The Director of Aeronautics supervises the activities of the dept. He is appointed by the commission, approved by the governor, and serves for an indefinite term. The qualifications and duties of the director are listed in the Ala. Code, 4-2-35 and 4-2-36 (1975). Asa Rountree was director from 1936 until his retirement in 1966, except for 1942-1945 when he was called to active duty. He was succeeded by Richard Arthur (1967-1971) and John Suttle, Jr. (1972). Most of the records cover Rountree's administration. The collection contains correspondence, reports, press releases, lists, and printed material covering the dept.'s functions, programs, and policy formation. It also includes clippings on the dept.'s Small Cities Airport program, the Ala. aviation gasoline tax, and Rountree's retirement. There is congratulatory correspondence on Rountree's retirement and the naming of the Hartsell, Ala., airport in his honor in 1965. Other areas covered include airline service to Ala., federal aid to state aviation, air safety programs, and Ala. airport development. The collection also contains aerial photographs of the March 1929 floods in southern Ala. and various military and civil air fields in Ala. Photographs of officials of the Dept. of Aeronautics at various civic functions and airport dedications, including Ft. Morgan and Luverne, Ala., and the Capital Air Lines' inaugural flight of 1948, are also present.
