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He was Mr.
Airport
By LES SELLNOW
Editor, Brainerd Daily Dispatch
They called him “Mr. Airport” and Walter Wieland
was just that in the Brainerd community.
He donated so much time and effort to
establishing and developing an airport here that
grateful city officials in 1965 formally named
the airport Walter F. Wieland Field. A plaque in
the administration building says it simply:
“Walter F. Wieland Field. In grateful
appreciation of community service.”
For the modest Wieland, the occasion rendered
him speechless. “It took him totally by
surprise,” his son, Jim, recalls today. “It was
beautiful. There were tears in his eyes.”
The tribute was a deserved one. Wieland, who was
born and reared in Brainerd, had practiced law
here before leaving for Illinois where he
operated the Mt. Vernon Car Company. He returned
to Brainerd in 1947 and renewed what had been a
long-standing love with flying.
It wasn’t long before he was chairman of the
fledging Brainerd Airport Commission. The
airport was in its final phases of construction
in 1948, but there was still much to do in order
to make it a profitable venture and one which
would provide commercial air service.
Wieland threw himself into this project with
energy. “The airport became his whole life,” son
Jim says. “My mother used to accuse him of being
married to the airport. In those days, you could
always find him at one of two places, either at
his office (located on Laurel Street) or at the
airport.”
Almost all of the work that Wieland did on
behalf of the airport was without charge. He
traveled at his own expense and took no pay for
the work he did, even though it far transcended
what would be expected of a chairman of the
airport commission. He used his legal knowledge
to clear title on land and handle myriad other
matters that cropped up as the airport took its
first rather unsteady steps in life.
Wieland had always been interested in flying and
in the early 1960s, he and business partner C.L.
Nelson purchased a Navion. Wieland was taking
flying lessons when he was involved in a traffic
accident in an automobile that nearly took his
life.
The crash occurred just south of Brainerd while
he was on his way to the Twin Cities for a board
meeting of a company he owned. Wieland suffered
a fractured arm and leg and burns when his
vehicle caught fire. He was saved by a nearby
farmer who dragged him from the wreckage. He was
in the hospital for 91 days recuperating and
decided that the injuries should bring a halt to
his pilot aspirations. However, it in no way
diminished his enthusiasm for air travel and his
determination that Brainerd should have the best
small airport in the country.
Many tributes were passed his way at the
dedication ceremony July 30, 1965. Lawrence
McCabe, state commissioner of aeronautics said:
“Without a Mr. Aviation like Walter Wieland,
Brainerd would not have a fine airport like
this—one of the finest in the state. Wieland not
only developed this airport but boosted
aeronautics throughout the state. Several other
cities have patterned their airport commissions
after the one here.
“This event today has the wholehearted support
of the State Department of aeronautics.”
The late Mayor Clyde Gorham gave the dedication
speech. “Too seldom,” he said, “do we pay homage
to the men in our community who contribute so
much. We have gathered here today that we may
recognize and pay tribute to Walter F. Wieland,
the man who furnished the leadership in the
community in making this airport possible.
“We could not afford to buy the service Walter
has rendered and neither can we ever repay him
for his great contribution to this airport, to
our city, our country and to our community.
“He has given unselfishly of his time and
unlimited talent—and he has given thousands of
hours of his time, both of which of course were
necessary in making available these facilities
that our children and grandchildren and children
yet unborn will enjoy. He has done all of this
asking no reward other than the privilege of
having a part in making this airport possible
and in making this a better community.
“When we try to tell in words the things we feel
in our hearts, we become a little embarrassed
about the things we want to say and wonder
whether we are not becoming too sentimental. We
have met today that we might in a small way show
and express our deep appreciation to Walter F.
Wieland, realizing that anything we may do or
anything we may say will only represent a small
token of our gratitude.”
Wieland, who had been summoned to the airport
that day, on the pretext that something needed
his attention, was gracious and modest in
accepting the honor. He used the occasion to
point out the contributions others had made,
such as Les Schroeder, Minnesota’s first
commissioner of aeronautics, former Mayor Levi
Johnson and Alderman Walter Fall, among others.
Also on hand to pay tribute that day were Hal
Carr and Frank Buttomer, president and vice
president of North Central Airline. They
presented a plaque to Wieland in appreciation
for his years of serving as an advisor to North
Central. |
