GARNETT QUINN CALDWELL

G.Q. Caldwell, August 3, 1937 (Source: Woodling)

 

G.C. Caldwell Caldwell was born November 18, 1902 in Kentucky. His parents were Michael "Mike" Garnett Caldwell and Daisy Emaline Quinn. He appeared once in the Parks Airport Register. He didn't enter a date of arrival, but, from the context of the Register, it was either May 31 or June 1, 1929. He was solo in the Command-Aire he identified as NC309 (a Model 5C3). He identified his home base as Little Rock, AR.

Earlier, the 1910 U.S. Census placed him at age 7 living in Texarkana, AR with his father Michael (age 35) and mother Daisy (29). His father's occupation was a "General Agent" in the "Insurance" industry.

The 1920 Census listed him living with his parents Michael (44) and his now stepmother Bessie (26) in Texarkana, AR. In 1926, the Little Rock City Directory listed Caldwell's address as 4801 Lee Avenue, Little Rock, and his occupation was vice president of the Endowment Finance Corporation.

Also from the context of the Register, Caldwell might have been part of a flight of two with pilot M. Munn who signed the Register right below him. Both were based at Little Rock, and both flew Command-Aires (Munn's was NC308). From information found in the news articles below, Caldwell worked as a test pilot for the Command-Aire Airplane Manufacturing Company. Caldwell and Munn were probably delivering new airplanes to their purchasers.

A couple of news articles from 1928 identify Caldwell as an Army National Guard officer participating in various cross-country flights. For example, the Monroe News-Star (LA) of May 19, 1928 cites his participation in the dedication of the new Monroe airport. And in November he flew as a passenger in a Cessna from Wichita, KS to Little Rock, AR with Register pilot Earl Rowland. Caldwell had been on a visit to family members in Oklahoma and hitched a ride back to Arkansas with Rowland.

Caldwell served in the U.S. Army during the late 1920s.  He was a private in the Air Corps from March 3 to March 17, then was appointed to second lieutenant, March 18, 1927. Later he was with the 154th Observation Squadron, Little Rock.

The 1930 Census placed Caldwell at age 27 living with his parents in Little Rock, AR. His occupation was cited as "Aviator" with "Universal Air Lines. In 1932, the Memphis, TN city directory listed him as a "Pilot." No mention was made of him being married. At some point he took a position with the Department of Commerce (DOC). In the Atlanta, GA city directory for 1935 he is listed with wife Jane F. They were newlyweds. His occupation was listed as an inspector with the DOC.

As documented at right, Caldwell met his end not as a pilot, but as a passenger in a commercial Pan American amphibian aircraft. The airplane crashed into the Caribbean Sea twenty miles from the coast of Panama on August 3, 1937. The accident was reported in the Cincinnati Enquirer of August 4, 1937, below. His photograph, right, appeared in an article dated August 3, 1937. The caption suggests that the crashed airplane and bodies were found. None of the other references I reviewed mentioned the discovery of bodies.

 

The Cincinnati Enquirer (OH), August 4, 1937 (Source: Site Visitor)

Fourteen people, including the PanAm crew were killed. Of interesting coincidence was the co-pilot of the flight, Lawrence Arnold Bickford. He was a passenger on a flight that landed at the Davis-Monthan Airfield, Tucson, AZ on July 29, 1934, about three years before his fatal crash. From the Cincinnati Enquirer, below, we learn that Caldwell was in Central America representing the U.S. Air Commerce Bureau. He was inspecting U.S. air lines in South America. The wreckage was discovered quickly, but they encouraged little hope for finding survivors. Caldwell was 34 years old at the time of the crash.

He had been married about two years at the time of the accident and had a child, with, it appears, one on the way. The 1940 Census places his wife and his two children living in Greendale, IN. Wife Jane was age 29 and now widowed. Her two sons, Carroll (5) and Michael (2) lived with her. Although a four-year college graduate, she was not employed outside the home. 

The Cincinnati Enquirer (OH), August 4, 1937 (Source: Site Visitor)

 

The Cincinnati Enquirer (OH), August 5, 1937 (Source: Site Visitor)

 

Another article from the Enquirer that appeared on the same day is at left. This, and the one above, are the only photographs I have of Caldwell. If you have others that are better you would like to share, please let me KNOW.

Caldwell was once based at Cincinnati, OH and was well-known there as an American Airways pilot. Notice that he learned to fly in 1925 and his instructor was Davis-Monthan Register pilot Wright Vermilya, Jr. (I'm looking for information about Vermilya. If you have some, please let me KNOW).

The following day, the wreckage of the airplane was found, right, as reported in the Cincinnati Enquirer, August 5, 1937 (and above in the Enquirer of August 4th).

Caldwell doesn't show much of a U.S. Census record. According to a site visitor, a single Department of Labor U. S. Immigration Service, Master List suggests that G. Q. Caldwell, age 33, male, U.S. citizen, carried passengers from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on American Airlines. The aircraft cited on the list was NC670M, a Consolidated Commodore, headed for San Juan, P.R. The list was signed by Dept. of Commerce Inspector     Russell R. Rushton, Immigrant Inspection.   The date looks like January 27, 1935. It appears that Caldwell was the pilot of this flight. The Commodore was a flying boat serving the Carribean and flown mostly by Pan American and a couple of other airlines. I could not find evidence that American Airlines flew it.

Caldwell's wife Jane lived a long life, passing away in 1997 as documented in the Cincinnati Enquirer of January 23, 1997, below. She remarried Frank Caveman. It appears she gave birth to another daughter, Linda, and became stepmother to Caveman's children.

CAVEMAN Jane Caldwell (nee Darling), beloved wife of the late Garnet [sic] Caldwell and Frank Caveman, loving mother of Carroll (Delores) Caldwell, Michael (Judie) Caldwell and Linda (Ken) Phillips, stepmother of James (Carol) Caveman and Sally Zapatka, devoted grandmother of 15 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren, dear sister of George, Marion, Orville Darling, Jean Hoffmeier, Lois Placke and Ede Louks. January 21, 1997, age 86. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a memorial service Saturday, January 25, 1997, 1 P.M. at Price Hill Methodist Church, 704 Elberon Ave. Remembrances may be made to Hospice of Cincinnati, 2710 Reading Rd., 45206. Harry Meyer & Geiser Funeral Home assisting the family.

 

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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 05/24/16 REVISED: 06/02/16