Welman A. Shrader Papers
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10735.1/2167
Welman Austin Shrader was born in 1906 in New Albany, Indiana and became involved in both the aviation journalism and aviation photography professions. He received a pilot's license by attending Purdue University, and spent ten years running an aerial photography business. Shrader remained in aviation for most of his working life, being the Director of Publications for the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences (an aviation forum that publishes several technical journals and gives awards for aeronautical research. It is now known as The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, AIAA) for eighteen years. He also worked ARO, Inc., a government contractor responsible for the operation of the United States Air Force's Arnold Development Center in Tennessee, from which he retired in 1972.
Shrader worked on, and provided photographs for several books. Florida via Camera, which was written by John Gebhart and Fred Penn and featured photographs taken by Shrader, was published in 1939 by Eastern Airlines and the Aero-Graphic Corporation, as a means of attracting tourists to Florida. His second work, Fifty years of Flight, a Chronicle of the Aviation industry in America, 1903-1953, was produced privately for the Eaton Manufacturing Company, and was based on extensive index card chronology Shrader had compiled. In 1978 he sought out publishers to see if there was any interest in publishing an updated version of this book chronicling 75 years of aviation history. However this did not occur before his death. Shrader also wrote many entries for various aviation encyclopedias, guides, and concordances.
Shrader was a member on numerous aviation organizations including the IAS (AIAA), the Silver Wings, the Quiet Birdmen, and the OX-5 Club. He also maintained membership with the Aviation and Space Association.
Shrader worked on, and provided photographs for several books. Florida via Camera, which was written by John Gebhart and Fred Penn and featured photographs taken by Shrader, was published in 1939 by Eastern Airlines and the Aero-Graphic Corporation, as a means of attracting tourists to Florida. His second work, Fifty years of Flight, a Chronicle of the Aviation industry in America, 1903-1953, was produced privately for the Eaton Manufacturing Company, and was based on extensive index card chronology Shrader had compiled. In 1978 he sought out publishers to see if there was any interest in publishing an updated version of this book chronicling 75 years of aviation history. However this did not occur before his death. Shrader also wrote many entries for various aviation encyclopedias, guides, and concordances.
Shrader was a member on numerous aviation organizations including the IAS (AIAA), the Silver Wings, the Quiet Birdmen, and the OX-5 Club. He also maintained membership with the Aviation and Space Association.