Flagpole dedicated at Hensley Memorial Airport

Pole was donated for W.W. II pilots

"Piggy" Herndon of Fulton, widow of the late Tom A. Herndon of Fulton, chats Saturday before the ceremony honoring her husband for donating a new flagpole at the Elton Hensley Airport in Fulton. With her is a family friend, Larry Huffman of Mexico.
"Piggy" Herndon of Fulton, widow of the late Tom A. Herndon of Fulton, chats Saturday before the ceremony honoring her husband for donating a new flagpole at the Elton Hensley Airport in Fulton. With her is a family friend, Larry Huffman of Mexico.

About 100 Fulton area residents gathered Saturday at Elton Hensley Memorial Airport in Fulton for the dedication of a flagpole donated by the late Tom A. Herndon of Fulton, a World War II B-29 bomber pilot for the U.S. Army Air Corps.

Herndon donated the flagpole in behalf of all World War II pilots.

Fulton Mayor LeRoy Benton praised Herndon for his civic work and issued a proclamation honoring Herndon.

"This is an emotional day for me." said Virginia "Piggie" Herndon, 86, widow of the late Herndon, who died before the dedication ceremony at age 86.

The Herndons grew up on farms near Kingdom City and are graduates of Fulton High School.

As soon as he graduated from Fulton High School in 1943, Herndon enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, which later became a separate military branch when the U.S. Air Force was formed after World War II in 1947.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.