Esther Mae Nesbitt-- Part 1: World War II Hero

From Find-A-Grave.

Esther Mae Nesbitt  1913-1971.

Sycamore, Illinois, woman.  World War II hero.

Buried Elmwood Cemetery, Sycamore, Illinois.

There is also a memorial located at her grave.

--GreGen

Sky Harbor Airport, Northbrook, Illinois-- Part 2

Shy Harbor Airport was located near Pal-Waukee Airport.  By 1939 it had four 'cinder-oiled" runways, the longest at 2,500 feet.    But by then, it had begun a decline because of the Great Depression and the airport had been abandoned and the once-glitzy clubhouse gutted by vandals.

In 1939, it was sold and started a comeback as a center for Navy fliers from the nearby Glenview Naval Air Station. And, it was also used by the Civil Air Patrol.

By 1950, its runways were paved but it was closed by 1974.  Just part of the hangar remains of it today.

--GreGen

Sky Harbor Airport, Northbrook, Illinois-- Part 1

From the Little-Known Airfields:  Illinois, Northern Chicago Area.

In the last post, I mentioned Miss Esther Mae Nesbitt joining the Civil Air Patrol that flew out of Sky Harbor Airport northwest of Evanston, Illinois.  I'd never hear of it, but thought perhaps it might have been the Pal-Waukee Airport (now Executive Airport) by Wheeling, near where I grew up.  It was a different airport, however.

This facility was opened in 1929 and featured an art deco terminal, clubhouse and hangar.  It was built by the North Shore Airport Company and described as "The Airport of Tomorrow."  It was a base for private aircraft, airlines and sightseeing aircraft.

It cost $500,000 to build, a sizable sum back then and had an elegant arch roof hangar as well as the posh Petrushka Club on top of the terminal.

--GreGen

Sycamore Woman in Civil Air Patrol Out of Evanston

From the March 22, 2017, MidWeek "Looking Back."

1942, 75 Years Ago.

"Miss Esther Mae Nesbitt of Sycamore is now a member of the Chicago unit of the Civil Air Patrol which has military training each week in Evanston and is made up of private patrols flying from Sky Harbor airport northwest of Evanston.

"Miss Nesbitt has had previous training this winter at San Antonio, Texas."

The Civil Air Patrol hurt German U-boats operating off the U.S. coast as they kept watch and reported their location to military forces.

--GreGen