Collings Foundation "Wings of Freedom" Tour on Hold Across America for 2020: Pandemic Not to Blame

At left is a photo of me with the "Witchcraft," a B-24 in which I won a ride last year.  Owned by the Collings Foundation is has been part of their "Wings of Freedom Tour" for many years.




Below, is a photo I took that same day of the "Nine-O-Nine" a B-17 that was also part of the tour. It was destroyed in a crash just a few months later.

In the spring on 2019, I won a ride in a B-24 from World War II. The iconic bomber was part of the Collings Foundation's "Wings of Freedom Tour." And though I admit I was apprehensive about flying in an aircraft that was older than I, as a reporter I felt I ought to do it.

There is more to the story, of course. I did not fly in the B-17 that day and I have no idea why, as I was told I could fly in any of the bombers and the B-17 "Flying Fortress" is arguably the most famous. Just a few months later, that same aircraft crashed in Connecticut, killing seven people and injuring seven others. The crash has left a lot of devastation in its wake. Click the link to read my column on the story:
WINGS OF FREEDOM TOUR ON HOLD: CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Lost Photo of Bing Crosby Uncovered After Sixty Years

Oscar winner Big Crosby poses, circa 1961, with a plaque created for him by the 

City of Los Altos, California. The photo is signed by Bing and appears to have suffered damage (to his nose and hand) from being left on the floor of a tool closet at a local community center. 

Photo courtesy of Jim Shattock.

Los Altos, California, is a small town on the San Francisco Peninsula, between San Francisco and San Jose. Since I uncovered a connection between singer-actor Bing Crosby and Los Altos--my hometown--I've been reading a lot about this very talented man, who was one of the most famous men of the 20th century. 

My first article about him prompted a call from another Los Altos native, who had some new information. Being a historian is a lot like being a detective. Click the link, for my article in the Los Altos Town Crier for more on Bing, his philanthropy, and what the photo (above) has to do with all of this.

CLICK HERE FOR BING CROSBY LOST PHOTO STORY

Crooner Bing Crosby & His Connection to a California Town

  

  A recent book about Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby claims he was color blind. That suit and tie he has on in this studio photo suggests he at least enjoyed mixing lively patterns. The headline above is from the January 12, 1961, "Los Altos News."

In a book published by the "Los Altos Town Crier" at the turn of the 21st Century, I noticed one sentence in a timeline at the back: "Bing Crosby pledges $10,000 to new Los Altos Youth Center." Though I spotted the phrase several years ago and didn't research it right away, I promised myself I would look into it one day.  

When I finally did so, the tale turned out to be just what I love: it was forgotten history with a twist. Here's the link the my recent article about this in my column in the Los Altos Town Crier: 
HOW BING CROSBY MADE BIG HEADLINES IN LITTLE TOWN 

Green Space and A Community's Story at the Heart of a Town

We gathered eighty people to celebrate Heritage Orchard's very first sign. It was a day to celebrate!

I confess that I have loved apricot trees of all sizes and shapes since I grew up surrounded by them in the small community of Los Altos, California. I left my hometown after graduate school, and spent many years away, working as a journalist.

When Future Star Esther Williams Eloped to a Small Town

This vintage postcard shows MGM star Esther Williams circa 1952. 

She was gorgeous and she had already had two children.

If you like movie star trivia you are in good company with me. I love learning more about film history and the interesting people who made their home in this industry. Esther Williams is certainly one of the more unusual. An award-winning swimmer, she had planned to compete in the 1940 Olympics, but the summer games were cancelled by the beginning of World War II.

Marking California History Along the Old El Camino Real

This Mission Bell Marker can be found near the intersection of El Monte Avenue and El Camino Real on the southbound side of the roadway.

I'm not sure if drivers and passengers are taking note of what is outside their windows these days as they ride along America's highways. But there is a lot of history to see out there for those who would find it.

When Families Worked Together and Life Was Very Different

Frank White was about eleven years old when his father took this photo of him in front of the family's old car and new home--which came with an apricot orchard--on Covington Road in Los Altos. World War II had just ended and the Whites were making a new start in the Santa Clara Valley.

People will think this story is about apricots. That's because I've written a book about the agricultural history of the Santa Clara Valley and its title is California Apricots: The Lost Orchards of Silicon Valley. The book is partly about apricots, and partly about a time worth remembering.

Neighbors Working Together Can Make a Difference

A vintage postcard of Santa Clara Valley's orchards, from my book California Apricots: the Lost Orchards of Silicon Valley, published by the History Press.

I was very discouraged when I wrote the post in February, about the lastest proposal to redevelop the property where my small town has preserved a small Heritage Apricot Orchard for more than half a century.

When I stopped being discouraged, I joined forces with a number of my neighbors and got back to the work of saving it. 

Los Altos Newspaper Salutes A Sixty-Three Year Tonsorial Friendship

My father began having his hair cut by Al Galedrige in Palo Alto, California in 1946. Conveniently for both, both men moved to Los Altos in 1950 and as of 2009 they are still customer and barber and still long-time friends.

The Los Altos Town Crier ran my story on this friendship in its April 8, 2009 edition. And why not? Its a relationship that has outlasted many marriages!

I've listed the link to the article below and you can click to the Town Crier Web Site to read it. Be sure and come back here to enjoy the rest of the photos (below) that didn't make it into the paper.

The Link is:

Ashley Chapman in the Los Altos Town Crier


Here's Al in his World War II uniform, just a few years before he and my father met at the barber shop.

Al's ship, on which the teenage sailor survived the battle for Iwo Jima, though the ship was badly damaged.

Dad on Ie Shima, where he was awarded a Bronze Star. (But that was before I knew him.)


And here's Dad (also before we met) in about 1948, standing on the lot he and Mom bought on Echo Drive (then called Clark Avenue) in Los Altos. Al the barber bought his own lot in Los Altos at about the same time.

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