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Who was Max Conrad
One of the honored names
in the history of light aircraft is that of Max
Conrad. His skills as a pilot and teacher. His
courageous use of small, single and twin engine
planes for life-saving missions and record long-distance
solo flights earned him world-wide acclaim. Born
in Winona, Minnesota in 1903, many of Conrad's
contributions to aviation were accomplished in
this community. Many of its current resident refer
to him as a Winona hero.
Background
of the Web Page
Several years ago I read an email posted to
Winona’s online forum of the time, "WinonaNet"
about a person looking for information about Max
Conrad. This was before everyone knew where spam
came from and email addresses were posted along
with messages. I wrote a reply to this person
telling them I was from Winona and had an interest
in aviation, I was not able to offer any information
but was interested in what they might know of
Max. I was told there was a book written about
Max Conrad entitled, "Into the Wind –
The Story of Max Conrad". This book can be
found in many local libraries, but I wanted my
own copy so found one for sale on the Internet.
Before reading, "Into the Wind", about
all I knew of Max Conrad was that our local airport
was named after him and he had taught many people
to fly. After reading the book I had a whole new
appreciation to what this incredible man had accomplished
in his life and the many tragedies he and his
family had faced.
My interest in this story lead to further research
into old newspaper and magazine articles kept
at the Winona County Historical Society. From
the information I found, and the book, I created
a simple web page that sat untouched until late
2003. Occasionally I would receive emails from
someone that knew of Max, but it was late 2003
that I received an email from Max Conrad’s
eldest daughter Sarah Judy De Ryan who sparked
my interest in this project further.
It was also late 2003 that I had met Bud Baechler
of Mediawerks because he had approached me about
flying a radio-controlled blimp at Winona State
basketball games. I had asked Bud about a tour
of Mediawerks because of my interests in computer
and video. After seeing the fine work his company
has done with web projects, I approached him about
a new, completely re-designed Max Conrad web page.
About this time that Judy De Ryan sent a large
package of copies of articles, pictures, and sheet
music of songs written by her father. Another
daughter, Molly Doyle has also sent material.
Another meeting was arranged at Mediawerks and
it was decided they would create the start of
the new Max Conrad website. A very professional
web format was created with the ability for me
to add additional information.
It is my hope that people will come forward with
information and images to make this website truly
great and keep the memory of Max Conrad alive.
Bill Kuhl
Winona, Minnesota USA
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