WAYNE W. PARRISH PAPERS
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library
West Branch, Iowa
The Wayne W. Parrish Papers consist of approximately 10.4 linear feet of material documenting the career of this noted aviation journalist and publisher (1907-1984). Parrish was the founder and editor of American Aviation magazine, as well as the owner of its parent company, American Aviation Publications, Inc., from 1937 until 1969.
Biography
Wayne William Parrish was born on May 2, 1907 in Decatur, Illinois. After high school, Parrish, who had decided upon journalism as a career, attended the University of Illinois, but dropped out after not finding it to his liking. He subsequently enrolled at Columbia University, where he received his bachelor's degree and master's degree in journalism. After graduating from Columbia in 1930, Parrish received a Pulitzer Traveling Scholarship that enabled him to travel to Europe for the first time, which as he later acknowledged, sparked the interest in travel that marked his later life and career. In 1935 Parrish married Frances Knight, whose similar interest in travel later found an outlet in her career with the U.S. Department of State, where she was head of the Passport Office from 1955-1977.
Early in his career Parrish wrote for the Decatur (Illinois) Herald, the New York Herald-Tribune, the Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Herald and Examiner, and Literary Digest. In 1935 he assumed the editorship of National Aeronautics Association Magazine, which proved to be good preparation for his subsequent venture, the founding of American Aviation Publications in 1937, based in Washington, DC. The flagship publication of this new company was the trade magazine American Aviation, which soon established its popularity within the still-young aviation industry. From this beginning, Parrish's company branched out into a variety of publications that served the aerospace industry, such as American Aviation Daily (1940), Missiles and Rockets (1956), Missile Space Daily (1963) and the annual publications American Aviation Directory (1940), Who's Who in World Aviation (1954), and World Space Directory (1962).
During the decades following the establishment of his company, Parrish became recognized as a knowledgeable and trusted insider in matters relating to both civil and military aviation. An active member of the Aviation Writers Association, he was named President of that organization in 1943, and also received awards for excellence in aviation writing from TWA from 1938-1940, and won first place in a national competition for aviation writing sponsored by that airline in 1944. During 1944, he was also invited to Great Britain as a guest of the Ministry of Aircraft Production, and was accredited as a war correspondent with the U.S. Navy, which sent him to the South Pacific Theatre. These trips provided material for an ongoing column he wrote for Liberty magazine titled "On the Beam."
With the expansion in his company's activities, Parrish traveled increasingly not only throughout the United States, but internationally as well. Some of his friends recognized his talents at spinning stories related to these travels, and encouraged him to write a regular column about them. Therefore, in 1949 Parrish's column "En Route" appeared for the first time in American Aviation, where it remained a fixture for the next twenty years. Parrish often mixed business with pleasure on his trips, meeting with executives of aviation companies in foreign countries as well as taking in the sights, as any other tourist would do. This latter activity also enabled him to critique the services that airlines provided to their passengers, and his tips and insights, as well as occasional political commentary were often conveyed in his published columns.
In 1969, Parrish sold his interest in American Aviation Publications, Inc. to the Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. By this time a semi-retired millionaire, he agreed to work as a consultant for Ziff-Davis. However, in 1973 the Chairman of Pan American World Airways, William Seawell, asked Parrish to join that company as his Special Representative. In this capacity, Parrish acted as Seawell's "eyes and ears," travelling around the world meeting with employees of the airline, whose impressions he conveyed back to Seawell. Parrish also critiqued the airline's operations and service to passengers in his frequent memoranda to Seawell. Parrish resigned from Pan Am in 1978, yet continued to stay active within aviation circles by working with a newly formed company, Aviation Publications Group, which published Airline Executive among other magazines.
Parrish died in November 1984.
Scope and contents
The Wayne W. Parrish Papers are divided into the following series:
Business Papers (Boxes 1-4)
This series contains papers documenting the administration of American Aviation Publications as well other companies that Parrish was affiliated with, and measures approximately 1.7 linear feet. The files on American Aviations Publications also contain an extensive sub-series of photographs, depicting a variety of activities and staff from the 1940s and 1950s. The business series also includes a fairly complete set of files of Parrish’s memoranda while at Pan Am, which provide a glimpse inside of this company during the mid 1970s, when the airline industry was on the brink of deregulation and was faced with rising operating costs and sharper competition.
Travel Series (Boxes 4-17)
Within the 10.4 linear feet of the Parrish Papers, the largest series consists of files relating to his travels (5.4 linear feet). This series contains correspondence, photographs, maps, brochures, and ephemera that document most of his international trips from 1944-1981, as well as detailed mileage logs that he kept of his flights from the mid-1930s until 1970.
Writings (Boxes 18-22)
This series, totaling 1.7 linear feet, contains Parrish’s published columns and articles as well as his speeches. The latter, which range from the late 1930s through the 1970s, display Parrish’s thoughts about military aviation during World War II as well as the development of civil aviation afterwards, with the later speeches also expressing his political opinions during these years.
The remainder of the collection is divided between Miscellaneous Papers (Boxes 22-23) and Family Papers (Boxes 24-25).
Wayne W. Parrish Papers
Box and Folder Inventory
I. Business Papers
Box Folder title
1 American Aviation Publications, Inc.
Contracts: Wayne W. Parrish, Consultant, 1962-1973
Correspondence
Readers
1937
1941-1942
30th anniversary, 1967
Memoranda
Henzey, William, 1958-1972
Ziff-Davis takeover, 1966
Minutes
Board of Directors meetings, 1967-1968
Stockholders annual meetings, 1958-1969
Photographs
Awards
Eric Bramley and three others, receiving awards, ca. 1940s
Eric Bramley, Robert Wood, and Wayne Parrish, receiving awards from TWA, 1941
Various trophies and awards received by American Aviation Publications, 1938-1948
Bill Perreault, Eric Bramley, and Gerard Dobben receiving TWA Writers Contest awards, 1949
Gerard Dobben, Harman International Trophy, 1950. Pictured with Lt. Gen. James Doolittle (left) and Secretary
of the Air Force Thomas K. Finletter (right)
Fred Hunter, West Coast editor, receiving award on behalf of Parrish, California Wing of Air Force Association, Fresno, March 1, 1952
Events
Wayne Parrish, with unidentified men, at airfield, ca. 1940
News and editorial staff at inspection trip, American Airlines training facility, LaGuardia Field, New York, March 1940 (3)
Cocktail party hosted by American Aviation, to introduce the Universal Airline Schedules, Chicago, March 29, 1943. 2 positive prints, 3 negatives.
Wayne Parrish with representatives of Northwest Orient Airlines, no date, ca. 1940s. (2)
Wayne Parrish addressing the ATA Engineering and Maintenance Conference, Kansas City, MO,
March 23, 1949
Christening of American Aviation Publications' plane, "Flying Reporter," October 27, 1950 (7)
Cocktail party following christening of "Flying Reporter," evening of October 27, 1950 (5)
Unidentified reception, airline executives, June 1952 (26)
A.M. "Sime" Bertolet, president, Reading Aviation Service, with
actor Herb Shriner and American Aviation writer George Shaw, 1957.
Four airline executives with parody of American Aviation Daily, at Airline Interline Sales Conference, Honolulu, September 1958
Harold Crary, United Airlines, holds copy of first
passenger air schedule from 1928, which he
edited, and current Official Airline Guide, March 1959
Wayne Parrish and Gastone Marchesani, public relations, Alitalia,
at Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome, February 1961
Wayne Parrish relaxing on board a GE Caravelle, flight to Ireland,
May 1961
Flint Michigan Traffic Club, address by Paul Rodgers, Ozark Airlines, January 18, 1962
Reception for airline executives, hosted by Airlift magazine,
Washington DC, January 29, 1962-Contact prints (3)
Reception for airline executives, hosted by Airlift magazine,
Washington DC, January 29, 1962-Regular prints
Wayne Parrish, Frances K. Parrish, Eric Bramley, and FAA chief Najeeb Halaby
Wayne and Frances Parrish greet Alan Boyd, chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board. Leonard Eiserer in background.
Wayne and Frances Parrish with Frank Hulse, Southern Airlines
Wayne Parrish and Keith Kahle, Central Airlines
Group portraits (2)
Photographs of additional guests (12)
Meeting of local airline executives with Alan Boyd, Chairman,Civil Aeronautics Board, Washington, January 30, 1962 (22)
TWA Ford Tri-Motor Flight, June 1963 (8)
Wayne Parrish with General Eric Nelson and Dr. Randolph Lovelace, Round-the-World-Flight, Honolulu, 1965
Christening of AAP Piper Aztec, 1965
Ziff-Davis takeover, 1969
Reception held at Parrish's Washington DC home, 1969 (4)
Wayne Parrish with E.B. Jeppesen, first Continental Airlines 747 flight to Denver, ca. 1970.
Dinner given by Boeing Corporation at "21" restaurant, New York, May 25, 1972. Parrish and airline executives.
Wayne and Frances Parrish at conference, Washington DC, ca. 1973 (7)
2 Staff
Altschul, Selig, contributing financial editor, American Aviation
Bramley, Eric and Thomas Lindsey, with Frank
Fleming of Douglas Aircraft, unidentified reception
Bramley, Eric, and Hayes Dever, unidentified event
Bramley, Eric, general shots (3)
Copeland, A.B., regional advertising manager,
American Aviation, 1952
Day, Hugh, assistant publisher, American Aviation, 1958
Dobben, Gerard (2)
Hunter, Fred, West Coast editor(2)
Parrish, Robert, Managing Director, Official Airline Guide,
and brother of Wayne Parrish (2)
Riche, Jean Marie, Paris editor, American Aviation (3)
Saint, Sam, contributing editor, "Sam Saint Says" column,
American Aviation, 1956
Saunders, Keith, news analyst, American Aviation
Shamburger, Page, contributing editor, "Cross Country With
Local Operators" column, American Aviation. 1951
Theile, Ralph, sales manager, Air Cargo magazine, undated
Vandyk, Anthony, international editor, American
Aviation, portraits (4)
Vandyk, Anthony, with John Cunningham, test pilot,
flying a Comet 3, Amsterdam. 1957
Wagner, Wolfgang, European correspondent, 1956
Ward, Barbara, before 4th Annual All-Women
Transcontinental Air Race, June 1950 (4)
Various news and editorial staff, ca. 1940s-1950s (19)
Staff parties and dinners
Office party, undated, ca. Early 1940s (2)
Unidentified party, ca. 1940s
Staff dinner [anniversary?], ca. 1940s
Baby shower for Mrs. Burke, 1943
Birthday [anniversary?] dinner, June 1943
Staff Christmas party, 1943
Eighth anniversary dinner, June 2, 1945
Reports
Directors meeting
1967: October 30
1967: December 27
1968: February 12
1968: June 25
1968: October 18
1968: December 23
1969: April 3
Stockholders annual meetings, 1958-1969
Ziff-Davis purchase of American Aviation Publications, 1969
Compass Publication, 1971-1984
3 Pan-Am
Correspondence
1973
1974
1975-1976
1977
1978-1979
Memoranda
To William Seawell, Chairman of the Board
October-December 1973
January-June 1974
July-December 1974
January-June 1975
July-December 1975
January-June 1976
July-December 1976
January-June 1977
July-December 1977
4 January-November 1978
To Dan Colussy
1975
1976-1977
1978
Administrative
1975
1976
1977
1978
Airline Publishing Group
Administrative
1978-1979
1980-1981
1982
Editorial, 1978
Legal
1977-1978
1983-1984
II. Travels
Box Folder title
4 England, January-February, 1944
Pacific-Australasia, September-November 1944
Textual material
Folder 1
Folder 2
5 Photographs
Wayne Parrish in war correspondent's uniforms (2)
Wayne Parrish in Bougainville (5 prints, negatives)
SCAT personnel and activities, Solomon Islands (18)
Wayne Parrish in Australia, October 1944 (12)
Wayne Parrish in New Zealand, October 1944 (4)
Royal New Zealand Air Force, personnel and activities (8)
Wayne Parrish in Honolulu (2) [check 1-1-45]
Naval Air Transport Service facilities, Honolulu (3)
Wayne Parrish dining with Naval Air Transport Service
Officers, Honolulu (2) [check 12-15-44]
Naval Air Transport Service officers (6)
Naval Air Transport Service activities, Saipan and Peleliu(12)
Mexico, March 1945
Europe, June-July 1945
General
Photos
England, Italy, Austria, and Southern Germany (20)
Berlin (19)
Hamburg (33)
Destruction of air raids on Germany, ca. 1943-1945
[photos obtained by Parrish]
Photos from German High Command, 1943
Other photos
Folder 1
Folder 2
6 Europe, October-December 1945
Folder 1
Folder 2
Europe-Africa, October-November 1946
Africa, October-November 1946
Alaska-Orient (Northwest Airlines), February 1947
Hawaii-United Air Lines, April 1947
Scandinavia, July 1947
7 Braniff South American Inaugural Flight, May 1948
Scandinavia, June 1949
Orient, December 1950
U.S.S.R. and Eastern Europe, November-December 1955
Correspondence and ephemera from trip
Photographs and postcards
Soviet criticism of Parrish's articles, March 1957
Belgian Congo (Sabena Airlines), June 1956
SAS Copenhagen-Tokyo Inaugural Flight, February-March 1957
Correspondence, trip planning, January-February 1957
Press kit
Folder 1
Folder 2
Taiwan visit, March 1957
Australia visit, March 1957
Folder 1
8 Folder 2
New Zealand visit, March 1957
U.S.S.R. and Eastern Europe, September-October 1958
Background report: "A Briefing on the Soviet role in International Civil Aviation"
(RAND Corporation)
Brochures
Agriculture, Soviet
Aviation, Soviet
General tourism
Ephemera
9 General correspondence and itinerary
Photographs
Folder 1: Irkutsk
Folder 2: Moscow
Folder 3: Moscow
Folder 4: Central Asia
Folder 5: Central Asia
Folder 6: Negatives
Folder 7: General
Posters, Soviet
Syndicated articles by Parrish
Afghanistan-Ariana Airlines, August 1958
India-IATA, October-November 1958
Nepal, November 1958
Folder 1
10 Folder 2
Turkey-Istanbul, November 1958
General notebook, 1958
Correspondence re: Travel arrangements, February-September 1958
Tahiti, April 1960
Brochures
Folder 1
Folder 2
Photographs
Tahiti-Moorea, October 1961
Southern Africa, 1960-1961
Brochures
Photographs and postcards
New Zealand, circa 1961
11 England and Ireland-IATA, September 1962
Pakistan, February-March 1963
Folder 1
Folder 2
Northwest Territories, Canada, August 1963
Folder 1
Folder 2
Venice, Italy, September 1963
Rome, Italy, IATA, October 1963
Pan-Am Inaugural Flight to Buenos Aires, December 1963
Israel, March 1964
12 Pakistan-Hunza, April-May 1964
Folder 1
Folder 2
Wheeler Airlines, Northern Quebec, Canada, August 1964
Folder 1
Folder 2
Kashmir, October 1964
Air India Inaugural Flight, October 1964
Rio de Janeiro, May 1965
B.C. Airlines, Canada, May 1965
Greenland, September 1965
13 Air Transport Command 20th Reunion, New York, October 1965
Moscow, October-November 1965
Flight over North and South Pole, November 1965
India, January-February 1966
Folder 1
Folder 2
Folder 3
Alaska, April 1966
TWA Hong Kong Inaugural Flight, November 1966
14 Vietnam and Southeast Asia, February-March 1967
LAN Inaugural Service to Easter Island
Folder 1, April 1967
Folder 2, April 1967
East Africa, November 1968
Folder 1
Folder 2
Iran, November 1969
747 Flight from Seattle, December 1969
First Commercial Flight of 747, New York-London, January 1970
Time-Concorde trip, England-France, February 1970
Alaska Airlines Inaugural Service to Khabarovsk,U.S.S.R., June 1970
15 Indian Ocean, July-September 1970
Background reading
Brochures
Folder 1
Folder 2
Correspondence
Ethiopia, 1971
Ivory Coast, 1971
Africa, August-September 1972
Folder 1
Folder 2
London-IATA, September 1972
16 Seychelles, October 1972
Antarctica, December 1974
Correspondence
News clippings
Parrish's account of trip
Photographs
Folder 1
Folder 2
Press kit and brochures
Pan-Am Flight 50, Pole to Pole Flight, October 1977
Folder 1
Folder 2
17 Africa, [Pan Am], [1978]
Tibet, 1980
Chile, 1980-1981
Antarctica, 1980-1981
Folder 1
Folder 2
Photographs
South Africa, 1981
Bhutan-Sikkim-India [planned trip], 1981-1982
Air travel logs
1936-1952
1953-1958
1959-1961
1962-1970
Transatlantic crossings, 1944-1970
III. Writings
Box Folder title
18 Published
"You Can't Win in the Slot Machine Racket," Literary Digest, n.d.
"Spanning the Continent From Dusk to Dawn," Literary Digest, August 25, 1934
"The State Department Brands Aviation: An Editorial," National
Aeronautic Magazine, July 1936
"Competition" [an editorial from American Aviation, printed as
an advertisement], Time magazine, March 10, 1941
Article, National Aeronautics magazine, May 19, 1944
Article, Nats and Bolts [sic] magazine, February 12, 1945
"On the Beam," Liberty magazine
December 1942-June 1943
July 1943-December 1943
January 1944-June 1944
July 1944-December 1944
January 1945-June 1945
July 1945-December 1945
January 1946-June 1946
July 1946-January 1947
"En Route," American Aviation
October-December 1949
January-December 1950
January-December 1951
January-December 1952
January-December 1953
January-December 1954
January-December 1955
January-December 1956
January-December 1957
January-December 1958
January-December 1959
"En Route," Airlift magazine
January 1960-December 1961
January 1962-December 1963
"En Route," American Aviation"
January 1964-December 1965
January 1966-December 1967
January 1968-July 1969
"The Best of "'En Route,'" 1955
"Russia Between Two Haircuts," 1959
"With Parrish to the Pole," Exxon Air World, Vol. 28, No.3, 1976
"A Ticket to Anywhere," Saturday Review, April 16, 1977
[Untitled draft], Flying, 1977
"En Route," Airline Executive, 1979-1981
19 Speeches
List of speeches delivered by Wayne Parrish, 1937-1945
Aviation Planning Conference, "Aviation Publicity,"
Sacramento, CA, September 25, 1937
Southwest Aviation Conference, "Selling Aviation to the
Public," Oklahoma City, OK, March 12, 1938
Southeast Aviation Conference, Montgomery, AL, April 16, 1938
W.N.A.A. Banquet, "Backseat Drivers," Kansas City, October 6, 1938
National Air Mail Feeder Conference, Kansas City, October 7, 1938
National Association of State Aviation Officials, Omaha, October 14, 1938
Southwest Aviation Conference, "Civil Aviation and the
Armament Program," Fort Worth, TX, March 2-4, 1939
South Carolina Flyers Club, "The Undeveloped Private Airplane
Market," Camden, SC, September 17, 1939
Southwest Aviation Conference, "The Air Armadas of Europe,"
Tulsa, OK, April 26, 1940
Sales Executives Club, "South America and the Coming Era of
Air Transportation," New York, NY, November 26, 1940
Advertising Club of Los Angeles, "Air Power-The Key to
Victory," Los Angeles, CA, March 10, 1942
Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, "Air Power and the Post-War,"
Atlanta, GA, June 11, 1942
Birmingham Aero Club Annual Banquet, "Air Power and the Post
War," Birmingham, AL, June 12, 1942
Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, "Air Power and the Post-War,"
Kansas City, MO, September 9, 1942
Junior Traffic Club of Chicago, "Aviation of Today and Tomorrow,"
Chicago, IL, October 8, 1942
New Orleans Association of Commerce, "Aviation and the Post War,"
New Orleans, LA, May 13, 1943
Midwest Global Air Conference, "Aviation's Postwar Problems,"
St. Paul, MN, August 20, 1943
Economic Development Meeting, Master of Ceremonies remarks,
Broadmoor Hotel [Colorado Springs, CO?], September 22, 1943
Aviation Forum, University Club, "The Airplane and Peace,"
Los Angeles, CA, September 28, 1943
First National Clinic of Domestic Aviation Planning, "Postwar Disposal of
Surplus Aircraft," Oklahoma City, OK, November 11, 1943
Air Industries and Transport Association of Canada, "The Post- War
Outlook for Aviation," Toronto, ONT, November 15, 1943
National Aviation Training Association, "Freedom for the Private Flyer,"
St. Louis, MO, December 2, 1943
Aeronautic Association of Boston, "Aviation and the Postwar,"
Boston, MA, May 11, 1944
Aviation Conference, "Opportunities in Postwar Aviation,"
Concord, NH, May 12, 1944
Kansas City Aviation Luncheon, "The March of Aviation,"
Kansas City, MO, July 14, 1944
20 Board of Trade, "Postwar Air Transport," Toronto, ON, January 10, 1945
Aviation Writers Association dinner, Washington, DC, January 18, 1945
[Untitled], Poor Richard Club, Philadelphia, PA, January 23, 1945
Commencement Speech, University of Omaha, "Education for an Air Age,"
Omaha, NE, May 21, 1945
World Congress on Air Education, "Keeping Pace With Aeronautical
Progress," New York, NY, August 22, 1946
[Untitled], Michigan Aeronautic Conference, Lansing, MI, May 9, 1947
Los Angeles Advertising Club, "Aviation Today and Tomorrow,"
Los Angeles, CA, May 11, 1948
[Unidentified venue], Houston, TX, May 21, 1948
"C.A.L. Speech," Denver, CO, May 22, 1948
Aero Club of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, October 7, 1948
"PAA Speech," Miami, FL, January 7, 1949
Miami Chamber of Commerce Luncheon, Miami, FL, March 15, 1949
TWA Management Club, Kansas City, MO, February 17, 1949