World War II issues of Stars and Stripes and sponsor the work of Melissa Robohn in Special Collections as she acquires material on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (drones) and makes this material available online.

Leigh Wade          First Flight Around the World

n 1924, Lt. Leigh Wade was one of the U.S. Army Air Service pilots to make the first flight around the world. The flight of Douglas World Cruisers with interchangeable pontoons and wheels circumnavigated the globe in 175 days. Wade eventually retired from the Air Force as a major general.

Women Air Training Officers         USAFA

In 1975, 15 female lieutenants were selected from a pool of 600 young women Air Force officers to serve as both test pilots and role models for the first female Air Force Academy cadets. The use of women Air Training Officers (ATOs) was based on the Academy’s decision in 1955 to use young male Air Force lieutenants–instead of upperclass cadets from West Point or Annapolis–to train the first three classes of AFA cadets.