E.P. Curtis Sr. dies at 90;
former Eisenhower aide
ROCHESTER, N Y. (AP) —
Edward Peck Curtis Sr., a retired general who was decorated in both world wars and later was a presidential aide instrumental in creation of the Federal Aviation Administration, has died at age 90. Curtis, who also retired from Eastman Kodak Co. as a vice president in 1962 and was a Kodak board member from 1956 to 1969, died Friday at a Rochester nursing home.
"Wherever General Curtis went he was seen as a man of great skill, tremendous presence and dedication to his country, his company and his community," said Colby H. Chandler, chairman and chief executive officer at Kodak.
In 1956, Curtis became President Dwight D Eisenhower's special assistant for aviation facilities planning. Curtis considered it unworkable to have separate systems for civilian and military air traffic, and suggested that a federal aviation agency be established. Congress created the FAA.
Curtis was a decorated World War I fighter pilot. A week before the armistice, Curtis captured a German fighter plane, which now forms the focal point of the World War I exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington.
When he stayed in the service after the war as an aide to Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell, Curtis became the youngest major in the Army at age 22.
He returned to Rochester, worked for Kodak and then rejoined the service in 1940. After serving in northern Africa and in Italy, Curtis returned to England in 1944 as chief of staff for the U S. Strategic Air Forces in Europe In July 1943, Curtis received the French Legion of Honor and the U.S. Legion of Merit for his part in the African war theater.
He is survived by his wife Agnes, a son and two daughters.
Syracuse Herald-Journal - Saturday, March 14, 1987
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