Scope and Content Note
The papers of Harold McMillan (1890-1965) span the years 1925-1962. The collection consists of correspondence, speeches, printed matter, and miscellaneous material relating to Charles A. Lindbergh and his transatlantic flight of 1927. Bixby, an airline executive and president of the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce, was one of the group of that city's businessmen who backed Lindbergh in his solo flight to Paris in the Spirit of St. Louis. Bixby's bank, the State National Bank, issued the $15,000 loan that made possible Lindbergh's purchase of an airplane suitable for the flight. The St. Louis group also handled some of Lindbergh's fan mail and inquiries about public appearances and product endorsements.
Included in the collection in addition to correspondence between Bixby and Lindbergh are letters from Evangeline Lodge Land Lindbergh, the aviator's mother, to her son prior to and after the flight. Other materials include fan mail to Lindbergh, requests for appearances and endorsements, a financial report pertaining to the manufacturing company, Travel-Air, in Wichita, Kansas, the promissory note for $15,000, flight charts, press releases and printed memorabilia.