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One of Canada’s greatest chroniclers and preservers of our aviation history has died. Robert “Bob” W. Bradford, CM passed away in Toronto on 25 May, 2023. He was just shy of 100 years of age, having been born on 17 December 1923, twenty years to the day after the Wright Bothers’ flights at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.
Robert Bradford was a pivotal player in the long quest to provide a fitting home for the significant collection of material reflecting Canada’s aviation heritage. Thanks to his determination that the collection be housed in a facility that could safeguard it and share it, the first delta shaped building at Rockcliffe was funded, built, set up and opened in the 1980s. It largely removed the spectre of fire that had hovered for years over the priceless collection in its former wartime hangars. All Canadians are in his debt for having accomplished this. He retired from the Museum and was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1989, a year after the new building opened.
In addition to his legacy as a museum builder, Robert was the dean of Canada’s aviation artists. His brilliant output over 60 years was prodigious and he practiced his skills right to the end. He created the art for series of stamps and undertook both private and important public commissions. Probably his best-known works are a series of paintings he did for the (then) National Aeronautical Collection depicting significant events in Canada’s aviation history. They were released as lithographs and sold in the thousands. Those originals of his masterpieces not donated to or bought by public museums or business corporations are highly prized by their appreciative owners and much sought after.
Robert was a gentleman in the finest sense and it was a great privilege to have known him and to have followed in his footsteps.
For a full biography of Robert W. Bradford, CM’s life and his significant contributions to Canada, please follow the link to his page on the web site for Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame into which he was inducted as a member in 1996: https://cahf.ca/robert-william-bradford/
Robert W. Bradford, CM (left) and the Museum’s Chief Pilot, McKee Trophy winner George Neal
with the Museum’s Hawker (Afghan) Hind, restored by Neal, at Rockcliffe on Canada Day, 1989.
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- Written by: D. R. MacNeil
COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE
LA SOCIÉTÉ DU MUSÉE NATIONAL DE L’AVIATION ANNONCE UN DON POUR 2022
LE MUSÉE DE L’AVIATION ET DE L’ESPACE DU CANADA RECEVRA 10 000 $ POUR APPUYER UNE NOUVELLE EXPOSITION SUR LA GUERRE FROIDE
Ottawa – 11 janvier 2023
Christopher Terry, président de la Société du Musée national de l’aviation (SMNA), est heureux d’annoncer un don de 10 000 $ à la Fondation Ingenium pour appuyer le Musée de l’aviation et de l’espace du Canada (MAEC).
La contribution de cette année servira à soutenir la nouvelle exposition du Musée sur la Guerre froide et le rôle joué par l’Aviation royale canadienne (ARC) tout au long de cette période de tensions et de dangers. L’exposition ouvrira ses portes en avril 2024 dans le cadre des célébrations du centenaire de l’ARC.
Terry a souligné : « L’Aviation royale canadienne est intimement liée au développement du Canada moderne. Depuis un siècle, ses membres se consacrent sans hésiter, et en payant souvent un prix élevé, au service de notre pays. C’est avec une grande fierté que notre Société s’allie au Musée de l’aviation et de l’espace du Canada pour rendre hommage au personnel de l’ARC et à ses réalisations au cours des cent dernières années. »
La Société du Musée national de l’aviation (SMNA) a été créée il y a plus de 40 ans par un groupe enthousiaste de passionnés d’histoire de l’aviation canadienne qui, grâce à leurs pressions auprès du gouvernement du Canada, ont réussi à deux reprises à obtenir des installations adéquates pour héberger la collection du Musée national de l’aviation du Canada. La SMNA poursuit son rôle de défenseur indépendant des intérêts du Musée .
La Société continue d’être soutenue par un large éventail de membres qui partagent un profond engagement envers le Musée, l’intégrité de sa collection incomparable et la promotion de l’histoire de l’aviation et de l’espace au Canada.
La SMNA permet également aux personnes qui appuient les activités du Musée de l’aviation et de l’espace du Canada d’apporter leur soutien financier à des projets qui les intéressent particulièrement. On peut citer, entre autres, l’aide à la remise en état d’aéronefs, l’échange d’informations sur la collection en ligne, et la contribution à des programmes éducatifs pour les jeunes. À ce jour, les membres engagés de la Société ont contribué plus de 140 000 $ à ce genre de projets. Le don de cette année est le plus récent de cette longue tradition de soutien financier.
Pour obtenir de plus amples informations sur la Société du Musée national de l’aviation, vous pouvez communiquer avec :
Christopher Terry
Président
Société du Musée national de l’aviation
Pour obtenir plus de renseignements sur la Fondation Ingenium, veuillez communiquer avec :
Elizabeth (Beth) Dimsdale
Chef d’équipe, Philanthropie et dons testamentaires / Head of Philanthropy & Legacy Giving
Ingenium - Musées des sciences et de l’innovation du Canada / Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation
edimsdale@ingeniumcanada
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- Written by: D. R. MacNeil
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- Written by: D. R. MacNeil
PRESS RELEASE
NATIONAL AVIATION MUSEUM SOCIETY ANNOUNCES 2022 DONATION
CANADA AVIATION AND SPACE MUSEUM TO RECEIVE $10,000 TO SUPPORT NEW COLD WAR EXHIBITION
Ottawa – 13 January, 2023
Christopher Terry, President of the National Aviation Museum Society (NAMS) is pleased to announce a $10,000 donation to the Ingenium Foundation in support of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum (CASM).
This year’s contribution will be used to support the Museum’s new exhibition on the Cold War and the role played by the RCAF throughout that tense and dangerous period. The exhibition will open in April 2024 in support of the centenary celebrations of the RCAF.
Terry noted “The RCAF is inextricably linked to the development of modern Canada and for one hundred years its members have dedicated themselves without hesitation and often at great cost to our country’s service. It is with considerable pride that our Society supports the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in saluting the people of the RCAF and their century of accomplishments”.
The National Aviation Museum Society was established over 40 years ago by a passionate group of Canadian aviation history enthusiasts who twice successfully lobbied the Government of Canada about the need for proper housing for Canada’s national aviation museum collection. NAMS continues its independent advocacy role to this day.
NAMS continues to be supported by a widely-based membership who share a deep commitment to the Museum, the integrity of its incomparable collection and the presentation of the Canadian aviation and space story.
The Society also provides a means whereby people supporting the activities of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum may channel financial support to projects of particular interest. Past initiatives have ranged from assistance for specific aircraft restorations to helping share information about the collection online and for underwriting youth educational programs. To date, dedicated NAMS members have donated over $140,000 for such work. This year’s donation is the latest in this long history of financial support.
More information on NAMS can be obtained by contacting:
Christopher Terry
President
Aviation Museum Society
For information on the Ingenium Foundation contact:
Elizabeth (Beth) Dimsdale
Head of Philanthropy & Legacy Giving | Chef d'équipe, Philanthropie et dons testamentaires
Ingenium - Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation | Musées des sciences et de l'innovation du Canada
