Thomas Truax was an aviator with the Army Air Corps. On 11/2/1941, Truax was on a training mission near San Rafael, CA., when his plane crashed into the side of a mountain. It was estimated that the plane was traveling at about 400 mph at the time. Truax died on impact.
In 1942, Madison's new airport was given the name Truax Field, in honor of Lt. Thomas Truax.
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"Bud" Truax was an outstanding athlete at Wisconsin high school here in 1935 and 36, he played for Coach Russell Rippe, who is now freshman football coach at the university.
Graduated Here in 1939
He attended the university, but was too light for intercollegiate athletics. He graduated in 1939 with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy, having been a member of Chi Psi fraternity. During the early months of his senior year he had taken the physical examinations of both the Army and Navy and passed both. He chose to enter the Army Air Corp.
In August, 1939, he entered primary training school at St. Louis, MO and after nine weeks went to Randolph field at San Antonio, Tex. He took his final flying training at Brooksfield, near the same city and was named a First Lieutenant last May. He married Miss Zink here May 27, 1940 and the couple lived at army posts in Virginia and Florida before going to Long Island. They visited here during the past summer.
Surviving Lieut. Truax are his father, a technician at the Forest Products Laboratory, mother Lena T. Truax, sister, Mary Eleanor and brothers, Donald Truax an employee of the Madison Newspapers and Paul Truax.
Partial Article - Capital Times (Madison WI) – November 3, 1941
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wisconsin Veterans Museum 2020 Virtual "Talking Spirits" presentation;
https://youtu.be/X8ej7xuExvM
In 1942, Madison's new airport was given the name Truax Field, in honor of Lt. Thomas Truax.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Bud" Truax was an outstanding athlete at Wisconsin high school here in 1935 and 36, he played for Coach Russell Rippe, who is now freshman football coach at the university.
Graduated Here in 1939
He attended the university, but was too light for intercollegiate athletics. He graduated in 1939 with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy, having been a member of Chi Psi fraternity. During the early months of his senior year he had taken the physical examinations of both the Army and Navy and passed both. He chose to enter the Army Air Corp.
In August, 1939, he entered primary training school at St. Louis, MO and after nine weeks went to Randolph field at San Antonio, Tex. He took his final flying training at Brooksfield, near the same city and was named a First Lieutenant last May. He married Miss Zink here May 27, 1940 and the couple lived at army posts in Virginia and Florida before going to Long Island. They visited here during the past summer.
Surviving Lieut. Truax are his father, a technician at the Forest Products Laboratory, mother Lena T. Truax, sister, Mary Eleanor and brothers, Donald Truax an employee of the Madison Newspapers and Paul Truax.
Partial Article - Capital Times (Madison WI) – November 3, 1941
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wisconsin Veterans Museum 2020 Virtual "Talking Spirits" presentation;
https://youtu.be/X8ej7xuExvM
Thomas Truax was an aviator with the Army Air Corps. On 11/2/1941, Truax was on a training mission near San Rafael, CA., when his plane crashed into the side of a mountain. It was estimated that the plane was traveling at about 400 mph at the time. Truax died on impact.
In 1942, Madison's new airport was given the name Truax Field, in honor of Lt. Thomas Truax.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Bud" Truax was an outstanding athlete at Wisconsin high school here in 1935 and 36, he played for Coach Russell Rippe, who is now freshman football coach at the university.
Graduated Here in 1939
He attended the university, but was too light for intercollegiate athletics. He graduated in 1939 with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy, having been a member of Chi Psi fraternity. During the early months of his senior year he had taken the physical examinations of both the Army and Navy and passed both. He chose to enter the Army Air Corp.
In August, 1939, he entered primary training school at St. Louis, MO and after nine weeks went to Randolph field at San Antonio, Tex. He took his final flying training at Brooksfield, near the same city and was named a First Lieutenant last May. He married Miss Zink here May 27, 1940 and the couple lived at army posts in Virginia and Florida before going to Long Island. They visited here during the past summer.
Surviving Lieut. Truax are his father, a technician at the Forest Products Laboratory, mother Lena T. Truax, sister, Mary Eleanor and brothers, Donald Truax an employee of the Madison Newspapers and Paul Truax.
Partial Article - Capital Times (Madison WI) – November 3, 1941
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wisconsin Veterans Museum 2020 Virtual "Talking Spirits" presentation;
https://youtu.be/X8ej7xuExvM
In 1942, Madison's new airport was given the name Truax Field, in honor of Lt. Thomas Truax.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Bud" Truax was an outstanding athlete at Wisconsin high school here in 1935 and 36, he played for Coach Russell Rippe, who is now freshman football coach at the university.
Graduated Here in 1939
He attended the university, but was too light for intercollegiate athletics. He graduated in 1939 with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy, having been a member of Chi Psi fraternity. During the early months of his senior year he had taken the physical examinations of both the Army and Navy and passed both. He chose to enter the Army Air Corp.
In August, 1939, he entered primary training school at St. Louis, MO and after nine weeks went to Randolph field at San Antonio, Tex. He took his final flying training at Brooksfield, near the same city and was named a First Lieutenant last May. He married Miss Zink here May 27, 1940 and the couple lived at army posts in Virginia and Florida before going to Long Island. They visited here during the past summer.
Surviving Lieut. Truax are his father, a technician at the Forest Products Laboratory, mother Lena T. Truax, sister, Mary Eleanor and brothers, Donald Truax an employee of the Madison Newspapers and Paul Truax.
Partial Article - Capital Times (Madison WI) – November 3, 1941
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wisconsin Veterans Museum 2020 Virtual "Talking Spirits" presentation;
https://youtu.be/X8ej7xuExvM
