October 28, 1945
In Colorado, an airport located 3.7 miles (six kilometers) southwest of the central business district of the city of Longmont was inaugurated. The public debut of this facility, which was originally called Longmont Municipal Airport, marked a milestone for aviation in that region of the Centennial State.
The opening of this city-owned, public-use airport took place a little less than two months after the end of World War II and, as a part of that Sunday’s festivities, Longmont Mayor Fred C. Ferguson (1889-1977) formally christened the facility.
Ferguson proclaimed, “By authority vested in me by the Longmont City Council, I now christen the Longmont Municipal Airport, and dedicate it to the use of our people, to the people of our state and nation, and to the splendid young generation now returning victorious from the battlefields of the world, with eyes upon the far horizons, and the spirit to spurn the present limitations of time and space.”
Colorado Governor John Charles Vivian (1887-1964) also attended this ceremony and, while standing on a makeshift stage, he spoke to the large crowd of people who had shown up for the event. (Miles A. McPhillips [1898-1963], Longmont’s chief of police, estimated at the time that approximately 10,000 were in attendance.)
The other public officials on hand included a few representing the city of Fort Collins, which is about 35 miles (56.3 kilometers) north of Longmont. That delegation from Longmont consisted of William M. Bevington (1875-1955), the city’s mayor; Simpson Warren Riddell (1887-1963), the city’s commissioner of public works; and Guy H. Palmes (1890-1973), the city manager.
Another part of the celebration of Longmont Municipal Airport’s opening was an air show held there. In an interview more than four decades later, Longmont resident Owen Paul Kugel (1906-1991) recalled helping to construct the airport. “The city loaned us a motor grader,” he said. “And we graded the runway.”
In 1988, Longmont Municipal Airport was renamed after now-retired NASA astronaut Vance Brand (born in 1931). The spaceflight accomplishments of Longmont native Brand included serving as commander of three Space Shuttle missions. His extensive career has also encompassed service as a test pilot, aeronautical engineer, and U.S. Navy officer.
Vance Brand Airport remains in operation today. This airport covers a total of 261 acres (106 hectares) at an elevation of 5,055 fee (1,541 meters) above mean sea level. The accompanying U.S. Geological Survey aerial image of Vance Brand Airport was taken in 2022.
Photo Credit: Public Domain
For more information on Vance Brand Airport (originally named Longmont Municipal Airport), please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vance_Brand_Airport
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