Interview conducted by Carol McLaughlin on February 19, 2004
Two audiocassettes
The interview describes Harry Davidson’s career with Pan American World Airways, 1942-1982; early life; draft notice in 1942; decision to apply to Pan Am, hiring process, training with company trainers and at California Polytechnical College; working at Treasure Island; transfer in 1943 to Pearl Harbor and Pearl City, his work and life there, the relations between Pan American employees and U.S. Navy personnel; working on the PBM, the PB2Y-3, and Boeing 314 China Clipper; return to San Francisco; moving Pan Am’s base from Treasure Island to San Francisco Airport in 1944; decision to join the Navy in 1944, and his service working on Corsair airplanes in Florida until discharge in 1946; working for Pan Am on the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, the Douglas DC-4, the Boeing 707, and the Boeing 747; six-month transfer to Wake Island in 1946; assignment in 1952 to Nome, Alaska, to perform repairs on a damaged DC-4, the Clipper Golden West; experiences with the Transport Workers’ Union, his pay rate, and his continued training and certifications; flight on the first Boeing 747 purchased by Pan American; decision to retire from Pan American in 1982; thoughts about the company as an employer; work with Lockheed until 1990.
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