Looking Back to 1930: City plans airshow for Armistice Day celebration

Posted: 5:57 am, September 30, 2021 by Reporter Jackie Iddings

This look back at Paso Robles history comes from local newspapers in the Paso Robles Area Historical Society collection. News for this column is selected with the assistance of the society’s Vice President Nancy Tweedie and Research Director Jan Cannon.

Excerpts from the Thursday, October 2, 1930 Paso Robles Spotlight:

Director Kelker appoints show chairman and aide for event, urges city’s aid

–Appointing G.W. Dunn, Atascadero airport committeeman, as chairman of the Paso Robles American Legion Armistice Day airport and show committee, and Hanson Hathaway as secretary of the committee, Dr. David Kelker, general Armistice Day chairman, today began laying final plans for the successful staging of the air phases of the all county celebration here November 11.

Both appointees have records of successful show handling. Both were instrumental in the development of the Newman airshow last year in which 122 planes were concentrated on the field for two days. The Newman meet was considered one of the biggest in State aviation history.

Click here to read the full front page of the October 2, 1930, Paso Robles Spotlight

Makes aid plea

“Upon the success of the Paso Robles show in a sense rests the fate of aviation development in the county,” Dunn said today. “Citizens are urged to cooperate. Committees are only part of the program of arrangements. Without the moral support of the county they can accomplish little.

“Paso Robles again has an opportunity to show its progressive nature. The committee urgently implores fullest cooperation from all citizens. Suggestions are welcome and may be mailed or phoned in to the office of the Spotlight where daily headquarters for the airshow have been opened.

“Should the show prove a success it may be necessary to call on citizens to provide housing for aviators, both army, navy and commercial, who will be guests of the city for the day. We want to feel assured of this and welcome proffers of cooperation.

Richmond helps

Taking the lead in the Armistice Day, from the community angle, A.L. Richmond, director, Paso Robles hotel, agreed to designate his institution as the official aviation hotel for the day.

Plans are underway by the hotel management for an aviator’s ball, Armistice Day evening.

Chairman Dunn, closeted with his aides today, was at work in contacting military aviation leaders and others, who will contribute to the show.

Attendance possibilities of the proposed show were seen today in Dunn’s statement that Newman, population 1500, attracted 10,000 persons to it during the show held there.

Constable aids arrest of trio, gold-plated case is clue used

A gold plated cigarette case jibbing with a description in a meticulously prepared list of stolen articles, made by Constable Herman Anderson, Paso Robles police officer, following the Mark Albert cigar store robbery early this year, Monday linked a trio of robbers with the crime following their confession in Los Angeles last week.

Arrested by Los Angeles officers the trio retracted that part of their confession dealing with central coast robberies, including that of Albert.

One of the men had in his pocket a gold plated cigarette case. Anderson, in communication with the southern police, referred them to his list. Checking it the officers identified the case. The burglars then made a blanket statement, admitting their complicity.

It was Anderson’s second triumph this year in a major case. At the Richfield oil robbery scene he detected a can of cleaning fluid spilled on the floor. He was informed that one of the two men holding up the station had tipped it over. Working on the theory that the fluid might have stained the robbers’ clothing, he wired San Francisco and Los Angeles police. Two days later alert Los Angeles police apprehended a pair of suspicious characters. On the trousers of one white fluid stains showed. The pair was charged with the Paso Robles hold-up and confessed.

“All in a day’s work,” Anderson commented today.

Read previous Looking Back articles

Thank you to sponsors of Looking Back

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