Tue, Jan 12, 2010
Master Mechanic, B-24 Crew Chief
Wallace D. ("Dip") Davis, age 86 of Marengo, Illinois, died on
January, 8, 2010. Born on September 5, 1923 in Manchester, Iowa he
was the son of D. Dale Davis and Cora (Wallace) Davis. A graduate
of Manchester High School, Davis enlisted in the Army Air Corp and
served during WWII as a Crew Chief on a B-24 and in Aviation
Education. In 1942 he married his high school sweetheart Kathryn
("Kitty") Strathman. They were married for 55 years prior to
Kitty's death in 1997. He was also preceded in death by his parents
and his sister, Charlotte Moran of Columbus, Nebraska. He is
survived by his sister Lora Finch of Costa Mesa California. Davis
has ten surviving children.
B 24 File Photo
Davis was an aviation legend. In 1994
the Federal Aviation Administration honored Davis with the Charles
Taylor Master Mechanic Award. He was inducted into the Illinois
Aviation Hall of Fame in 2002. Known in the Aviation community as
the "Bird Doctor", Davis was a local authority on fabric aircraft
recovering and many aspects of repair and restoration. At the time
of his death he was in charge of restoration at the Poplar
Grove Vintage Wings and Wheels Museum. He was a Docent for the
museum and worked closely with the Youth Exploring Aviation
mentoring area teenagers. Davis was a long time member in the
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and actively involved in
EAA publications and training.
Davis had an extensive career in General Aviation. From 1953
until 1962 he was Manager of Aircraft Maintenance for Fox Valley
Aviation at DuPage County Airport. In 1962, he was recruited
to the position of Manager of Aircraft Maintenance at Galt Flying
Service in Wonderlake, IL. Galt became the Midwest mecca for
Bonanza owners through Dip's leadership. In 1968 he was named
Director of Maintenance and Restoration (Warbirds) with William
Ross Enterprise Inc. He led the restoration of a Lockheed
P-38 "Lightning" (now on display at the aviation museum in
Galvaston Texas) and restored Actor/Pilot Cliff Robertson's
Supermarine Spitfire.
Davis continued to serve as Director of Maintenance for DuPage
based Corporate Flight Departments and an Aircraft Salvage
Facility. Most recently he was director of Technical
Operations, Superflite Division of Cooper Aviation Supply (now
AAR).
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