Kenny Magley, a ditching & crane operator in this area, had his own airport on the first road off Rt.9 North of Columbia City. This road became known as Airport Road, soon after Kenny hung up a big sock to show the direction of the wind, and built a metal garage to house his Waco. Kenny used to start his Waco by having someone else wind the propeller until the motor was tight, then upon the pilot saying "contact" the winding man stepped back, and released the propeller, and the propeller spun around like a windmill. The motor either started with a moan or just died. Magley used to fly on Sunday afternoons. For two dollars, you and your best girl could fly over the lakes, or for a dollar, you could tour over Columbia City. Each tour over town brought Kenny another half a hundred on-lookers. Each of these early flyers took their chances from cows on the field, to groundhog holes covered with hay. Magley wound up in a mass of tangled wreckage when he flew over the site of the Blue Bell plant in Columbia City, while it was under construction. He caught a telephone wire or two and crashed into Mel Miller and a brick laying foreman discussing the layout. Kenny came out with a broken nose and many other injuries. (Charlie White, Columbia Post and Mail, reprinted Wed. Nov 15, 1995) Another article documented a chase he made to foil a bank robbery by dropping bags of flour from his plane for the police to follow. He was an early Indiana flight pioneer. Body donated to University Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN. Kenneth Ellsworth Magley was born 15 Feb 1901 Thorncreek, Whitley, INson of Merrill Forest & Caraline "Clara Brumbaugh Magley. Their only son, he had 5 sisters, Hilda (Reider Mangan), Madge (Stough), Helen Juanita (Phend), Pauline (Doan), Lois (Chapman). He married Mary Audrey Mathias, of Larwill, IN; 24 Dec 1920, they had two daughters, Evelyn & Marilyn, and a son Merrill Dean Magley. They later divorced in the 1960's.