Tonight's The Night! NWA History Centre on Public Television

Norm Midthun and Red Sutter being filmed for "Lost Twin Cities 4"

A reminder....

Lost Twin Cities 4 will premiere tonight, Wednesday, August 13th at 8:00 pm on tpt Channel 2. It will feature a segment about NWA in the 1950’s – the “luxurious” days of flying, 

and how it transitioned into the jet-age of the l960’s and early 1970’s.  It will be a pledge show—which means it is scheduled in a 2 hour block to accommodate pledges.

Telling the history of NWA and sharing their memories:

Jack El-Hai, Author:  “Non – Stop”  a Turbulent History of Northwest Airlines

Retired stewardesses:  Anne B. Kerr and Fay Kulenkamp 

Retired pilots:  Homer “Red” Sutter and Norm Midthun

The Northwest Airlines segment of Lost Twin Cities 4 was filmed, by Twin Cities Public Television, at the NWA History Centre.

Currently scheduled airdates:

tpt Channel 2:

   Wednesday, August 13th at 8:00 pm

   Saturday, August 16th at 7:00 pm

   Sunday, August 17th at 2:00 pm

tpt LIFE:

    Sunday, August 17th at 8:00 pm

For any additional airdates and times, please check your local listings.

As promised, here is video of Boeing 377 Stratocruiser Giant RC Model in Flight

Lost Twin Cities 4 Preview

As Northwest Airlines In-Flight Food Service Manager, Al Carriveau Knew How to "Dish"

I am sad to report that Al Carriveau passed away May 3.  Al was a retired 38-year employee of NWA, former board member of Wings Financial and at the time of his death, still serving as a Director for the NWA History Centre, which he co-founded in 2002.

Third Anniversary of the NWAHC in 2005
Directors John Peterson, Pete Patzke,  Jerry Nielsen and Al Carriveau; in the
middle is Geoff Jones, author of Northwest Airlines, the First 80 Years 

You Dined the Best when you Flew Northwest! Al traveled the world for Northwest, setting up airline food service in far-flung destinations.  "Northwest had flight kitchens where meals were prepared from scratch in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Billings, Seattle, Anchorage and Tokyo," Al recalled. We also operated bars and restaurants in several airports."

Visitors to the History Centre may peruse a 238-page food service manual that Northwest used during Al's era when Northwest passengers actually complimented servers after the meal.  Affectionately nicknamed the "Bullwinkel Book", after a vice president of the airline, you can scan almost 500 recipes in twelve food categories.

Some tempting offerings include Veal Scallopine with Marsala wine, "Garden of Eden Pie," and Swedish Cardamon Bread.  My all time favorite was, of course, the Fujiyama hors d'euvres tray, which I served on the Boeing B-377 Stratocruiser with champagne and scented Oshibori Towels before the prime rib dinner in the 1950s.

Fujiyama Tray made by Anne and her son Rick for her book launch at the NWAHC
Al said it was "pretty close to the original," high praise, I felt.

Al and Anne speaking at the book launch of Fuiyama Trays & Oshibori Towels in 2009

Al welcomed me warmly in 2009 when I became a Director at the NWAHC.  He was a gentleman who had vast knowledge of our dear departed airline and it's people. I loved his stories, his ideas, and especially the twinkle in his eye.  I will miss him.

Happy Birthday Robert Reardon! 90 Years Young Today. And Still Flying !!!

Bob Reardon and Bonnie Vork in B-377 Stratocruiser galley 1950s
Photo taken in flight by Anne Billingsley, Lady Skywriter

After 56 years of flying, featured in American Express  magazine, Departures, Mar-April 2008

Bob and Anne at "Remembering Donald Nyrop" event at NWA History Centre, June, 2011
See Summer Special Edition 2011 Reflections page 2

Mary Ann Gallagher, Bill Marchessault, Bob Reardon, Fay Kulenkamp and Maggie McMahon
NWA flight attendants in vintage uniforms at "Remembering Donald Nyrop", June, 2011

To mark Bob's 60 years of service, a huge celebration was held at the Officer's Club at MSP.  Pictured here,
Mitch (Radisson Narita) and Bob with event planners extraordinaire Richard Moody and Lori Rothmund
See Fall, 2011 Reflections, page 9

Jean Carlson Schreier, Bob and Anne at 60th

NRT Earthquake Flight Crew with Bob at Center back
See story in June 2011 Reflections, page 3

So what's next, Bob?  Are you up for another party?  Your 65th Anniversary is coming up in 2016.

Happy, happy birthday and many more.  I loved flying to D.C. with you, first eating lunch at Bassins and then doing the town.  That was back when Ike was president and Elvis was "king."  And we got to work on the Stratocruiser.  Grand Memories.

Best wishes for many more from your old flying partner, Anne (Lady Skywriter) Billingsley Kerr

Behind the Scenes with TPT (Ch 2) at NWA History Centre April, 2014

Later this summer, Ch 2 will take a look at another "lost" Twin Cities gem:  Northwest Airlines

Wayne Snyder, NWAHC BOD with Elaine Mielke, volunteer, at NWA Museum door

Lost Twin Cities IV Assistant Producer Leya Hale taking a "selfie."

TV production equipment everywhere

Leya "powdering" retired NWA F/A Fay Kulenkamp and sound engineer Eric "wiring" Anne Kerr (Lady Skywriter)

Fay and Anne during the interview

Retired NWA Captains get ready: Norm Midthun getting "wired" and Red Sutter signing his life away

Where did that red tail go, Red?

Fay and producer Lisa Blackstone with Anne's old uniform (top) and Fay's green "caterpillar" uniform (bottom)

Norm, Anne and Fay

Stay tuned for future details as to the showing date. . . . . .

Photos by Joe Callaci, Bob Johnson and Anne Kerr

"What are you running, an airline or a whorehouse?"

United Airlines

The title of this blog is what Representative Martha Griffiths said in a 1964 Congressional hearing, after airline executives testified that it was imperative for businessmen that attractive women light their cigars and fix drinks.

I came across this gem in Amy Bloom's review of Gail Collins' new book "When Everything Changed," in The New York Times this week.

In it she chronicles American women's social and political history, and uses the experience of flight attendants to illustrate one of the ways our world has changed since then. When the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was established, Collins tells us, its first complainants were stewardesses, and airline executives found themselves in Congressional hearings.

Sadly, it was too late for Lady Skywriter, who had to "retire" four years earlier in 1960 because she got married. Had she not gotten married, she could have kept her job until her 32nd birthday, when she would have had to "resign" due to old age. But by then the rules would have changed and who knows? She might still be flying the Orient today, alongside Bob Reardon, who is still flying for NWA, ... er Delta, at 85 years of age.

Bob Reardon and Bonnie Vork in the galley of a Boeing Stratocruiser in 1957

Fujiyma rays & Oshibori Towels, recalling a time when passenger flight was an adventure and the Boeing Stratocruiser ruled the skies by Anne Billingsley Kerr now available on Amazon.