Earle Ovington, Air Mail, and the First Flight Over Waltham

Join us for the last of our 2024-25 Saturday Social Series: “Earle Ovington, Air Mail, and the First Flight Over Waltham.”

Earle L. Ovington was the United States’ first airmail pilot and flew the first official airmail route in the nation’s history on Long Island, New York, in September 1911. Prior to that, Ovington was the first person to fly an airplane over Waltham and Boston on June 15, 1911. David Ball and Brian Howard will give a presentation on the early years of aviation, airmail, and Ovington’s pioneering role in the first decades of heavier-than-air flight.

David Ball of Framingham is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and current president of the American Air Mail Society. He will discuss Ovington’s flight and the role aviation played in the delivery of mail during the early 20th century.

Brian Howard lives in Newton and is the executive director of the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History in Weston. He is a former aviation museum curator and has lectured on American aviation history, from the Wright Brothers’ first flight through the Cold War. He will discuss the general history of aviation at the time of Ovington’s flights.

Tours and refreshments available. Seats are limited, so sign up by calling 781-893-9020 or emailing info@walthammuseum.org with name, phone number and email, and number of participants. Parking available in the Public Parking Garage directly across from the Waltham Museum.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Waltham Cultural Council, a local agency funded by Mass Arts Council, a state agency.