On June 10, 2018, the B-17 Combat Crewmen and Wingmen Group, a contingent consisting primarily of Army Air Corps WWII veterans and welcoming veterans of all military branches and spouses, will be meeting at the Long Beach Airport Complex. Glenn Morrison (WB6RLC) and Tom McLean (KJ6DZT) have been invited to meet with the group to discuss the Palm Springs American Legion Post 519 Amateur Radio Club (K6TAL).
Glenn and Tom indicated they are particularly honored to join the group, noting that the American Legion Post 519 was named after U.S. Army Air Corps B-17 pilot Owen Baylis Coffman, killed in action in 1944.
Owen did his first schooling at The Desert Inn and in the third grade he went to Frances Stevens School, now home to the Palm Canyon Theater, until the eighth grade. He then rode the bus for four years to Banning High School graduating in 1938. He attended Stanford earning a bachelor’s degree in 1942. As a student, he enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Corps and came to active duty in 1943.
The American Legion hall in Palm Springs was designed by the architectural firm of Albert Frey and John Clark, the Owen Coffman Post 519 War Memorial building sits on the east side of Belardo Road, facing the O’Donnell Golf Course, on land obtained from Austin and Pearl McManus for $9.90.
The post was chartered in 1939 and its first commander was Earl Coffman, who served in France during World War I. He was the son of Nellie Coffman, founder of the Desert Inn. In the early days, the group held its meetings in the Fiesta Room at the hotel. During World War II, Earl and wife Helen Coffman received the unfortunate news that their son, U.S. Army Air Corps B-17 pilot Owen Baylis Coffman, was killed in action over England. The officers of Post 519 held a special meeting to draft a resolution to rename the post in honor of Owen.
Here is the link to the full history.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56288643/owen-baylis-coffman
