James E. Plew (July 3, 1862 – April 16, 1938) was a successful

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businessman whose early interest in the development of aviation eventually led him to acquire the initial leasehold in 1934 on the

Valparaiso, Florida Valparaiso is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. As of the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census, the city population was 5,036. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2018 estimates, the city had a popul ...

property that would evolve into

Eglin Air Force Base Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The ...

Early years

James E. Plew was born on July 3, 1862, in

Brown County, Illinois Brown County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,937. Its county seat is Mount Sterling. Siloam Springs State Park is located partly in this county. History Brown County was formed o ...

. "He began his business career by starting a small linen supply service to a few buildings in Chicago. This business grew into the Chicago Towel Company, one of the largest of its kind in the world. He relinquished management of this business several years ago, but retained a large investment in it." Plew became the agent in Chicago for the White Motor Car Company, and in 1909, opened a dealership to sell

Curtiss Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company (1909 – 1929) was an American aircraft manufacturer originally founded by Glenn Hammond Curtiss and Augustus Moore Herring in Hammondsport, New York. After significant commercial success in its first decade ...

airplanes as well. By 1910, he operated a Curtiss machine out of a small flying field at 65th Street and Major Avenue in the Clearing Industrial District just south of where

Midway Airport Chicago Midway International Airport , typically referred to as Midway Airport, Chicago Midway, or simply Midway, is a major commercial airport on the Southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, located approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the Lo ...

now stands. As an officer of the Aero Club of Illinois, founded February 10, 1910, he succeeded

Octave Chanute Octave Chanute (February 18, 1832 – November 23, 1910) was a French-American civil engineer and aviation pioneer. He provided many budding enthusiasts, including the Wright brothers, with help and advice, and helped to publicize their flying ...

when the first president of the club died November 23, 1910. He held this post until succeeded by Harold F. McCormick in 1912. The first victim of a fatal airplane crash in the Chicago area was piloting a Curtiss biplane owned by Plew. While trying to qualify for his pilot's license on July 13, 1911, Dan Kreamer put the plane into a sharp turn at one hundred feet and spun into the ground at 7:18 p.m. He was rushed to St. Anthony de Padua Hospital, where he died about an hour and a half later, leaving a widow and two children. The accident received front page coverage in all the Chicago newspapers the next day. In 1914, McCormick, Plew, and Bion J. Arnold attempted to form a

commuter airline A regional airline is a general classification of airline which typically operates scheduled passenger air service, using regional aircraft, between communities lacking sufficient demand or infrastructure to attract mainline flights. In North ...

which they announced would begin service in May, "using seaplanes to ferry passengers between various North Shore suburbs and Grant Park and the South Shore Country Club. Lake Shore Airline, which had two seaplanes, was intended to be a profit-making venture charging a steep twenty-eight-dollar round-trip fare between Lake Forest and downtown Chicago on four daily scheduled circuits. However, Chicago's irregular weather, especially the crosswinds, made a shamble of schedules, and the airline disappeared before the end of the year." Plew briefly employed the Loughead half brothers, Victor and

Allan Allan may refer to: People * Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name * Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker * Allan (footballer, born 1989) ...

, to work on two of his aircraft during which time both joined the Aero Club. When Plew withdrew from the aircraft sales business following the crash of one of his planes, both stayed in aviation, with Allan moving to California to co-found what would become

Lockheed Aircraft Company The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer. Lockheed was founded in 1926 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995. Its founder, Allan Lockheed, had earlier founded the similarly named but ot ...

with his other brother,

Malcolm Malcolm, Malcom, Máel Coluim, or Maol Choluim may refer to: People * Malcolm (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Clan Malcolm * Maol Choluim de Innerpeffray, 14th-century bishop-elect of Dunkeld Nobility * Máe ...

Later years

In 1922, Plew relocated to the Panhandle of Northwest Florida where he became "one of Northwest Florida's pioneer developers." He settled on the sleepy fishing town of

"as the most likely spot for development. He founded the Bank of Valparaiso, constructed the Valparaiso Inn

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organized the Chicago Country Club which constructed the Valparaiso Country Club golf course and was instrumental in many other development activities in the community. "He was the donor of the Plew Trophy, for which golfers of the southeast compete annually and the fifteenth annual tournament for the cup, which was to be held this weekend, was postponed following the announcement of Mr. Plew's death." "Other interests of Mr. Plew included the founding of the Shalimar Winery, which was established to use the surplus grape crop of the county. He also founded the Valparaiso Novelty Company, helped to establish a knitting mill in the community he Valpariso Hosiery Mill was destroyed by fire on August 13, 1939and was interested in a number of other enterprises to which he made investments to help their development." "... rough the continued development of that particular area by both Mr. and Mrs. Plew, the whole area boomed into a vacating spot for many Northerners, mostly from Chicago, lured to

Okaloosa county Okaloosa County is located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, extending from the Gulf of Mexico to the Alabama state line. As of the 2020 census, the population was 211,668. Its county seat is Crestview. Okaloosa County ...

icby the Plews." The headline in the ''Playground News'' announcing Nettie Plew's death in 1951, described her as the "Widow of heValparaiso Founder."

Military development

Plew thought that a military payroll would boost the depression-stricken economy of the region. He leased from the City of Valparaiso the Valparaiso Airport, an arrowhead-shaped parcel of cleared in 1933 as an airdrome. In 1934, Plew offered the U.S. government contiguous land for a bombing and gunnery base. This leasehold became the headquarters for the Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base activated on June 14, 1935, under the command of Captain Arnold H. Rich. This was the founding of

Death

Plew died on April 16, 1938, four days after suffering a heart attack. His wife and two daughters survived him. "In keeping with the life he lived, the simple funeral rites were held on the lawn of his home. Rev. F. H. Fox, pastor of the Valparaiso Community church ic conducted the services which were in charge of Fisher-Pou of

Pensacola Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ci ...

. The remains were sent to

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

for cremation." His ashes were dropped from a plane and spread across the

Choctawhatchee Bay Choctawhatchee Bay is a bay in the Emerald Coast region of the Florida Panhandle. The bay, located within Okaloosa and Walton counties, has a surface area of . It is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, connected to it through East Pass (also known ...

Commemoration

A plaque was mounted on one of the stone plinths at the East Gate of

Eglin Field Eglin may refer to: * Eglin (surname) * Eglin Air Force Base, a United States Air Force base located southwest of Valparaiso, Florida * Federal Prison Camp, Eglin, a Federal Bureau of Prisons minimum security prison on the grounds of Eglin Air Forc ...

, commemorating Plew's part in the founding of the installation. The inscription of the plaque, unveiled on Decoration Day 1939, read: "In memory of James E. Plew, 1862-1938, whose patriotism and generosity made this field possible." This has disappeared over time, as have the stone gates, with further growth of the base, which the ''Okaloosa News-Journal'' correctly predicted "will be greatly expanded in the near future" in the front page story about Plew's death. A Defense Housing Project at Eglin Field for civilian and military personnel, erected between May and October 1941 by the Paul A. Miller Construction Company of

Leesburg, Florida Leesburg is a city in central Florida. The population was 20,117 at the 2010 census. As of 2019, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 23,671. Leesburg is in Lake County, between Lake Harris and Lake Griffin, at the head of the ...

, at a cost of approximately $800,000, was named Plew Heights in honor of the developer. The obsolete complex was razed in recent years. The newly constructed James E. Plew Terminal Building of the Okaloosa Air Terminal, located on State Road 85, opened its doors in mid-February 1975, with a dedication ceremony held on Saturday, February 22. Congressman

Bob Sikes Robert Lee Fulton Sikes (June 3, 1906September 28, 1994) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who represented the Florida Panhandle in the United States House of Representatives from 1941 to 1979, with a brief break in 1944 and 1945 ...

and

Southern Airways Southern Airways was a regional airline (known at the time as a "local-service air carrier" as designated by the federal Civil Aeronautics Board) in the United States, from its founding by Frank Hulse in 1949 until 1979, when it merged with No ...

President

Frank Hulse Frank Wilson Hulse, III (1913 – 1992), founder and former chairman of Southern Airways. He is a member of the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame The Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame recognizes aviation pioneers and contributors associated with the state ...

were some of the guest speakers.Fort Walton Beach, Florida, "Terminal Dedication Saturday", ''Playground Daily News'', Friday 21 February 1975, Volume 30, Number 13, page 1A.

References