Sergeant Philip J. Fink's Journey to Freedom

Sgt. Philip J. Fink's greatest adventure began when his combat experience ended.

A radio operator from Lancaster, New York, Fink spent months training with fellow crewmembers of MIss Carriage, a U.S. B-17 Flying Fortress Heavy Bomber, before they shipped to England with the 544th Squadron, 384th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force...On June 26, 1943 the 10-man crew reunited for a raid on the German-occupied air base at Villacoublay, France.

In flak-heavy skies near Le Havre, however, Miss Carriage took a direct hit that knocked out one engine and caused her to fall behind in formation. LIke sharks drawn by blood, enemy fighter planes attached the crippled aircraft, igniting her left wing and killing the navigator, tail gunner and one waist gunner.

To read more of Jerri Donohue's story, see page 6 of the Spring 2008 Heritage Magazine.

Ingham University: A Light That Failed or a Vision for the Future?

On the corner of East Main and Wolcott streets in the village of LeRoy is a historic marker dedicated to Ingham University . Most people have never heard of Ingham and few know that it was one of America's first universities for women, yet its legacy is remarkable, considering that it closed its doors in 1892 and here is little physical evidence left to tell the story. Ingham's records, catalogues and photographs are found in the archives of the LeRoy Historical Society. They provide a vivid glimpse into the efforts of the founders of this school and the academic and social life of the 19th century students who would pave the way for generations of women in the years to come.

To view the rest of this story by Lynne Belluscio see page 14 in the Spring 2008 Heritage Magazine. Subscribe now!

 

Old Photo Album: A Forgotten Atlantis

...The giant steam-driven woodem grain elevators of Buffalo's waterfront in the second half of the 18th century were a comparatively brief phenomenon in the history of architecture; but they made Buffalo a great port. The included giant structures that were completely beyond the scale of ordinary buildings. At a time when masonry buildings were limited to six or seven stories in height, these wooden wonders rose to heights that would not be reached until the steel-framed high rises of the 1890s. If Louis Sullivan's Guaranty Building was properly termed a skyscraper, so too should have been several wooden elevators built 30 years earlier. They are all long gone now...

To read more of this story by John H. Conlin and view the photos, see page 28 of the Spring 2008 Heritage Magazine.

 

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