Thursday, March 7, 2024

Welcome!

Welcome to the Pennington Flight Memorial. Thank you for visiting and supporting our effort.

Flight Officer Leland "Sticky" Pennington


Thursday, April 12, 2012

Stop the Presses!

Hey "Lucy Gal" fans! I have some pretty exciting news to share. About a month ago, I was asked by Michael O'Leary, editor for Challenge Publications, if I would be interested in writing an article about my project to be published. I most definitely said "yes" to this, and a few days later I sent a write-up off to him.

Well, it seems that my article has officially been published in the latest issue of "Air Classics," a monthly WWII aircraft focused magazine. If you are out and about shopping and happen to be near the periodicals section, look for Volume 48 - Issue #5. This is the issue with my article in it.

I would like to personally thank Mr. O'Leary for his help in getting this project out there to the broader market. Also, I thank all of YOU for the continued support!


 All smiles here!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Recent Leland Pennington Findings

Hello "Lucy Gal" followers!

Recently, my Aunt (Sally Parker, Rochester Business Journal) has begun helping me  research more on Leland Pennington's pre-war days. When I first learned of Leland an began doing research 2 years ago for the project, I found that he grew up with his Uncle and Aunt in Rochester. I also found the names of said Uncle/Aunt by searching the 1930 census report. 

Leland Pennington's Uncle was Solomon Young, his Aunt way Fannie Young. After finding these names through my research, I never fully delved into learning more. At the time, I got real busy with other aspects of the project and didn't have the time.

This past fall, I had a very ironic coincidence occur in a museum studies course I was taking at St. John Fisher. My professor had passed around an old document from the George Eastman records, and what name should appear in the report? Why, non other than a Mr. Solomon Young! It turns out the Solomon, Leland's Uncle, was the last Valet of Mr. George Eastman! George Eastman is better known as the founder of Kodak.

Now, with my Aunt's help, we have been able to learn a lot more about Leland Pennington's upbringing. Recent research has found an image of Solomon Young and Fanny driving in a parade to honor Frederick Douglas. The picture was taken in 1924, two years after Leland was born. Look closely, you see the young boy (circled) sitting in the lap of Fanny? That is a 1-2 year old Leland Pennington!

Cool Huh? :-)

My Aunt and I dug further. We found that in the few months between his graduation from Monroe H.S. and his deployment to Ramitelli, Leland worked for the Rochester Smelting Foundry. See the excerpts from the paper below for details. This was all very exciting to find!



We made one last discovery through our "sleuthing." Apparently, Leland Pennington is somewhere in the following iconic photo taken of a group of Tuskegee Airmen in a pre-mission briefing. I have not yet been able to pin down which one of these guys he is (probably in the background.) Still, even knowing that he is somewhere in this photo, one that is recognised by thousands, is quite fulfilling.

Not sure which is Leland Pennington just yet!

So there you have it, the latest "findings" on our local MIA Tuskegee hero, Leland H. Pennington. Stay tuned for more news and updates!

- Austin H.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

"Safe to be Smart" Program

Today I presented the "Lucy Gal" project to the RCSD "Safe to be Smart" enrichment program.Each week, students come to the Sully Branch Library in down-town Rochester, NY to take part in fun and educational activities.

The kids came in already with an education of the Airmen, thanks to their awesome counsellor George Carter! They asked lots of great questions and had very constructive comments. This group even built P-51 models for me to judge! This is a great program for the Rochester youths, and I am honored to have worked with them. Thanks again kids! 

A very constructive Q&A Session!

Gathering around to watch a P-51 video.

Our P-51 model contest winner! :D

Talking about RR-Merlin RPMs with a young fan! :-)


(Photos courtesy Tori Woodcock)

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Rochester War Memorial Visit

Hello friends, this past week I took a journey to Blue Cross Arena in down-town Rochester, NY (Pennington's hometown.) At the Blue Cross is housed the Rochester War Memorial, a tribute to all Rochester Veterans who have either died or gone MIA in War. 

Flight Officer Leland Pennington was lost in combat on April 21st, 1945 and declared an MIA. His name is enshrined on the Rochester War Memorial, and I was able to find it during my visit. It was a very emotional trip for me, as Leland's name on the plaque seems to be the only thing left in Rochester that pays homage to him. This is only temporary though, so long as the "Lucy Gal" project succeeds.

The "Eternal Flame" @ the Memorial.


The Wall of Dead and MIA Rochester Veterans.

Leland H. Pennington's Name on the Wall of Honor.




If you have never visited the Rochester War Memorial, I strongly suggest that you do! The memorial is a great tribute to those Rochester heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice...



Saturday, January 28, 2012

Did You See?

Hey "Lucy Gal" followers! Did you see our plug on 13 WHAM TV last Friday? If not, here's a link so you can check it out! Stay tuned tonight for a follow up post on how we did promoting the project at the Regal Cinema.

LINK TO VIDEO/STORY:

http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story/rochester-austin-hancock-leland-pennignton-redtail/ByKS82Y1VUiXHtXmf6szYw.cspx

Sunday, January 8, 2012

"Red Tails" Premiere - We'll Be There!

On January 20th, the long-awaited feature film "Red Tails" will be officially released to the public in thousands of theatres around the world. The 1941 Historical Aircraft Group has been working with our local theatre, Regal Cinemas 18 in Henrietta - NY, to set up an on-site display during the "Red Tails" release. 

Our hard work has paid off and we will be on-scene for TWO DAYS to tell movie-goers all about our project to remember MIA Tuskegee Airman, Leland Pennington. Here's all the details in case you want to stop by and visit!

Event: P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project Awareness Drive
Date : January 20th and 21st
Time: 4:00-9:00pm
Location: 
Regal Cinemas 18 - Henrietta, New York
525 Marketplace Drive
Rochester NY 14623
585-424-5461

Directions:  http://www.fandango.com/maps/default.aspx?category=theaterpage&chainID=REGL&pkey=1780&label=Regal+Henrietta+Stadium+18&streetaddress=525+Marketplace+Drive&city=Rochester&state=NY&zip=14623&country=US&tid=AAEIG&level=8&iconid=213&icontitles=yes&mouse_mode=center&width=400&height=295

So, come on out and show your support for the "Lucy Gal" project! We'll see you there...