About Us

75th Anniversary

The 1940s

World War II Years: By 1940, and with World War II threatening, the newly titled Lewis School of Aeronautics began emphasizing programs of direct utility to the armed forces, such as flight training. The high school department was closed temporarily in 1942, and the campus given over to the U.S. Navy for its flight instructors program. By the end of the war, 1,200 men had received pilot training at Lewis. The suspension of normal academic activities had given the Lewis administration and faculty an opportunity to rethink the school's objectives. As a consequence, when regular classes resumed in the autumn of 1944, the reorganized school included a junior college.

According to a news clipping found in the Archives, movie star Robert Taylor was one of the pilots who trained at Lewis. Taylor was a leading man in the 40s and 50s.

Post-War Changes: As returning servicemen increasingly sought further education, this new venture quickly evolved into a traditional arts and sciences curriculum. By 1949, women students were admitted and high school classes were discontinued.

The late Peter Kosiba joined the faculty in 1949, serving the Lewis community for fifty years. He was named a professor emeritus of political science upon his retirement.

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