Site Receives Aviation Trail Sign:
Last year, on July 24, 2018, three large bronze statues were dedicated at Troy’s “Pioneers of Aviation Statue Pavilion” celebrating two past and one present member of Troy’s rich aviation history. One year later, in July of 2019, Aviation Trail, Inc. presented an Aviation Trail sign at the site, to include it among the over 50 sites in the Miami Valley that are recognized as significant in the area’s rich aviation history with “Aviation Trail” designation.
The pavilion, located at 134 N. Market St., Troy, Ohio, includes statues of Clayton Brukner, Robert Hartzell, and Nancy Currie-Gregg Ph.D. The sculptures were designed by artist Mike Major of Urbana.
Photos of the statues are shown below, followed by descriptive text:
• Pictured on the Left: Troy resident Robert Hartzell (1896 - 1968) founded the Hartzell Walnut Propeller Company in 1917 when he was still in college. At the time he lived near Hawthorn Hill, the home of Orville Wright who encouraged his interest in aviation. He oversaw the creation of many technical advances in aviation, including the first composite propeller. He served as president of Hartzell Propeller until his passing. He was inducted in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2014.
• Pictured In the Center: Clayton Brukner (1896 - 1977) was one of the founders of Troy’s WACO Aircraft Co., which at one time was one of the biggest aircraft producers in the country. Besides its iconic biplanes, the company made trainers for the military during WWII, and gliders that were used in the Normandy landing. He was inducted in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1997. He also developed the Brukner Nature Center, a privately funded, nonprofit nature preserve dedicated to environmental education and wildlife rehabilitation.
• Pictured on the Right: Colonel Nancy Currier-Gregg, a graduate of Troy High School, served in the U.S. Army for 22 years and joined NASA in 1987 as an astronaut. She flew four space missions from 1993-2002. She completed 262 hours in space and orbited the Earth 165 times, flying 3.9 million miles. After her astronaut career, she served as principal engineer in NASA's engineering safety center and is currently a professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Texas A&M.
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