Northwest Aerospace News December 2018 | January 2019 Issue No. 6 | Page 55

T hanks to the sympathetic ear of U.S. Representative George Nethercutt, we were able to negotiate a reasonable arrangement with what is now the National Museum of the Air Force to retain the vast majority of our artifacts. The society had as its goal the development of a plan, with community involvement, to procure a site off of Fairchild Air Force Base where we could build a military mu- seum that befits our uniquely close commu- nity relationship — a challenging endeavor indeed. The road from Fairchild to the Honor Point Museum at Felts Field has been a rocky one. Sadly, Honor Point was forced to close some three months ago. Storage of our 7,000 artifacts was not easy. Thanks to the understanding support of many believ- ers over the years, our inventory has seen storage at the Museum of Arts and Culture, an old Atlas Missile site, and now in a warehouse at Spokane International Airport. We hope that when we locate a new home it will be closer to a storage facility for our ar- tifacts, eliminating miles of travel time for exhibit creation. Recently Spokane’s Naval Reserve Center Museum threw in with us, adding over 3,000 unique naval artifacts to our growing inventory. For some fifteen years, following our departure from Fairchild AFB, we pursued various fund-raising efforts. Society boards tried diligently to raise what we thought would be enough funding to bring a concept building to reality. Sadly, our appetite outpaced what a reasonable budget could provide. Three years ago we had an opportunity to be a part of a new hanger project being built at Felts Field. The 10,000 square-foot, 23 foot-high hanger on Rutter Avenue seemed perfect for our museum. The owner very generously allowed us to lease the space for an amount that we could handle. After literally thousands of volunteer hours, the Honor Point Military and Aerospace Museum was a reality. In the past two years we have had thou- sands of visitors, held hundreds of events, given special tours, and fostered dozens of educational programs. In our efforts to “Serve our country, while supporting our community” we managed to “just” lease our hanger, pay our utilities, and support a part- time accountant. Sadly, when our lease went up appreciably, the handwrit- ing was on the wall. At the end of July 2018 we reluctantly closed Honor Point, packed up all our artifacts, took apart our planes, and bade farewell to Felts Field. Let it be understood, WE HAVE NOT GIVEN UP. We have over 10,000 artifacts, a dedicated board of directors, many stalwart volunteers, enough cash in the bank to start again, and a vision that refuses to die. Our plan to raise money for the future has been tempered by reason and experience. Our past two years of operation have taught us what it takes to survive, how much space we really need, and the division of labor necessary to run an all-volunteer operated museum, coupled with a strict budget, aimed at sustainability for the long term. We ask for your continued support, your museum membership, and many planned visits as you “watch us grow” into a Military and Aerospace Mu- seum that speaks to Spokane’s proud heritage. Look to see our progress in periodicals such as these, and online at https://www.honorpoint.org. Northwest Readers SHARE A STORY Have a story to share with our readers? Get in touch with us: [email protected] Elliott Briggs,President, Executive Board, Honor Point Military and Aerospace Museum DECEMBER | JANUARY 2019 ISSUE NO. 6 55