arthurjcoyle

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Members of various State National Guards received flight training at the Curtis Flying School in Newport News. Here are Lt. Bernard Cummings of Colorado, Lt. Arthur Joseph Coyle of New Hampshire, Lt Edgar Wirt Bagnell of Nebraska, Dr. Edward George Benson of New York , and Lt. Bee Rife Osborne of Kentucky. This photo and many, many more LOC/Bain photos, appear in Flyboys over Hampton Roads, a book about the Curtis Flying School. This one is on p. 72. The plane looks like a Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" - not surprising given its role and location.

Arthur J. Coyle (1987-1989), photo from an album of First Aero Corps photos he donated to the San Diego Air and Space Museum:
Eventually, he was a captain and commander of the First Aero Squadron during WWI. At age 81, in 1979, he was profiled in an AP story from San Antonio, TX:
news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19780126&i...
his grave: www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=531676

Thanks for providing the full names as well as some background information. We will update the record to include full names.

The officer to the left side of the frame is Lt. Barnard Cummings. His career is briefly described in an August 1984 National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form (5DV1486) for Pierce-Haley House (aka "Haley-Cummlngs House") located at 857 Grant St., Denver, Colorado. (The house would ultimately be placed on the National Register 3 October 1984). Given the information cited below, it is certain that his first name was spelled "Barnard". focus.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/84000583.pdf Barnard Cummings came to Colorado sometime in the first decade of the twentieth century. He had several careers - one of them, as a homesteader in northwestern Colorado. Cummings worked as a telegrapher for Western Union which led to his being chosen from Colorado by the fledgling air industry to be trained as a pilot. His license to fly was the 525th issued in the United States. When Work War I began he was sent to Mineola Field on Long Island as a first lieutenant in the Signal Corps. After the war, Cummings trained as an attorney and practiced law for a time in Craig. While in Craig he ran unsuccessfully for several state-wide political offices. Barnard Cummings lived at 857 Grant until his death in 1952. The family continued to occupy the house until January of 1984. It has now been converted to offices. Also, here is the site of Cummings' grave at Crown Hill Cemetary in Denver, CO: www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=46354757 Note, the grave is shared with his son, Lt. Barnard Cummings, Jr. (USMA 1949), who is still-Missing In Action (and presumed Killed In Action) from the Korean War. www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=46354783

A photo of Arthur Coyle (who donated this album) and fighter ace William Erwin. Erwin would perish during an ill-fated attempt to find lost aviators during the 1927 Dole Air Race from Oakland to Honolulu. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Portwood_Erwin Here are a couple photos (among several) of Erwin in the SDASM collection: