Ernest Love Prescott Hometown Hero SOLD OUT
Why the Prescott Airport is Named After Ernest A Love
Saturday, November 2th, 9:30 to 11:30 am
Yavapai College Library Community Room (Building 19 Room 147)
The Osher Lifelong Learning Program (OLLI) and Yavapai College presents the second annual Jane Reti Speaker Series event: Ernest A Love, Hometown Hero.
Ever wonder why the airfield at the Prescott Airport is named after Ernest A. Love. Maybe you’ve seen the statue of him in the airport atrium. While Ernest Love’s story is about a hometown hero who died in WWI, it is also about a young man who grew up in Prescott, was a football star at Prescott high school and about the mother who would not give up in her fight to bring her son home to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
The Jane Reti Speaker Series started in 2023 with a grant from Andy Reti to honor his wife of many years. Jane was a longtime resident and volunteer in Prescott and Andy wanted to honor her commitment to lifelong learning and her special interest in the arts, helping those in need and the broader world about her. Through OLLI at Yavapai College, this speaker series allows that legacy to live on.
This year, Don Baier is the featured speaker for the Jane Reti event. Don will discuss how Ernest Love grew up in Prescott, how he went on to Stanford College but then left to join the Army Air Corp when the US joined in the fight against the Axis in World War I. The presentation will show you the rigor and dedication it took to become a top aviator, you’ll also hear directly from Ernest through his letters to his mother and see videos of what it was like to fly in a WWI vintage airplane.
Ernest Love died after his 22nd mission over St Mihiel, France in 1918. In the confusion of war, his body was buried in two different places in Europe before his mother, Etta Love was able to bring the body of her son home to the USA.
Using photos, letters and other archive materials from the Sharlot Hall Museum, Don will tell the story of not only the man who became a hometown hero, but of the town, the mother and the community that loved him and supported him.
Don brings a long career in both the Air Force and Commercial Airlines spanning more than four decades, while serving 34 years as a Docent of the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum to bring to life the exciting story of Ernest A. Love..
Don’t miss the opportunity to hear this exciting presentation on November 2nd in the community room at the Yavapai College Library.
Osher Lifelong Learning (OLLI) is part of the Yavapai College Division of Lifelong Learning. Visit yc.edu/prescottolli or call 928-717-7634 to receive the current catalog or to join. You can also watch us on YouTube: youtube.com/@prescottolliatyavapaicollege1652/videos.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Yavapai College is initiating a new speaker series open to all members of the Yavapai County community. The program is the result of a generous grant from Andy Reti to honor the life led by Jane Reti. Jane’s commitment to new ideas, continuous learning, the arts, and humanities and the joy that comes from an active curiosity is celebrated through this new speaker series.
For more information: (928) 717-7634
