I am a public/personal historian, with a keen interest in World War I & II History, particularly the aviation aspects. I graduated from St. John Fisher College with a B.S. in Marketing, coupled with a Museum Studies Certificate. Having grown up frequently visiting a local aviation museum, the bug was planted early on in my life, leading me to a lifelong pursuit/desire to fly WWII era aircraft, “Warbirds.”

During my time in college, between semesters, I trained to become a commercial pilot and certified flight instructor. I hold my multi-engine, instrument, and tailwheel ratings as well. I’m well on my way to becoming one of the lucky few who get to fly WWII era aircraft, and already have a little bit of experience in doing so for the National Warplane Museum (Geneseo, NY) in their Korean War L-16 “Grasshopper” liaison plane. I’ve had the honor of flying the L-16 in the museum’s annual airshow, displaying aviation history in front of a crowd of thousands.

Upon graduation from college, I focused a lot on furthering my aviation career. At the same time, I found my interest in historical research growing stronger. I became interested in a local Tuskegee Airman, Leland Pennington, and completed a project to research and honor his service history. I was able to trace down his family, some of whom are still living in Rochester, and they were able to connect with the remainder of Leland’s family in New Orleans. A few media features were down on this effort, the “Lucy Gal” project. Shortly after this, I took on a family project and researched my Great Uncle Sam Mazza’s WWII path, using all the materials (journals, letters, military records) to create a digital database that shows Sam’s complete WWII experience. Since these projects, friends have asked me to do the same for their family members. They also have generously donated their family members’ service memorabilia to my ever-growing collection of WWII militaria.

I’ve written many articles on the subject of WWII aircraft, specifically for Air Classics, Classic Wings, and Warbirds News. Telling the stories of our past is something I find extremely important and, truly, a passion in my life. This is why I am seeking to grow my involvement in the preservation of our history by reaching out more. Here’s the plan:

Launch a YouTube/Instagram/FB presence (username @aviation_ah3)

  • Make “What it takes to fly a XXX (Warbird)” and co-host/Zoom with fellow Warbird pilots, referring to original aircraft manuals/procedures/tactics.
  • Share videos of projects I am working on for clients and for myself.
  • Share items from my collection.
  • Document my flying and training specific to Warbirds.
  • Share videos of aviation graphics from my decal business, Takeoff Graphix, with decal partner Yo Decal/Takeoff Graphix.

Military Service Personal Histories
My undertaking of the research on Uncle Sam inspired me to branch out and offer the same service to others. I enjoy going through families’ collections of military records, letters home, photos, militaria, and the like to make a comprehensive map of where their loved one, or good friend, served. Using materials the client has collected (from the attic, etc.), I help depict what they did during their service, so that the family or friend can better understand their veteran’s military experience. I offer:

  • Research, databases, personal history narratives, digital maps, photo and manuscript scanning.
  • Public history interactions/presentations, sharing stories from our research in an interactive format. I enjoy making history come alive.
  • Personal historian/writer services.
  • A virtual museum of my own collection, for reference and exploration.

Fly WWII Warbirds
In Progress.