Moffett Museum to reopen Moffett Museum to reopen (April 08, 2005)

Hardy volunteers would not let field's heritage go unseen

By Allison Gerard

For the past three years the model aircraft, old uniforms, medals and photos have been stored away in Hanger One, all but forgotten by everyone but a group of men and women who refused to let the history of Moffett Field be forgotten.

Forced to close in January 2002 due to contamination problems in Hangar One, the Moffett Field History Museum is opening its doors to the public again on April 13.

Kay Case, the secretary of the Moffett Field Historical Society said the museum became a reality again because of "the sheer guts and willpower of a couple of old men and women."

These old men and women were alive during the heyday of Moffett, when the 785-foot USS Macon could be seen cruising the skies above the Peninsula. The USS Macon and its sister ship, the Akron, were rigid airships that first came to Moffett in 1933.

The dirigibles were built to be the chief scouts of the Pacific Fleet, but by 1935 both had crashed, forcing President Roosevelt to abandon the costly lighter-than-air program. Despite their short reign they left a lasting impression on Moffett and the people who remember them. "It would be criminal to not share the history of Moffett with the public," said Case, whose husband flew P-3 antisubmarine aircraft as part of a patrol squadron.

The Moffett Field Historical Society has worked tirelessly to figure out how and where the museum could reopen, meeting every Wednesday since it closed due to the discovery of PCBs and lead inside Hangar One. The museum's new home is right beside the hangar in the building that was formerly part of the Navy Exchange and most recently the Computer Science Museum.

Since moving in September a group of about a dozen volunteers have been working religiously on the building. All of the funding for the museum came from membership fees and donations. Through the help of volunteers, the museum will be ready on April 12, when it opens for members of the historical society. The date is significant, because it marks the 72nd anniversary of the commissioning of the Naval Air Station in 1933.

The displays, artifacts, memorabilia, photographs, library and model aircraft inside the museum chronicle five significant time periods in Moffett's history, from 1933 to 1999.

The museum will be open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
E-mail Allison Gerard at agerard@mv-voice.com

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