DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm going to give it to you straight. Lawrence Clifton Elliott — born November 16, 1901, in Greenville, Texas, and gone May 15, 1970 — left a mark on the sky over this country that most folks never knew to look for, and that's exactly how the best work gets done. Now settle in, because this one builds.
During high school — high school, mind you — Elliott built an experimental airplane. Not a model. Not a kite.
An airplane. Whatever the other kids were doing with their afternoons, Lawrence Elliott was out there doing something that would shape the skies of an entire nation. He went on to Texas A&M University, came up through the Reserve Officers Training Corps, and graduated in 1924 with a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps.
They sent him to Brooks Field and Kelly Field, both down in San Antonio, where he trained and sharpened the instincts he'd been born with. He earned awards in air races and became a U.S. Army flight instructor.
The man could fly, and he could teach others to fly, and that combination turns out to be worth more than almost anything. Then 1928 rolls around, and Elliott steps into something bigger than competition and bigger than instruction. He begins a 35-year career with the Aeronautics Branch of the U.S.
Department of Commerce — later known as the Civil Aeronautics Administration. Thirty-five years. Think about what that span of time actually means.
He was stationed at Southwest Regional Headquarters right here in Fort Worth for 25 of those years. And what did he do with that time? He was instrumental in marking domestic flight routes — the invisible roads in the sky that pilots still follow today.
He developed weather communication broadcast techniques. He established standards for airplane maintenance and inspection. He recommended safety modifications for air facilities.
None of those things have your name on them when you're riding in an airplane at thirty thousand feet, but every single one of them is the reason you get there alive. Then World War II comes along, and during that whole terrible stretch, Elliott served as regional manager of the U.S. Civil Aviation System.
The weight of that responsibility — keeping civilian aviation functioning while the world was at war — that's not a small thing to carry. And he carried it. By 1953, the wider world had taken notice.
He received awards that year for exceptional service and his impact on international aviation. International. The boy who built an experimental airplane in high school had helped shape how the whole world flies.
Elliott was married to Mildred Leonhart Reiter, who passed away in 1963. Their home at 3 Chase Court here in Fort Worth was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1983. That house still stands as a quiet monument to a man who spent his career making sure that when you look up at a plane crossing a Texas sky, it gets where it's going safely.
Lawrence C. Elliott built his first airplane before most people believed ordinary men could fly. He spent the rest of his life making sure they could.
What the marker says
(November 16, 1901 - May 15, 1970) Aviation pioneer Lawrence C. Elliot was born in Greenville, Texas. During high school, Elliott exhibited early aviation talent when he built an experimental airplane. He attended Texas A&M University, participating in the Reserve Officers Training Corps. After graduating in 1924, Elliott was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps and trained at Brooks Field and Kelly Field in San Antonio. He earned awards in air races and became a U.S. Army flight Instructor. In 1928, Elliot began a 35-year career with the Aeronautics Branch of the U.S. Department of Commerce (Later the Civil Aeronautics Administration). Stationed at Southwest Regional Headquarters in Fort Worth for 25 years, he was instrumental in marking domestic flight routes, developing weather communication broadcast techniques, establishing standards for airplane maintenance and inspection, and recommending air facility safety modifications. During World War II, Elliott was regional manager of the U.S. Civil Aviation System. He received awards for exceptional service and impact on international aviation in 1953. Elliott was married to Mildred Leonhart Reiter (d. 1963). Their former home at 3 Chase Court was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1983. (1991)