Dear Sir:

        I saw your ad in June SOUTHERN LIVING about your Roscoe Turner
Hot Air Balloon Days and my curiousity was aroused.  I am wondering if
the Roscoe Turner who used to fly in the 1920's was from Corinth.  We
were living in Florence, Alabama about 1924 or 25 and Roscoe Turner came
and took up passengers in his little two seater and I was about five
years old and my father, mother, myself and younger brother all went up.
They made a picture and it was printed in the Florence paper as a family
going up for their first plane ride.  I had the clipping for many years
but it has disappeared but that ride is among my earliest memories and
for years it made me feel very special to say I went up in a plane so
many years ago.
        The name Roscoe Turner stuck in my memory and he was an aviator
before his time I think and am glad if he is the one being honored.  I
wonder if it is the same family and are some of his survivors living in
Corinth?  Thanking you I am,

Yours truly,

ELAINE CURTIS

2020 Lauderdale Street
Selma, Alabama 36701
June 16, 1993

P.S. My parents were Eastep(s and lived in Florence, but my mother was
originally from Burnsville, Mississippi and she was a Woodruff.

        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

June 26, 1993

Dear Milton:

        I want to thank you for your nice letter and the picture and
letters regarding Roscoe Turner.  His picture is exactly as I remember
him and he certainly made a memorable impression on a young girl.
        After receiving your letter, I went back thru all the old papers
and could not find any of the old Florence papers.  It is most
interesting that you are doing research on Roscoe and was also
interesting to me that his sister is still living.  My mother was Edna
Woodruff from Booneville, Miss and she was the youngest of 10 children
and I am sure I still have cousins in that area but none of the origianl
10 are living.   My father was Clarence V. Eastep and born in Florence
in 1889.  It was most interesting about Muscle Shoals for my father did
sidewalk construction in that area during the time you mentioned.  It was
most likely in Sheffield where we got on our plane ride for it seems that
my father and Roscoe became friends when he used to come to that area. My
father was also of a family of 10 but I do not recall any of the family
being present for our ride.  I remember mother telling me later that she
would never have gotten in that plane had not my father taken me in his
arms and climbed in it and when she saw he was serious she had my younger
brother in her arms she climbed aboard.  He was four years younger and
that is why I know it had to be 1924-25 for we left Florence shortly
after that and went to Miami, Fla and were in one of the worst hurricanes
there about 1926 and were literally Blown out of Florida and settled in
Selma about 1927 and I have been here ever since.  I am a widow of 73
years old and the last of my family.  Mother was the one who saved papers
and things of interest but she died in 1965 and the papers I went thru
were hers.  Most of the ones now are of World War II for my husband and
brothers were in that war.
        One of my father's brothers, William S. Eastep was mayor of
Florence in the 1930's and his daughter is still living in Florence and I
have other cousins there but as you can tell from my typing and so I have
not been able to drive and am dependent on others so I do not get to
travel as we used to.  When my husband lived we travelled so much and I
miss that so much.  My father was the daredevil and he loved travelling
so know that is one thing inherited from him as well as his height for he
was tall for his time.
        I do wish you great success in your research and am so grateful
that a book is being written about Roscoe for he was truly a pioneer of
aviators.  Thank you again for taking the time to send me all the
information.  I am,

        Sincerely,
        Elaine Curtis