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An informal view of U. S. Senator Arthur Capper of Kansas, Kirk Mechem, Topeka mayor Herbert G. Barrett, and Robert T. Billard, on the occasion of the Billard family's presentation of WWI pilot Phillip Billard's Longren No. 5 biplane to the Kansas State Historical Society at the Memorial Building in Topeka, Kansas. A native of Topeka, Phillip Billard (born Louis Phillip Billard) was well known in the Topeka area for his flying skills in the early days of aviation. When the U. S. entered World War I, Billard volunteered for service in the United States Army as a pilot. He was stationed in France, and assigned the dangerous duty of test pilot. On July 24, 1918, Philip Billard was killed when the DeHaviland 4 aircraft he was testing crashed. His own Longren No. 5 biplane, built by Topeka-based aircraft manufacturer, Albin K. Longren, remained in storage in the Billard family's garage in Topeka for the next two decades. In 1938, his older brother, Robert Billard, donated Phillip's Longren No. 5 biplane to the Kansas State Historical Society. In 1940, the Philip Billard Airport in Topeka, Kansas, was dedicated to his memory.
Date: July 26, 1938
Item Number: 208995
Call Number: B Capper, Arthur *88
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 208995
Business and Industry - Occupations/Professions - Politicians
Collections - Photograph
Date - 1930s - 1930
Government and Politics - Federal Government - Congress - Senate - Capper, Arthur
Government and Politics - State Government - State agencies and programs - Agencies - Kansas State Historical Society
Objects and Artifacts - Communication Artifacts - Documentary Artifact - Photograph
People - Notable Kansans - Capper, Arthur, 1865-1951
Places - Cities and towns - Topeka
Places - Counties - Shawnee
Type of Material - Photographs
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/208995