National Air Mail Week Features The First Flight From Airport Thursday-This Day in Norwood History-May 14, 1938

Possible 12 Towns Join Celebration

Joseph Garside Takes Post Office Department Oath

Excitement is building across the district as preparations near completion for the first air‑mail flight from the Norwood–Canton Airport, scheduled for May 19th as part of National Air Mail Week. The event promises to be one of the most ambitious aviation celebrations the region has ever seen, with as many as twelve towns expected to participate.

The stage was formally set on Wednesday when Joseph Garside, well‑known private flyer and manager of E. W. Wiggins Airways, Inc., took the oath of office of the Post Office Department at the Norwood Post Office. Garside has been appointed special air‑mail pilot for the day, and he will fly the commemorative mail plane departing at 2:30 p.m. (DST) for East Boston.

A Regional Celebration Centered in Norwood

All mail for the special flight will be routed through the Norwood Post Office, under the direction of Miss Anna R. Ellis, Postmaster. Word has already arrived that North Attleboro will join the celebration, and additional towns are expected to follow. Residents throughout the district are urged to send at least one air‑mail letter to mark the historic occasion.

The event is designed not only to celebrate the progress of air mail but also to bring the community together in a shared moment of aviation history.

Aerial Demonstrations and School Closings

One of the major attractions will be an exhibition of flying by Government fighting planes, scheduled for Thursday afternoon at the airport. To ensure that young people can witness the spectacle, the schools of Norwood and Canton will be closed for the afternoon, allowing children to gather at the airfield to watch the aerial display and the ceremonial start of the air‑mail flight.

Two bands will provide music throughout the program, adding to the festive atmosphere.

Speakers and Program Details

The program will begin shortly after noon, under the direction of John Rizzo, manager of the Boston–Metropolitan Airport Corporation, who will introduce the speakers. Among them will be Postmaster William F. Whitty of Canton, who will deliver an address on the development of the Air Mail program, tracing its growth from experimental flights to a vital national service.

Some of the finest aircraft from the company’s 30‑odd airplanes will be assembled on the field for public viewing.

At 2:20 p.m. (DST), the special air‑mail plane will take off from Norwood Airport, bound for Boston, where it is scheduled to arrive at 2:30 p.m. An amplifying system will broadcast the speakers’ remarks to the crowd gathered in front of the airport hangars.

Mail Deadlines for Participating Towns

To ensure proper handling, mail for the special flight must be deposited at the Norwood Post Office by 12 noon on Thursday.

Other towns have set their own deadlines:

• Walpole Postmaster John C. Donnelly has set 10 a.m. for mail to be in the Walpole office.
• Postmaster Fietz of Islington issued the following announcement:

**“Special Air Mail Flight on May 19th from Islington via Norwood and Route A.M.S. 810 leaves Islington 12:30 p.m., plane leaving Norwood Airport at 2:20 p.m., arriving at Boston 2:30 p.m. This schedule under Daylight Saving Time.

All special flight Air Mail on this dispatch will be back‑stamped at Air Mail section, Boston, as evidence of flight.

Air Mail letters for dispatch the 19th may be deposited with Postmaster at any time.

Inspect our growing display of cachets—and send your Air Mail letter.”**

A Historic Day in Local Aviation

With the cooperation of multiple towns, the participation of schoolchildren, the presence of military aircraft, and the enthusiasm of postal officials, the May 19th air‑mail flight promises to be a landmark event for the region. For Norwood and Canton, it will be a day when aviation history touches down close to home—and then takes off again, carrying with it the letters and hopes of thousands.

Norwood Free Press