Examples of some of the items from the Berlin Airlift

The Berlin Airlift of 1948/1949 was many things. It was the first major clash of the Cold War. It was one of the greatest humanitarian efforts of all time. It was a clever solution to a problem that easily could have led to bloodshed.

“I think the alternative looked very close to World War III,” said retired U.S. Air Force Gen. T. Ross Milton.

The 93-year old resident of the Splendido retirement community in Rancho Vistoso was chief of staff to the general who organized the massive effort.

Starting Tuesday and lasting through May 10, the Pima Air & Space Museum, 6000 E. Valencia Road, is hosting a traveling exhibit commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. “The Berlin Airlift – A Legacy of Friendship” tells the story of the airlift through text and historical black-and-white photos.

“In 1948 and 1949, the United States and her allies saved more than two million men, women and children in West Berlin when the Soviets blockaded the city,” Bernard Otremba-Blanc, the German honorary consul in Arizona said in a written statement. “The Airlift created a legacy of friendship between the American and German people.”

The Soviet blockade began in June 1948 and ended May 1949. The airlift began in July 1948 and continued through September 1949.

Before the end of World War II, the Allies had agreed to split Berlin into four sectors, with the United States, the Soviet Union, France and Great Britain each controlling one quadrant. Berlin was deep in the Soviet-controlled part of Germany, but the Western allies expected to be allowed access to the city.

In May 1948, in an attempt to force the West out of Berlin and force the citizenry to accept communism, the Soviets blocked all rail, water and highway routes through East Germany to West Berlin.

The Americans weren’t going to leave, short of being of forced out by war, but the allied sectors of Berlin had less than two weeks of food and other necessities on hand to sustain its two million inhabitants.

With all other routes closed, the U.S. came up with the idea of bringing food and other goods into West Berlin by air.

According to a Pima Air & Space Museum media release, during the 11 months of the Soviet blockade, the U.S. Air Force and the British Royal Air Force flew a combined 277,569 missions over Berlin, delivering 2,325,570 tons of food, fuel and supplies.

Several Air Force veterans who played roles in the airlift now make their home in southern Arizona.

Retired Air Force Col. Bill Lafferty of Green Valley flew one of the earliest flights of the mission, although he didn’t know it until a superior told him so afterward.

“‘Congratulations. You just flew the first mission for the Berlin Airlift for the group,’” a colonel informed the young Lafferty.

Retired Air Force Col. Gail Halvorsen of Elephant Head is famous as the “the Candy Bomber” for his drops of gum and candy to the children of Berlin. Although the drops were initially unauthorized, the program got the approval of the brass and provided not only sugary treats but a morale boost to the people of Berlin. It was a sign that somebody on the outside cared about their plight.

“The candy represented hope,” Halvorsen said.

Milton, however, played an even more central role in the airlift. He served as chief of staff to Maj. Gen. William H. Tunner, who was put in charge of the airlift shortly after it began.

“Tunner was the guiding genius behind the way we got through that mission. I was his chief of staff, which I had been for three or four years, so I guess I was the number two fellow there,” Milton said.

The logistical challenges were enormous. At the peak of the airlift, planes were landing in Berlin at the rate of one every 45 seconds.

“We couldn’t have possibly done the tonnage that was required to keep Berlin alive without some innovative operational practices and we devised those as we went along,” Milton said. “You could look at the airlift as kind of a giant, endless belt of airplanes, all flying at the same speed, at prescribed altitude and if they missed their approach in Berlin, they had to come home. There was no tolerance for circling and making another approach. That would have broken the belt.”

The tremendous effort by American and British forces met the Russian challenge while avoiding all-out confrontation.

“I don’t know what would have happened if we had decided to force our way in on the ground,” Milton said.

Anne T. Denogean can be reached at 573-4582 and adenogean@tucsoncitizen.com. Address letters to P.O. Box 26767, Tucson, AZ 85726-6767. Her columns run Tuesdays and Fridays.

One of the hundreds of American planes like that flown by retired Air Force Col. Gail Halvorsen of Elephant Head lands in Berlin in front of children caught in the Soviet Union blockade.

Jim and Karen Kremsreiter, of Baraboo, Wis., look over the exhibits in the traveling Berlin Airlift exhibit at the Pima Air & Space Museum.

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ON THE WEB

Pima Air & Space Museum: www.pimaair.org

I owe a huge debt to the people of Tucson, who patiently schooled me over my 21 years at the Tucson Citizen. I am forever indebted to a large number of ordinary folks who piped up and set me straight about things as I attempted to write about this city and its culture.

But I am particularly indebted to the folks mentioned below who time and again took time out to help me look a little less foolish in print. Thanks to all of you, mentioned or not.

1. Bruce Johnston: If anyone is to blame for my 21 years at the Citizen, it is Bruce. He hired me. But he also helped me tremendously by patiently and calmly helping me with the basic craft of writing as well as developing my voice as a writer. To the degree that I have matured as a writer, much of it is thanks to Bruce.

2. Don Hatfield: (Former editor-publisher) Hatfield not only hired me, but also empowered me to take command of the Tucson music beat in any way I saw fit. He was supportive, sometimes critical, but he always paid attention.

3. Jim Griffith: Griffith was the first person I contacted when I got the job at the Citizen. He often gave me names of important folks who rarely got the limelight, and encouraged me to let them – not experts – tell their stories.

4. David G. Woods: Woods was director of the University of Arizona School of Music when I started. A true visionary, he taught me what artists and the press could accomplish when they worked together with understanding and cooperation.

5. Elva Flores, Raul Aguirre and Julie Gallego were my “go-to” people for all things Hispanic. Whether it was information on cultural nuances, contacts or context, they endlessly gave me the solid leads I needed to do my job better. I could never have done a 10th of what I did without this wonderful trio of movers and shakers.

6. Carroll Rinehart: The man who started the global program of getting kids to write their own operas, Rinehart was my prime source for all things related to music education, and a huge source of inspiration.

7. Bob Bernhardt officially started as music director of the Tucson Symphony three weeks after I started at the Citizen. We bonded almost from the moment we met, bound by his sense of humor, enthusiasm for music and sense of community.

8. Rainer Ptacek taught all of us what life was all about. His music made us feel it all. Felled by a brain tumor, this wonderful musician lived with bravery and a sense of wonder to the end, helping us see that family, home and humility are the things that count.

9. Ralph Gonzales: Julie Gallego’s dad used to research her “Viva Arizona” shows, which are a dance history of Tucson. I learned more from Ralph about local Hispanic musicians, clubs and the birth of Hispanic radio in Tucson than anyone. He’s the unsung great historian of Tucson.

10. Chesley Goseyun Wilson: Apache violin maker Chesley Wilson and his late wife, Ruth Longcor Wilson, quietly and patiently taught me many things about a variety of Native American cultures around us. I treasure them both.

11. Lalo Guerrero: The father of Chicano music was a walking history book about music, politics and life. He was so generous to me with his time and his stories, filling in gaps in my knowledge when no one else had the answers. He also made me laugh and made every woman I dated pay less attention to me.

12. Mariachi Cobre: The members of Mariachi Cobre and their parents shared with me the human story behind one of the greatest musical stories of the American Southwest – the birth of the mariachi movement. It may be the most important stuff I’ll ever write about.

13. Gilbert Ronstadt: I contacted Gilbert because I wanted to meet Linda’s father, but what I discovered was a rare intellect who had led one of the most fascinating lives of anyone I wrote about in these pages. He spent every Wednesday with me one summer sharing his stories. They were the best days of my writing career.

14. Linda Ronstadt: Over the years that I have come to know singer Linda Ronstadt, I have seen an artist of uncompromising standards, not just in music but in life. She inspires all of us to speak out about the things we believe in and live our lives by our innermost principles. And the same could be said about all of her siblings, Pete, Suzy and Mike.

15. Richard Carranza: The man who started the mariachi program at Pueblo High, went on to be the school’s principal and now works his magic in Vegas. He helped me get under the hood of mariachi music probably more than anyone.

16. R. Carlos Nakai: Another of the very generous folks who shared their stories and music with me is Native American flutist R. Carlos Nakai. Nakai taught me to walk my own walk and do what I felt in my heart was most important.

17. Joey Burns: Calexico co-founder Joey Burns is one of those folks who leads by example with intellect, compassion and humility. On top of that, he is one of the greatest musicians I’ve ever met.

18. Shirley Chann: In the classical world you meet a lot of wannabees and the occasional real thing. Shirley Chann is the latter – a tireless, passionate advocate for the arts. When Shirley said something was important, I knew I’d better move on it.

19. Glynn Ross: The toothy, controversial former director of Arizona Opera, Glynn Ross was an old-school impresario with the bluster of the Music Man. But he was also a man whose whole life was so intimately intertwined with the art of opera that every session with him was a lesson in that art.

20. Angelo Joaquin Jr.: The founder of Tucson’s waila festival, Angelo Joaquin Jr. taught me and all of Tucson more about the beauty and diversity of the Tohono O’odham people than any gaggle of books could.

Mae Bell Bledsoe (left) and her friend, Rose, show off Bledsoe's quilt, "The Man On the Go."

“This is my favorite,” says 73-year-old Mae Bell Bledsoe with a beaming smile. “I call it ‘The Man On the Go.’ Look at him! He’s got his horn in his hand and he looks like he’s moving.” She lets go a big laugh.

This African-inspired quilt is one of a number Bledsoe has as part of the African-American quilters showcase at the Quincie Douglas Neighborhood Center’s multipurpose room, 1575 E. 36th St. She is but one of a number of talented Tucson quilters whose remarkable handmade creations are on display through March 13.

Some are quilted on the front and back. Some are geometric designs. Some are created from scraps of fabric. Others, like Bledsoe’s African creations, are pictures that tell a story. But every one is individual, showing the work and perspective of a single person connecting with the cultural traditions and dreams of the maker’s community.

Bledsoe started quilting with her mother when she was 6 years old in Arkansas. She moved to Tucson in 1958 with her husband, who was in the military. They moved around during his time of service, but returned to make Tucson their home, living in the “A” Mountain area.

The African-inspired series began about a year ago but Bledsoe has done quilts in every imaginable style throughout her life. One, called “Summer in Africa,” depicts a pair of figures at work.

“I was on vacation in Yuma and this painting was hanging on a wall,” she explains. “I took a pen and sketched it off and thought, ‘Could I make a quilt out of it?’ I just went home and worked on it and worked on it until I came up with this.

“The biggest thing is sketching it. Once I sketch it, it takes me about a couple of weeks to make it.”

Bledsoe searches fabric stores for the right colors and patterns to complete her visions. In the case of “The Man on the Go,” she really wasn’t nuts about the material she ended up using in his horn and garment. But it ultimately fit her concept of him, so she went with it.

Some of her works are just things of beauty. Others have a different purpose entirely. On a simple black-and-white checkerboard pattern, Bledsoe sewed the words of the Ten Commandments. These she created for her three children.

“If they never go to church, I told them as long as they keep the Ten Commandments they’ll be OK,” she explains. “Keep it on the bed. When they get up in the morning they’d look at those Ten Commandments and try not to break one because if you break one, you break them all.”

Bledsoe’s is an older style of African-American quilting. “This is table-top quilting,” she says. “This is what we did when I was a girl. There’s no frame used to make these quilts. It’s a different look.”

Some she sells, some she keeps. Those she sells run typically between $350-$500 or more, depending on the materials and time involved. It’s very cheap for the love and labor put into each.

Bledsoe has also taught the quilter’s art in Tucson for over 35 years. She regrets that the younger generation is not getting involved. Even in her own family, only one grandson – now deceased – took a serious interest in quilting with her.

“When I start out, I don’t know what I’m going to get,” she says. “But I just work with it until it looks like something I want it to be. I never repeat a quilt. All of my quilts are different.”

And exquisite.

Would Tucson's First Night be more festive if a bunch of professional mimes roamed the streets showing off their art form? What if every single partygoer who headed downtown wore a wild, crazy costume?

Stepping back for a minute to get a little perspective, the city’s New Year’s Eve experiment with First Night felt a lot like the early days of a now-treasured Old Pueblo tradition – Tucson Meet Yourself.

Back in 1974, the downtown celebration of all the ethnic groups who sank their roots into one of the New World’s oldest continuously inhabited places felt kind of weird. Strange customs, strange costumes and strange food booths were spread all over El Presidio Park. Some weren’t as strange as others, but where were the corn dogs and root beer floats?

Then there was the name – Tucson Meet Yourself. What kind of a name is that? It sounded suspiciously Zen Buddhist.

The meaning of First Night is pretty obscure, too. It doesn’t exactly shout “New Year’s Eve!” Chronologically speaking, shouldn’t it be called Last Night? As in . . . the last night of the year?

Granted, it would be awkward to keep asking, “Are you going to celebrate Last Night?”

Maybe a successful tradition just needs to have a funny name, so it sticks in the imagination.

It did take more than a little imagination to feel like all 3,000 of us were attending the same party on First Night. There would be a band playing funny songs here, a magician looking tricky over there. On another stage, some actors in black outfits would start jumping around and making faces. In between were lots of dark businesses shuttered for the holiday.

On the sidewalks, people were usually walking in small groups, most of them wearing casual street clothes. This was definitely one New Year’s Eve party without any displays of fine attire. Looking back, an important tip to keep in mind for celebrating First Night at the end of 2009 is to wear comfortable shoes.

Looking ahead, it would be fun if all the First Nighters started wearing wild and crazy costumes. People could dress up like their favorite movie stars, or superheroes, adding glamour and adventure to the evening. The more that festive outfits appeared on the scene, the more that party spirit would keep growing.

Another idea that sort of popped up would be to give every First Nighter an identifying blinking light or something. Those official First Night pins the city promoters passed out did look good, but Cox Communications trumped everybody by passing out blue flashing medallions.

You could see those little lights flashing from blocks away. Helping make downtown sparkle with those little illuminations created a bonding energy that made the night seem more special.

Of course, the ultimate reason for staging First Night is to seduce people into coming downtown. That reason was never mentioned when Tucson Meet Yourself started. Back in the 1970s, having an opportunity to enjoy a multicultural experience was the best reason to show up.

The brightest part of the first First Night is seeing the potential – not only as a way to introduce downtown to our mall-addicted suburbanites, but also to introduce the city’s myriad performing artists to new audiences.

There are many fine local musicians who don’t play in bars plus many actors, comedians, dancers, tap dancers and jugglers on unicycles worthy of wider appreciation. Actually, a number of the same performers doing ethnic specialities at Tucson Meet Yourself would fit right onto the various stages at First Night, both indoors and out.

But come to think of it, I didn’t see any mimes walking the streets on First Night. What if someone started holding a professional mimes’ convention in Tucson the last week of each December? What if all the mimes celebrated their art by taking to the downtown streets on New Year’s Eve?

What if . . .well, maybe that’s enough imagining for now.

A 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt like this one will be raffled off in Tucson on Feb. 18, 2008. Contact your favorite local charity to buy tickets.

If you’re old enough to remember the “King of Cool,” there’s an ongoing charity event that you may find irresistible.

Local nonprofits are selling raffle tickets for the chance to win a 2008 Mustang Bullitt. The car is modeled after the one Det. Frank Bullitt, played by über icy Steve McQueen, drove through the streets of downtown San Francisco in a searing chase scene that made the 1968 movie “Bullitt” a part of film lore.

Behind the raffle is Tucson businessman Jim Click Jr., who hopes ticket sales will raise $1 million for local charities.

At least 224 organizations are participating. Fifty-thousand tickets have been printed and, so far, 35,000 distributed to the participating groups.

“It’s a great way for small agencies to raise money,” Click said.

Click said he and wife, Vicki, were attending a showing of “Casablanca” at the restored Fox Theatre in June and saw that the Fox would be presenting “Bullitt” in August. Herb Stratford, executive director of the Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation, asked if Click was interested in doing a Mustang-related promotion and underwriting the film.

Click, president of Jim Click Automotive, knew Ford was coming out with a Bullitt next year to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the film, so he decided to go big. He would donate a Bullitt for a raffle to benefit all of Tucson’s charities and announce it at the Fox showing of “Bullitt.”

Some cynics might see this as Click just advertising Click. But Click has a long history of philanthropy in Tucson. He has donated to and/or helped raise money for Boys & Girls Clubs, Save Our Sabino, a job center for the homeless, Salpointe Catholic High School, San Miguel Catholic High School and the University of Arizona.

He’s a founding member of the Men’s Anti-Violence Partnership of Southern Arizona. And he was one of the first Tucson employers to hire people with developmental disabilities through the Beacon Foundation, today employing more than 60 people with disabilities at his dealerships.

A resident of Tucson for 36 years, Click said, “If you take from a community, you’ve got to give back.”

Frankly, Click doesn’t need much help selling Mustangs. They sell themselves. The Mustang GT is the first car for which Click gets almost full MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price). The Mustang Shelby GT500 brings a premium.

The Mustang “really has been successful since Ford reintroduced it and kind of brought it back in its original form,” Click said.

The Bullitt is likely to become an instant collector’s item. Ford is making only 7,700 for the U.S./Canada market. When Ford introduced the GT500, it made more than 10,000 and still barely met the demand, Click said.

Click’s dealership will get one Bullitt to sell and one for the raffle.

The Bullitt is dark green and stripped of ornamentation to match the muscle-bound, tough-guy appearance of the original movie car. McQueen is said to have added dents to the movie cars (two were used in filming the 9 minute, 42 second scene) to make them more realistic.

The 2008 version comes dent-free. But the engineers designed the exhaust system to sound like the original movie Mustang. “The car has a lot of history,” Click said.

The suggested starting price for the Bullitt is $31,075. The version to be raffled will come with all the goodies and have a higher value.

The vehicle, in production now, will be displayed in January at Click’s Ford dealership, with the drawing to take place Feb. 18. Contact your favorite charity to buy tickets at $25 each or five for $100.

As we enter the season of giving, the raffle tickets could be the coolest Christmas gift ever for yourself or the Mustang lover in your life – and the most excitement you’ve ever had while donating to charity.

Anne T. Denogean can be reached at 573-4582 and adenogean@.com. Address letters to P.O. Box 26767, Tucson, AZ 85726-6767. Her columns run Tuesdays and Fridays.

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ON THE WEB

To see a review of the Mustang Bullitt and the full chase scene in a YouTube clip: www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Followup/articleId=123327e