Exonian Profiles
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Edmund “Skip” Lincoln Eveleth ’28, author of Achievers at 91-years-young, reflects, “I’m one of the luckiest guys in the world. I’ve been blessed with good health and a great memory. I’ve been fortunate to have encountered many remarkable Americans who have made worthwhile contributions to mankind and who have enriched my life.” Eveleth uses his unique collection of photographs, documentary films, cassettes, and personal stories to provide insight into a cast of legendary individuals including: General James Doolittle, Howard Hughes, Igor Sigorsky, and Charles Lindbergh whose path’s crossed with Skip’s throughout a lifetime. Achievers features Skip’s recollections and illustrations while working with influential people in aviation, auto, and yacht racing. Born on March 6, 1909 in Schenectady, NY, Skip graduated from Exeter, attended Williston Academy in 1928 and Brown University, where he was a member of Brown’s Yacht Club and Flying Club, graduating in 1932 with a degree in engineering and a private pilot’s license. Eveleth’s career began at Pratt & Whitney in 1933 as an experimental test engineer. He became director of customer relations, co-authored the text of Aircraft Engines (1940, 41), Aircraft Engine Carburetors (1942), and worked with General Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, and Howard Hughes. Skip remembers, “Whenever Howard Hughes called me at Pratt & Whitney, it was always a collect call.” In 1944, Skip obtained a position as customer relations’ manager at Sikorsky Aircraft. Skip shared a neighboring office for 14 years with Igor Sikorsky, famed Russian/American who invented the helicopter. Among Skip’s most prized possessions are four hours of cassette tapes featuring Sikorsky telling his life’s story. With a non-sibi spirit, Skip inspired others as director of the Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker, Alabama—raising the first $5 million for the Museum that tells the history of Army aviation and honors the memory of those who made it possible. As director of research and development at Alabama Aviation and Technical College where he tested the use of alternative fuels and in 1991, Skip was honored with the Clean Fuels Development Coalition’s Alternative Fuels in Aviation award. In 1994 the Board of Directors at the American Helicopter Society presented Skip with a special medal commemorating fifty years of dedicated service to the American Helicopter Society. Skip says his next book is about his father, Charles Edward Eveleth, vice president of General Electric from 1927-1933. The elder Eveleth helped develop the world’s first underwater submarine detector known as C-tubes and K-tubes—technology that sunk 15 German U-boats. “I was born lucky and I still have a lot of writing to do before I die,” Skip says. If interested in Achievers, write to Skip at 320-G Willow Oaks Drive, Ozark, Ala., 36360. –Alice Ann Gray |
