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John
Romano to Headline Aviator Series on Dec.
13th 
NORTH
KINGSTOWN, RI- The
Quonset Air Museum is pleased to announce that Capt. John Romano,
U.S. Navy (Ret.) will be the December speaker as part of the QAM's
monthly Aviator Series. The former Navy pilot will speak at the QAM
on Wednesday, December 13th at 7pm. Captain Romano's lecture is open
to the public at no charge.
Captain
John Romano has a very unique relationship with the old Quonset
Point Naval Air Station in North Kingstown. It was Romano's family
that owned the farm and vineyard in Davisville that the military
base was built on.
The
Romano family owned the property in Davisville until 1939 when it
was taken by eminent domain by the United States Government to
establish the Quonset Naval Air Station. The base at Quonset was one
of the top training sites for Navy pilots in World War
II.
Captain
Romano is a graduate of La Salle Academy and the University of Rhode
Island (then called Rhode Island State College). In 1945, Romano
became a pilot in the U.S. Navy.
Captain
Romano later served in the Korean War and was one of the first
American pilots to make a flight over Vietnam prior to the
escalation of hostilities in Southeast Asia. During his career as a
pilot, Capt. Romano logged 3,500 hours of flight time, nearly half
of them in jets (photo below). Captain Romano later served as
Executive Officer of the Quonset Point Naval Air
Station.
About
the Quonset Air Museum
The
mission of the Rhode Island Quonset Air Museum (QAM) is to preserve,
interpret and present Rhode Island's aviation history through
collections, research, education and
exhibits.
Founded
in 1992 with the assistance of then Governor Bruce Sundlun, the air
museum educates the public in the state's rich aviation legacy and
displays collections that document the contributions of Rhode Island
to the growth and development of aviation and space exploration. QAM
is housed on 3 acres in an original Naval Air Station Quonset Point
hangar built in 1945.
The
museum has a large and valuable collection of aircraft, aircraft
parts, and other historical artifacts. The 28 aircraft currently on
display or under restoration include civilian, military and
prototype aircraft dating from 1944 (Hellcat under restoration) to
1983 (F-14 Tomcat).
For
more information on Captain Romano's appearance at the QAM on
December 13th, please contact the museum's Executive Director John
Shepard.
QAM
Website:
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