History

Hats off to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

Art, History, Museums

Velma Ruth Boyd (1921-2006) of Longview, Texas had a deep passion for hats and, no doubt, a big closet.

Throughout her life she collected more than 300 dress hats, most of which ended up at the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center in Austin, Texas.

Through July 1, 2008, a dazzling selection of Ms. Boyd’s hats is on display in the showcases between Gates 7-12 (post-security) at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Look for the “vermillion red hat with plumes of feathers,…a tan straw hat trimmed in white organza with a wide brim folded and curled back on itself like a mobius strip, and a pink summer straw hat surrounded with pink netting, ribbons and adorned with small faux flowerets.”

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Photo courtesy Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

Sweaters, everyone

Events, History, USA Today,

I’m tickled to be doing a guest stint this week and next writing the Airport Check-In column over at USA TODAY.

This week’s topics include the re-freshed exhibits at the American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and, for those celebrating “Won’t You Be My Neighbor Days” a reminder that there’s a Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood exhibit at Pittsburgh International Airport.

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Photo: Family Communications

Hopped up about “The Lineman”

Art, History

If you find yourself flying into or out of New York’s Albany International Airport anytime soon, leave time to explore the airport’s top notch art and history exhibits and do some shopping at Departure, the airport shop filled with items from more than 60 regional museums and cultural institutions.

While you’re there, consider a side-trip to Stockbridge, Ma., about an hour away. Verizon just donated the painting titled “The Lineman” (appraised value $2 million) to the town’s popular Norman Rockwell Museum.

According the museum, “The Lineman” was used as an ad for AT&T in Life magazine and more than 100,000 poster-sized color reprints were sent out to the public and to telephone company employees.

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(Press release photo: ©1948 Norman Rockwell Licensing Company)

And just for fun, check out this unusual lineman. He’s on-duty 24/7 outside city hall in Milton-Freewater, Oregon. Appraised value? Priceless….
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Photo courtesy city of Milton-Freewater

Does the Queen ever get stuck at the airport?

Events, History,

I doubt it. But we do know that she popped over to Heathrow Airport at least twice.

Back in 1955, Queen Elizabeth II was on hand to open Heathrow Airport’s first terminal building – which is now Terminal 2.

She was back on site again today for the opening of Terminal 5.

According to the BBC, the Queen spoke of the ‘bright, airy space and clean, efficient layout,” as she declared the terminal ready for business.

I’m hard at work figuring out how to swing my own visit to the shiny new structure, but in the meantime here are some fun facts about Heathrow’s new baby:

· It took 60,000 people to build the new terminal.

· The UK’s biggest single-site dig unearthed 80,000 items, including pots, cups, buckets, flints and a 3,000 BC hand axe.

· During construction, two rivers were diverted. Fish and other water creatures were moved and new channels were made habitable for wildlife.

Want even more fun facts? Check out Heathrow Airport’s official Terminal 5 Web site, which includes a virtual walk-through, some cool photos, a time-lapse video, and lists of all the shops, restaurants and services.

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Photo from BAA website