Subject: Re: B-17 on ARC today.
From: "Steve Bamford" <[email-masked]>
To: "perry" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 25 Jun 2002 00:07:27 -0700

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you have never been hurt; and
Dance like no one is watching!

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: perry 
  To: Steve Bamford 
  Cc: SAMUEL W HARRIS 
  Sent: Monday, June 24, 2002 8:01 PM
  Subject: Re: B-17 on ARC today.

  okay a short rundown on pictures from meeting George fredrickson(bombardier/"little patches" 1944).............

  1)George autographing my crew photo(of the crew hew was with)....signed above his photo for me)

  2)George and I going through details of mission/crew from photo.

  3)George Fredrickson and his wife Wanda,and myself (Photo taken in Concordia,KS museum)

  4)Another photo taken at the museum as George closely inspects his old station in nose of "Little Patches" the bombardier.

  5)Wanda,myself and my daughter Haley, alongside George as we look over the diorama of "Little Patches" also in the Concordia museum.

  6)George caught again................. studying the diorama!

  7)George explaining to the museum curator, aboat "Little Patches" 

      May 25, 2002 was a very exciting day for me,as a few years earlier George Fredrickson(WW2 Veteran/crewman: assigned to little patches in 1944 as Bombardier) invited me to see him at his ranch in Concordia,Kansas when i completed my "LITTLE PATCHES" diorama(explained more in part 1)...well the day finally came ...and we arrived around noon.
      
   George was very excited to meet me and see my long awaited project,and we were warmly welcomed and treated like family!we all introduced ourselves and George and I began going through my photo album/scrapbook of the B-17g "little patches" Ser#42-31678 which i had started compiling a few years earlier and kept up to date throughout my project whenever something new came my way!......George was astonished by the amount of actaul photo's and information about his aircraft ,many of which he had never seen before!
  we talked for an hour or so and then George and his wife Wanda insisted they take us out for a late lunch in town.
  To our surprize George had arranged a meeting at the Concordia,Kansas museum...so everyone could meet us and see the model of "little patches" that George had been assinged to in the war.It was very special time,Aas we got to meet the museum curator as well as alot of George's friends,as well as a few new people who were in town to look through the museum and also recieved a bit of an old history report on a very special man and his plane!

      George also autographed my personal crew photo and then we picked out photo's that george wanted copys for himself as a few he had were very bad copies,and the high quality photos really pleased him!........It  also was a deeply moving day as there were many times throughout the day George got a little emotional by photos,the model,and sharing memories with me.This also upset me in a way,as i was not there to stir up bad memories but help share with others what men just like George Fredrickson went through to keep freedom alive.I also presented George with a very special plaque which included actual photos of the diorama as well as actaul photos and group insignia,and also a squadron patch....one of which he did not have yet. 

  Our meeting was special and George hated to see us go, but i promised George and his wife, i would return and visit more with them during this summer,and which i plan to do again in the next few weeks as he only lives about 2 1/2 hours from my house.

  This was what this project was all about.......for Georgeand all the other men who were there,and fought through horrible conditions at times but yet always went back when called.....they are what inspired this diorama of a B-17g named "Little Patches"

  Thanks George & Wanda Fredrickson

  sincerely,

  Todd m Perry  

  ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Steve Bamford 
    To: perry 
    Sent: Monday, June 24, 2002 8:50 PM
    Subject: Re: B-17 on ARC today.

    Send me the stuff....I can always delay part 2 for one day or so.  
    This is not a problem.....send the stuff when you can.

    Steve Bamford
    Aircraft Resource Center
    http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com

    Live like there is no tomorrow;
    Love like you have never been hurt; and
    Dance like no one is watching!

      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: perry 
      To: Steve Bamford 
      Sent: Monday, June 24, 2002 4:19 PM
      Subject: Re: B-17 on ARC today.

      dear stewve....you beat me to the punch...was going to write and see if i had time to send you a few pictures of my meeting with george fredrickson for tomorrows edition(part 2).....i hope so as it would really tie this whole project together and kinda finalize it for the preview(story) also.......my wife and i drove up to meet him for the first time last month as he was bombardier on "little patches" and he was very awestruck by my creation and also brought back alot of memories for him/very emotional at times,but was truly glad i brought it to show him!

      let me know if we have time for this also or possibly a short note to postpone part 2 till say wed/if not i can get you these right away tonight yet......just write as soon as you can ......

      also i want to say a big "thanks" for your article and your putting it together so nicely,great job....getting tonms of enmails from good wishers also............

      sincerely.......todd m perry

      "little patches" 
        ----- Original Message ----- 
        From: Steve Bamford 
        To: perry 
        Sent: Monday, June 24, 2002 3:02 PM
        Subject: B-17 on ARC today.

        Hi Todd,
        Your B-17 went on ARC today.  Part one of the article went on today and the second and final part goes on ARC tomorrow.

        Thanks Todd.  Beautiful model and display and story.

        Steve Bamford
        Aircraft Resource Center
        http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com

        Live like there is no tomorrow;
        Love like you have never been hurt; and
        Dance like no one is watching!