Lake Erie College Receives Collection Which Includes
A Fokker DR-1, An Interstate L-6, And A Ryan ST3-W
In what is likely one of the more unusual multi-million dollar
donations to an institute of higher learning ... officials at
Ohio's Lake Erie College said Thursday that it has received the
nearby the Pheasant Run Airport (OI31) located in Madison, Ohio,
one of the largest vintage aircraft collections in the country, and
a significant endowment to support the property, planes and related
programs.
Pheasant Run Airport
The gift is from Lake County resident, Gretchen Reed, who
retired in 1995 from the Riverside Local School District where she
taught high school English and aviation. Her late husband, Charles
F. Reed, was an Air Force veteran and led an air/sea rescue team in
Alaska. He was an executive at Avery-Dennison (Fasson) in
Painesville and held several patents with the company.
The two private pilots amassed a collection of antique aircraft
over a period of several decades; 18 are hangared at Pheasant Run
Airport, and 15 are flyable. They preferred the simplicity of
systems and the historical significance of older airplanes. The
Reeds appeared in a one-hour documentary, “The
Restorers,” produced by Hemlock Films of Cleveland, Ohio in
2003.
Ryan ST3
Pheasant Run Airport is situated on 128 acres in Leroy Township
(Madison), 15 minutes east of the College’s main campus.
Several hangars, two grass runways, an aviation museum, pond and
woodlands comprise the property. Mrs. Reed will continue to
maintain the grounds and planes with the help of friends. She
continues to fly her favorite airplanes, the Aeronca L-16 and an
Aeronca Champ, both are single-engine, military planes built in
1945 and used for WWII observation and search and rescue.
Lake Erie College will eventually own the airplanes. The
collection includes a Fokker DR-1, a reproduction of the triplane
flown by the Red Baron in World War I; a Ryan ST3-W, a
fighter-trainer plane that was used in the 1942 movie “Dive
Bomber” starring Errol Flynn and Fred MacMurray; an
Interstate L-6, an observation scout plane used by General George
Patton during World War II; and, an OTW Army trainer plane that was
used in the movie “The Misfits” featuring Clark Gable
and Marilyn Monroe.
Fokker DR-1
“We are delighted to be the recipients of Gretchen
Reed’s generosity and her husband’s tremendous
legacy,” said Michael T. Victor, president of Lake Erie
College. “We have many opportunities to incorporate the
property and collections into our academic and professional
development programs. Additionally, we are excited about sharing
this new learning environment with our students and alumni later
this year.”
“Chuck and I did not imagine that our 68-acre purchase
nearly 35 years ago would become the foundation for an aviation
museum,” said Gretchen Reed. “Pheasant Run Airport and
its buildings, runways, collection of historical airplanes and
memorabilia grew with the efforts of our families, friends and the
local aviation community.”
Interstate L-6
“Reaching senior citizen status has its own set of
inevitable decisions,” Reed added. “Our choice was to
give what we had produced back to the community that
‘produced’ us. Although Chuck did not live to see Lake
Erie College as the entity perpetuating his dream, he would have
been proud beyond words to be part of such a dynamic, respected
educational institution.”
OTW Trainer
“The Reed gift is one of the largest in the
College’s 155-year history and one of the most unique gifts
in modern philanthropy,” said Scott Evans, vice president for
institutional advancement. “Mrs. Reed looks forward to seeing
the College use the property and planes in our work – that
was her goal. She will inspire others to consider what they can do
for Lake Erie College. Other vintage aircraft collectors have
expressed an interest in donating planes to the College after
hearing about the Reed gift,” he added.