View source for Laurence G. Hanscom

{{Short description|American journalist and aviator}}
{{Infobox aviator
|name=Laurence G. Hanscom
|born=
|resides=
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|full_name= Laurence Gerald Hanscom
|birth_date  = August 20, 1906
|birth_place =
|death_date  =February 9, 1941 (aged 34)
|death_place = [[Saugus, Massachusetts]]
|spouse=
|children=
|known_for=Founding the [[Massachusetts Wing Civil Air Patrol|Massachusetts Wing of the Civilian Aviation Reserve]]
|first_flight_aircraft=
|first_flight_date=
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|air_force= Civilian Aviation Reserve, Massachusetts Wing
|battles=
|rank= Commander
|awards=
}}
'''Laurence Gerald Hanscom'''<ref>{{cite news|author=Bushnell, Davis|title=Business Leaders Rally for Hanscom Air Force Base|work=The Boston Globe|date=September 16, 2001}}</ref> (August 20, 1906 – February 9, 1941) was an American journalist and aviator and the namesake of [[Hanscom Air Force Base]] and [[Hanscom Field]].
==Early life==
Hanscom was born on August 20, 1906. He attended public schools in [[Malden, Massachusetts|Malden]] and [[Wilmington, Massachusetts]] and graduated from [[Wilmington High School (Massachusetts)|Wilmington High School]] in 1923.<ref name="Crash">{{cite news|title=Two Die in Saugus Plane Crash: Reporter, Doctor Killed at Saugus While Stunting|work=The Boston Daily Globe|date=February 10, 1941}}</ref>
==Journalism==
Hanscom wrote for the school newspaper while a student at [[Malden High School|Malden]] and Wilmington High Schools. In the spring of 1923 he began assisting ''[[The Boston Globe|The Boston Daily Globe]]'''s correspondent in [[Woburn, Massachusetts]]. He later joined the Globe as an office boy. He moved up to a position as a clerk, working in the library and the editorial department. He later became a staff reporter and was eventually assigned to the State House. In 1937 he joined the ''[[Telegram & Gazette]]'' as a State House correspondent.<ref name="Crash" />
==Aviation==
Hanscom began flying in 1929.<ref name="NYT" /> In 1937 year he was appointed by Massachusetts Governor [[Charles F. Hurley]] to serve on a Special Commission on Aviation and Planning, Development and Location of Airports.<ref>{{cite news|title=Air Corps News|work=Aviation Week|date=September 1, 1937|url=https://archive.org/stream/Aviation_Week_1937-09-01/Aviation_Week_1937-09-01_djvu.txt|accessdate=December 27, 2018}}</ref> The commission recommended the creation of six new state airports, including two adjacent to [[Route 128]] in metropolitan Boston.<ref>{{cite news|title=Six More Airports Urged In Report to Legislature|work=The Boston Daily Globe|date=November 24, 1937}}</ref> In 1941, the state legislature passed legislation for such an airport by approving funds for an airport in [[Bedford, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Harris, John G.|title=Legislature Votes Airport for Bedford|work=The Boston Daily Globe|date=May 15, 1941}}</ref>
In January 1940, Hanscom and Elmer S. Orr, an electrical engineer who flew with the [[Royal Air Force]] in [[World War I]], founded the [[Massachusetts Wing Civil Air Patrol|Massachusetts Wing of the Civilian Aviation Reserve]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Taylor Jr., John I.|title=Every Sunday They Practice Flying to Aid in an Emergency|work=The Boston Daily Globe|date=March 10, 1940}}</ref> That August he was named the wing's first commander. By 1941 the group numbered about 150 pilots and 300 others. In February 1941, Hanscom confided to friends and family that he was considering entering the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] as an instructor.<ref name="Crash" />
==Death==
On February 9, 1941, Hanscom and a passenger departed from [[Revere Airport|Muller Field]] in [[Revere, Massachusetts]] in a single-motor biplane with dual controls for training. His plane was observed making three loops over [[Saugus, Massachusetts]]. While attempting a fourth loop, the plane went into a spin and landed among three trees in the backyard of 8 Springdale Ave. in Saugus, missing the house by five or ten yards. The area where the crash occurred was {{convert|50|yd}} from [[Rumney Marsh Reservation|a marshland]] extensively used by pilots to perform stunts. [[Frederick Willis (American politician)|Frederick B. Willis]], who lived next door, was first to find the wreck, and his wife notified the police and fire departments. Both men were found dead in the plane.<ref name="Crash" /><ref name="NYT">{{cite news|title=Civilian Air Leader Dies in Plane Crash|work=The New York Times|date=February 10, 1941}}</ref>
==Legacy==
On February 11, 1943 the Boston auxiliary airport at Bedford was officially dedicated as Laurence G. Hanscom Field. In June 1947, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the [[United States Army]] entered a joint use agreement which eventually led to the creation of the Hanscom Air Force Base.<ref>{{cite book|author=Del Papa, Dr. E. Michael|author2=Warner, Mary P.|title=A Historical Chronology of Hanscom AFB 1941-1986|publisher=History Office, Electronic Systems Division, Hanscom Air Force Base|location=Bedford, Massachusetts|url=https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a206567.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327090610/https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a206567.pdf|url-status=live|archive-date=March 27, 2020}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
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[[Category:1906 births]]
[[Category:1941 deaths]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States]]
[[Category:Aviators from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Journalists from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:People from Malden, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:People from Wilmington, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1941]]
[[Category:20th-century American journalists]]
[[Category:American male journalists]]