Chicopee: 1950-1975 (Images of America) - Softcover

Jendrysik, Stephen R

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0738576611 ISBN 13: 9780738576619

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (SC), 2012

Synopsis

Chicopee: 1950-1975 tells the story of a three-decade Cold War relationship between the Strategic Air Command of the US Air Force and its considerable impact on a small New England city.

On September 19, 1939, Chicopee mayor Anthony J. Stonina was sitting at his desk wiping away tears. The three-term mayor had just finished reading a brief letter from the US War Department. The seven square miles of Chicopee's tobacco plains had been selected as the site for the Northeast base of the Army Air Corps. The city was destined to permanently be a City with Wings. In 1942, the facility, already the largest air base in the country, was named to honor the memory of military aviation pioneer Maj. Gen. Oscar Westover. This is the story of a community's initial misgivings growing into a beneficial symbiotic relationship, which continues to this day.

About this title

About the Author

Stephen R. Jendrysik, a lifelong resident of Chicopee, taught US history at Chicopee Comprehensive High School for 40 years. He teaches a community history course at the Elms College and currently serves as chairman of the Chicopee Historical Commission.

Edition details

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (SC)
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0738576611
• ISBN 13: 9780738576619
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128