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Frank H. Burnside, Lieut. Anthony Sunderland, National Guard Student,
James D. Hill, Instructor, Corp. Chas. Robbins, Ark. National Guard Student At the Thomas School of Flying. Lieut. Sunderland is Mayor of Danbury, Conn., and the first mayor in the United States to take up aviation in the interest of "Preparedness." from AERIAL AGE WEEKLY, July 24, 1916 p. 560 |
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This page from Aerial Age Weekly, July 3, 1916, offers the following article. I have excerpted these relevant portions from the whole story. Aero Club Invites American Airmen in France to Return
An invitation to the daring Franco-American Flying Corps to come back to fly for the
United States in Mexico has been sent by the Aero Club of America. The cable, which aslo stated that the Club
will pay the transportation for six members of the Franco-American Corps to the United States, is as follows:for Mexican Service "Lieutenant William Thaw, "Flying Corps, Paris. "Mexican trouble finds United States Army with bers Franco-American Coprs can come to serve in Mexican campaign if needed. Aero Club of America will pay transportation of six aviators. "Aero Club of America." The Franco-American Corps is composed of Americans including the following: Lieutenant William Thaw, Sergeant Elliot Cowdin, Norman Prince, Bert Hall, Sergeant Kiffin Rockwell, Corporal J. M. McConnell and M. Balsley. An offer to train three aviators free of charge has been received by the Aero Club of America from the Thomas Brothers Aeroplane Company. As the Aero Club has been flooded with applications from the National Guard of practically every one of the forty-eight States, and from civilians who are anxious to take a course in aviation , this offer of the Thomas Company was very welcome. Following the policy of giving preference to those who asked first, the Executive Committee of the Aero Club selected three officers whose applications were received several months ago. Lieutenant Anthony Sunderland, First Lieutenant Connecticut Coast Artillery Corps, and Mayor of Danbury, Conn. was the first to take advantage of the Thomas Company's offer, and is now training at the Thomas School at Ithaca. Lieutenant H. F. Wakefield, of the Vermont National Guard, and Lieutanant Keeling R. Pulliam, of the Kentucky National Guard have been offered the two remaining Thomas Scholarships. In the event of the Mexican situation preventing any of these officers from taking the course, the scholarships will be granted to Corporal Charles T. Robins, of the Arkansas National Guard, and Lieutenant W. E. Lewis, of the Illinois National Guard. |
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Connecticut Department of Public Safety "In 1935, State Police Commissioner Anthony Sunderland established a Bureau of Identification within the Department of State Police. Fingerprint and mug shot files were created for major cases. In 1941 the State Legislature enacted a bill and officially recognized the State Bureau of Identification as an established part of the state agency. At this stage, forensic services in Connecticut were limited to fingerprints and photography-related procedures only." |
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If you have any more information on this pioneer aviator, please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper Back 
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