Guide to the Randle H. Egbert Aviation Collection

Biography of Randle H. Egbert, D.D.S.

Randle H. Egbert, D.D.S., is a dentist in the Greater Cincinnati area. He has been involved with Special Collections and Archives on other projects, including the donation of the William Preston Mayfield Collection. These papers reflect his interest in the Wright Brothers and early aviation.

The Egbert Aviation Papers consist primarily of items related to the Wright Brothers. The Wright Brothers were raised in Dayton, Ohio, and in Indiana by their parents, Bishop Milton Wright and Susan Catherine Wright. Books, study, and learning filled their childhood. Orville, with help from Wilbur, set up a printing press and a bicycle shop in Dayton. By 1899, the Wright Brothers had conducted thorough flight research and experimented with flight but realized they needed more wind. Wilbur and Orville Wright developed the first effective airplane and made their first recorded flight in 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where wind conditions were more conducive to their flight experiment. In 1908 Orville became the first person to fly for more than an hour. During the same year, Wilbur flew over 100 flights at Le Mans, France. The Wright Brothers were extremely influential within the aviation community and dramatically impacted the development of aviation technology. Wilbur died at age 45 in 1912. Orville died in 1948 in Dayton and thousands attended his funeral.

Scope and Content

The Egbert Aviation Papers are comprised primarily of newspaper and magazine clippings. Some feature lengthy articles and narratives about the Wright Brothers and others only possess brief mentions of their names or photographs. In addition to the Wright Brothers, there is a small group of other aviation-related material.

The labeling of folders reflects types of material. Arrangement within folders is chronological with undated items placed at end of a folder. Series II continues into Box 2 for ease in finding large materials. Oversized documents removed from Series I are placed at the end of Box 2. Oversize newspapers from Series II are located in oversize storage.

Series I, Aviation Ephemera, is comprised mostly of aviation journals and pamphlets including Aerial Age, Air Trails, The Slipstream, Dayton Motor News, The Camera, Trade Winds, and Aviation and Aeronautical Engineering. It also contains several corporate publications including the Consolidated Vultee Annual Report from 1943, The Bee-Hive from the United Aircraft Corporation, and a Wright Air Development Center Welcome catalog for the class of 1959. There are two songbooks. These songbooks, a large journal, and oversize periodical clippings are placed at the end of Box 2. Included with the periodical clippings is a clipping of the "Route of C.P. Rogers and his Vin-Fiz: World's Record from Coast to Coast."

Series II, Wright Brothers Ephemera, contains clippings from Dayton newspapers from 1908- 2004 featuring accomplishments and news related to the Wright Brothers. The Dayton Daily News and the Dayton Journal-Herald are heavily represented. Many cover memorials made to honor the first flight and a large portion also covers the death of Orville Wright. The series also includes journal article pages related to the Wright Brothers. There is a folder of photocopies collected by Egbert from the New York Times Archives which contain information on the Wright Brothers and publications from the New York Times on the Wright Brothers. Each photocopy is stamped with numerous dates that span wide periods but could refer to publication and subsequent copy dates. Another folder holds photocopies of a bound notebook containing lithographs, photographs, and explanatory notations. No citation provides the origin of the book. Prints of artworks featuring the Wright Brothers are also in the series. There are several copies of lithographs created by V. Mellone which illustrate aviators who flew with Wilbur Wright in Le Mans, France. Memorabilia related to the Wright Brothers includes a 99 Years of Dayton Photography booklet, a set of six "Milestones in Manned Flight" medals, and a pamphlet on the Wright Brothers from Carillon Park. There is a file with clippings about Charles E. Taylor's work with the Wright Brothers. Large newspapers featuring historic events and contributions made to aviation by the Wright Brothers have been placed in map case drawer 74 indicated in the finding aid as "OS-74".

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Restrictions on Access

There are no restrictions on accessing material in this collection.

MS-1: Wright Brothers Collection, MS-37: Aeronautical Ephemera Collection I, MS-71: Henry Stout Wright Brothers Collections, MS-156: Aviation Ephemera II, MS-205: Aviation Ephemera III, MS-226: Aviation Ephemera IV

Six books have been separated from the collection, catalogued and placed in the Special Collection and Archives stacks. Newspapers have been separated, foldered, and placed into oversize storage.

Subject Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

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Preferred Citation

[Box #, Folder #], MS-389, Randle H. Egbert Aviation Papers, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.

Acquisition Information

The Egbert Aviation Papers were deposited at Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University by Randle H. Egbert, D.D.S. in December 2007.

Other Finding Aid

This finding aid is available on the Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University Libraries website at
https://wright.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/23.

Detailed Description of The Randle H. Egbert Aviation Collection