Keeling G. Pulliam, Jr.,

KEELING GAINES PULLIAM, JR.
1894-1974
AKA Keeling R. Pulliam

I need a photo of him.
If you can help, please contact me.

ONLINE RESOURCES If you search for "Keeling G. Pulliam, Jr.", using the Google search engine,
(9-29-10), you will find about 114 links, the most helpful being the following.

Keeling Gaines Pulliam, Jr.
Perpetrator of a Hoax or a Hero?

This particular page of The Western Front Association website, is currently only available from the www.archive.org website. It offers a wealth of information on "Keeling G.," as well as on his brother, Harold A., who served in the U.S.N. The author, Paul Guthrie, of Lexington, Kentucky, had access to the Delta, the Sigma Nu Fraternity magazine, which had a number of articles regarding his service. I heartily suggest that you read the article in its entirety, as it is a remarkable bit of research and is full of important details about his life and career.

Kentucky's Flying Soldiers

Two of the officers of Company A, Signal Corps, have already been detailed to take the course in aviation, and one, Lieut. Bee Osborne is already in attendance at the Curtiss School at Newport News, Va., and 1st Lieut. Keeling G. Pulliam, Jr., will take a course at Buffalo at the Curtiss School. Another appointment has, been secured at Grinnell, Iowa. Captain Holstein has plans under consideration by which he hopes to raise funds for the purchase of a military tractor for the Kentucky Guard, and it is hoped that Kentucky will soon have an efficient Aviation Section as well as a Field Telegraph Company available for duty any time, for any service that may be required of them.54

Aero Club Invites American Airmen
     This page from Aerial Age Weekly, July 3, 1916, offers the following article. I have excerpted these relevant portions from the whole story.

Aero Club Invites American Airmen in France to Return
for Mexican Service
     An invitation to the daring Franco-American Flying Corps to come back to fly for the United States in Mexico has been sent by the Aero Club of America. The cable, which aslo stated that the Club will pay the transportation for six members of the Franco-American Corps to the United States, is as follows:

           "Lieutenant William Thaw,
                     "Flying Corps, Paris.
          "Mexican trouble finds United States Army with
          bers Franco-American Coprs can come to serve in
          Mexican campaign if needed. Aero Club of America
          will pay transportation of six aviators.
                                          "Aero Club of America."

     The Franco-American Corps is composed of Americans including the following: Lieutenant William Thaw, Sergeant Elliot Cowdin, Norman Prince, Bert Hall, Sergeant Kiffin Rockwell, Corporal J. M. McConnell and M. Balsley.

     An offer to train three aviators free of charge has been received by the Aero Club of America from the Thomas Brothers Aeroplane Company. As the Aero Club has been flooded with applications from the National Guard of practically every one of the forty-eight States, and from civilians who are anxious to take a course in aviation , this offer of the Thomas Company was very welcome.
     Following the policy of giving preference to those who asked first, the Executive Committee of the Aero Club selected three officers whose applications were received several months ago. Lieutenant Anthony Sunderland, First Lieutenant Connecticut Coast Artillery Corps, and Mayor of Danbury, Conn. was the first to take advantage of the Thomas Company's offer, and is now training at the Thomas School at Ithaca. Lieutenant H. F. Wakefield, of the Vermont National Guard, and Lieutanant Keeling R. Pulliam, of the Kentucky National Guard have been offered the two remaining Thomas Scholarships. In the event of the Mexican situation preventing any of these officers from taking the course, the scholarships will be granted to Corporal Charles T. Robins, of the Arkansas National Guard, and Lieutenant W. E. Lewis, of the Illinois National Guard.

Keeling died in Los Angeles, CA in 1974

Editor's Note:
If you have any more information on this pioneer aviator,
please contact me.
E-mail to Ralph Cooper

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