Brad Tillson Inventing Flight Collection

Brad Tillson was chair of the Inventing Flight Celebration and a member of the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission that helped plan and publicize the events celebrating flight around the country. These events took place in many different states, which celebrated with symposiums, reenactments, tours, exhibits and many more events. The collection records his work with the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission and his position of chairman for the Inventing Flight Celebration. The collection is divided in to seven series and two subseries.

Series I, Administrative, includes meeting minutes, event reports, plans and budgets for the U.S. Centennial Commission and the Inventing Flight Celebration. This extensive collection contains information from the beginning of the Inventing Flight Commission first established in 1989. The collection contains information on the planning, board meetings, finances, marketing and other administrative functions of the commission. The documents are broken into ten separate sections. One section, the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park and Related Events. This section details the work completed by the committee to help establish the historical park and the surrounding community as a lasting legacy of the Centennial Celebration of Flight.

Series II, Correspondence, is the record of communication between Brad Tillson and others involved in the planning process. Some correspondence is made of responses to Tillson, while others are copies of letters and emails that Tillson sent. Related documents were left attached to provide greater detail into the relationship of the communication. They are arranged in chronological order and cover all aspects of Brad Tillson's and the committee's work, from sponsorship and marketing to event schedules and budgets. The correspondence represents the line of communication for many of the planning processes that took place.

Series III, Speeches and Presentations, is a small series dedicated to the speeches and presentations that Brad Tillson gave while acting as chairman for the Inventing Flight Commission. These include slideshows given to showcase the main event.

Series IV, Publications, are the many newspapers, magazines, pamphlets and brochures printed for and about the events taking place for the Inventing Flight Celebration. Researchers should, in the first folder of the series is an index to all newspaper articles printed in 2003 pertaining to the Inventing Flight Celebration. The index documents the publishing newspaper, the date of printing and other information related to each article.

Series V, Related Events, is a collection of materials that represent many of the other events that occurred in Dayton and around the country to celebrate the centennial of flight. While the items contained are brief, they represent an overview of the events that took place. The Inventing Flight Commission partnered with groups like Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the National Aviation Hall of Fame, and many more, to create events for the public to celebrate the centennial of flight. Other events that occurred outside of Ohio include the First Flight Centennial in North Carolina, National Air and Space Museum exhibits, and the Aviation World's Fair '2003'.

Series VI, Memorabilia, includes materials that Brad Tillson collected throughout his time as chairman. It includes certificates awarded to him, tickets to events he attended, and first flight USPS stamps. Of note is a bank receipt signed by Orville Wright.

Series VII, Audio Visual, includes informational videos produced about the Inventing Flight Celebration, as well as presentations and historical information regarding the Wright Brothers.