Scope and Content Note
The papers of Wayne William Parrish (1907-1984) span the years 1912-1976 with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1950-1972. The collection includes correspondence, memoranda, reports, speeches and writings, programs for commemorative events, airline insignia, logos, schedules, tickets and other aeronautical mementoes, photographs, and printed matter organized in four series: General Correspondence , Airline File , Subject File , and Miscellany . The papers concern Parrish's work as founder and president of American Aviation Publications (AAP).
Parrish founded American Aviation Publications in 1937 to publish trade journals for the new commercial aviation industry. When he sold the firm to Ziff-Davis Publishing Company in 1969, AAP was publishing sixteen magazines and newsletters which covered most aspects of aviation including developments in aerospace. Parrish was in contact with executives and managers of airlines throughout the world. He inspected and reported upon airports and travelled routes of the airlines within the United States. He was active in international aviation as a frequent flier, commentator, and promoter of the burgeoning industry. His papers document these activities and touch upon a wide range of professional and aviation-related topics. His correspondence with airline executives, manufacturers, and pilots addressed political, technical, labor, and business issues, especially during the post-World War II years when airlines defined and extended their industry to become the primary means of long distance passenger transportation.
There is reference in the General Correspondence series to Parrish's wartime activities as a journalist in 1945 inspecting the results of Allied bombing in Germany. The Airline File and Subject File series include records of inaugural flights for airlines and records of historic flights, such as Rockwell International Corporation's first flight to traverse both poles in 1966. Documents in the Airline File also concern press coverage received by companies in AAP publications and advertising solicitation.
The Miscellany series includes business and financial records for AAP. The expense account files provide a detailed record of Parrish's travel and business contacts. The chronological file preserves a daily record of Parrish's correspondence for part of 1971 and for 1972 which duplicates some correspondence filed topically in the Subject File series. The writings and speeches are usually typescript drafts, many of which concern the history of commercial aviation. Parrish's newspaper reports on commercial airlines in the Soviet Union in 1958 were distributed widely by the Associated Press. Relevant clippings are included with his writings.