SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio’s aviation history stretches back more than a century, and the Texas Air Museum at Stinson Field is helping preserve the aircraft, artifacts and personal stories behind it.
Ken Paynter, an Air Force veteran who has served as a museum docent since 2010, said the collection includes aircraft on loan from the U.S. government and items donated by military families. But one of the museum’s most important stories predates San Antonio’s reputation as Military City U.S.A.
Stinson Field traces its roots to 1915, when sisters Katherine and Marjorie Stinson and their mother, Emma, established a flying school after leasing 500 acres from the city.
Katherine Stinson performed in air shows and used the money she earned to help support the business. Marjorie taught students to fly, while Emma handled the finances. Their brother, Eddie, helped maintain the aircraft.
Paynter said a photograph showing Katherine, Marjorie and Eddie standing in front of a Wright B Flyer used for flight instruction is one of the collection’s most significant pieces.
“It is central to the whole collection, in my opinion,” Paynter said.
The museum also preserves a connection to President John F. Kennedy, who visited San Antonio on Nov. 21, 1963, to dedicate the Aerospace Medical Health Center at Brooks Air Force Base. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas the next day.
Paynter said the aircraft may initially attract visitors, but the stories behind them — especially those shared by veterans — are what make the museum meaningful.
“We always look forward to the veterans coming in,” Paynter said.
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