HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – A new book is being written in conjunction with the West Michigan Regional Airport’s 75th Anniversary.
The book will focus on the history of how the Tulip City Airport grew from a grass landing field and a barn terminal into today’s 50,000-flight-a-year airport. The anniversary book is titled, Ascent: The 75th Anniversary of the Tulip City / West Michigan Regional Airport and is being written by Holland author and journalist Myron J. Kukla.
The 75th airport anniversary book covers the history of the airport’s beginning as a grass runway leveled out by Holland pilot Gradus Geurink on a farm field behind his Washington Avenue home through its ascent to the busy West Michigan Regional Airport of today. Ascent also covers the crucial period when Holland industrialist Edgar Prince bought the airport to guarantee his company Prince Corp. a reliable airport to fly from upon Guerink’s retirement. It also covers the struggles faced by Holland City Council to buy and generate funding for the Tulip City Airport as a community infrastructure resource.
The book will be previewed and advance purchase reservations taken at the Wings of Mercy Care Affaire fundraising event at the airport on Saturday Aug. 26. A percent of advance sales of the book will be donated to Wings of Mercy.
Among the highlights in the airport anniversary book will be stories of its growth as business airport in the 1960s and 1970s as Holland-Zeeland companies took to the air to sell products and services to long distance customers.
The names of people, their contributions and airport anecdotes can be emailed to writestuffholland@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is Aug. 31, 2017.
Ascent: The 75th Anniversary of the Tulip City / West Michigan Regional Airport is planned for launch in late October 2017. The publication of the book is a joint project of the West Michigan Airport Authority and the Ron and Linda Ludema family. For more information visit West Michigan Regional Airport on Facebook.
