Brad Tillson joined the Dayton Daily News in 1971 becoming editor of the newspaper in 1984 and publisher in 1988. He was named President and CEO of Cox Ohio Publishing in 1996. He served as the chairman to the Inventing Flight Commission, established to celebrate the centennial of flight in Dayton.
This collection details the work that Brad Tillson performed as chair of the Dayton Commission. This celebration was a large program developed to honor the Wright Brothers first flight on December 17, 1903. The celebration included many events throughout Dayton with the main event and ceremonies running July 3-20, 2003. Some of the events include: International Airship meet, educational exhibits, the Dayton Air Show, and other events to celebrate the centennial of flight.
The Inventing Flight Commission was first established in 1989 as the 2003 Committee, dedicated to the organization of the centennial celebrations that were to occur in 2003. The 2003 Committee officially became the Inventing Flight: Dayton Celebration Commission on April 19, 1999. This organization not only planned the events that would become the Inventing Flight Celebration, but they aided in creating a lasting legacy in Dayton by partnering with Aviation Trail, Inc. to create the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. This includes the Wright-Dunbar Interpretative Center, Wright Aviation Center, Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretative Center and the Paul Laurence Dunbar State Memorial, four different locations that were saved, preserved and made available to educate the public.
From the guide to the Brad Tillson Inventing Flight Collection, 1912-2006, 1989-2004, (Wright State University, Special Collections and Archives)
