Former pilot leaves legacy at airport
Staff writer
The late George Baxter was one of Marion’s aviation pioneers. He was a licensed pilot well before the establishment of the Federal Aviation Administration, Marion Airport Board of Directors Chairman Dick McLinden said Thursday.
Baxter began flying between World Wars I and II, and even tested some planes for Clyde Cessna, founder of Cessna Aircraft Corporation, McLinden said.
Baxter bought his first airplane from Cessna for $650. Cessna only made two others like it, keeping one for himself, Baxter estate trustee Margaret Cook said.
While McLinden was learning to fly, he was fortunate to fly with Baxter.
Baxter died May 24, 1993, but his contributions to flight in Marion continue today. The estate of his wife, Pearl Baxter, donated $75,000 to construct a new building at the airport. She died Dec. 19, 2009.
“The old building was about to fall down,” McLinden said. “The city razed it for us.”
The building will be unattended, so it isn’t accurate to call it an office, he said. Small airports such as Marion Municipal Airport are more likely to have a pilot lounge. The lounge will have a meeting room, telephone, restrooms, and a refrigerator for soft drinks.
“It’s not in the form of a nightclub lounge,” McLinden said. “We just think it will be pretty nice.”
Construction on the building is nearly complete, he said. The airport plans to have an open house May 24.
The lounge will also have a display case featuring several items from George Baxter, in accordance with his wife’s wishes.