Though many reach, only a few get a handful.
Lewis County has been fortunate in having had at least two local lads who have attained the top in their professions and are famous internationally: Merce Cunningham and Scott Crossfield. Until recently we in Lewis County have been remiss in recognizing those achievements and letting the world know they got their start here.
Since Ive been writing Saturdays Child, Ive nagged for more recognition of Cunninghams roots here, but nothing was done until Centralia College, which he didnt attend, put up an eye-catching permanent display on the walls of the foyer of its fine arts building. Im still hoping that the city of Centralia will do something to tell visitors that the world-famous dance choreographer and entrepreneur got his start here.
But there is now much better news regarding Scott Crossfield, the test pilot, and Im happy to be the first to announce it, thereby scooping my young whippersnapper colleagues at the Chronicle.
After I had written three columns about Crossfield, who learned to fly here, while living on a farm near Boistfort, I suggested that the local airport recognize his humble beginnings.
Soon I was invited by Ken Sabin, a member of the airports board of directors and a one-time student of mine at Centralia College, to attend a board meeting to discuss the idea.
The good news is that they have decided to name their terminal building after Crossfield, according to Allyn Roe, the young manager of the airport. The dedication time has not been set yet, but Roe expects it to be in the spring. There is hope of getting Crossfields wife to be present for the ceremony.
Also inside the building there will be a pictorial display of the history of the airport, featuring Crossfield. It is possible there will be other recognitions of his beginnings at this airfield.
The Boistfort farm boy spent much of his youth hanging around the little airport, against the wishes of his scientist-farmer father. In his autobiography, Always Another Dawn, he writes, The Chehalis Municipal Airport was a cow pasture adorned with two skeletal airplane hangers, a tiny CAA weather shack and a tattered windsock. … Chehalis Airport was a Garden of Eden for me. The pilots, to a man, were my special heroes.
He made his first solo flight from that airfield. He also took his first formal course in aviation through what was then Centralia Junior College.
He made it into the world headlines about a half century ago when he and his friend, Chuck Yeager, dueled to see which could break the latest speed record. Crossfield has flown twice the speed of sound. He died a few years ago after crashing a Cessna he was piloting in Georgia.
Roe, Sabin and the other members of the board — John Spears, Jerry Zabriskie, Frank DeVaul, Dan Foster, John McCord, and Robert Schroeter — have shown perception in recognizing that giving Crossfields name to the terminal will not only properly recognize the outstanding achievements of the local boy, but will also bring prestige to their airfield.
