July 5, 1994
  Dear Milton,

          My father spent many hours photographing airplanes at Chicago
  Municipal Airport (now Midway).  On August 28, 1937, my father witnessed
  the debut and test flight of Roscoe Turner's Meteor.  The Comet and the
  Meteor were rolled across Cicero Ave. from Matty Laird's shop.  The
  planes, the press and a small crowd waited on the apron in front of the
  Air Associates hangar on the south perimeter of the airport.  Roscoe
  finally arrived in his usual style to greet the press.  He posed for a
  while and then the fuel was pumped into the Meteor.  My father said that
  he helped hand pump the fuel out of a 55 gal. drum.  The fuel tank had a
  small leak and it flowed down the bottom of the fuselage to the tail
  skid.  Roscoe was not concerned.  He warmed up, taxied out and took off
  in a steep climb and disappeared.  When he didn't return, everyone
  thought that he crashed.  To my best knowledge, a phone call came in
  later that Roscoe landed at Lansing, Il. airport.

          As far as I know, Roscoe's backup pilot, Joe Mackey, was there to
  check out and warm up the Turner Wedell Williams Comet.  Roscoe crash
  landed the Comet and that racer was also rebuilt by Matty Laird.

          My father knew Roscoe and many other air racing pilots.  He went
  to several of the Cleveland Air Races.  He photographed airplanes all of
  his life.  He was at an airport only a few hours before he died at home
  last November, 1993.  My father left me his photo collection and many
  other precious things.  Most of all he left me with his loving memory
  that I will have all of my life.

          I have enclosed some of his photos that I have printed from his
  original negatives.  They were taken on that hot August day in 1937.  If
  you have or acquire any extra programs, tickets, etc, I would be happy to
  accept something as a trade for these photos.  I am currently looking for
  items that would be in the 1920's and earlier.  I do have some extra
  programs that are the years that Roscoe won the Thompson Trophy Race.  I
  would also consider trading these for earlier air meet programs.

          If you do display my father's phtographs, I would certainly
  appreciate your giving him his photo credit in some discrete way.  I can
  also make larger photos at a reasonable cost, my cost.

                                  Sincerely,

                                  Pete Kramer



        Pete Kramer to Milton Sandy, Jr. -  July 5, 1994

        Mr. Pete Kramer
        P.O. Box 52
        Glen Ellyn, IL 60138

        708.627.4051

        Photos donated to Northeast Mississippi Museum credited to:

        Clarence B. Kramer, Memorial Aviation Collection