Interview conducted by Mauree Jane Perry on May 19, 2004
Final transcript
The interview describes Mr. Mangini’s life and experiences while working at and living near San Francisco International Airport; early life in New York City; remembrances of Charles Lindbergh and early aviation; induction into the United States Army in July 1941, his training at the Officer Candidate School, and his commission as part of the 327th Fighter Squadron at Hamilton Field in Novato, California, in September 1942; the move to Mills Field as part of convoy duty; detailed description of Mills Field at that time, the buildings for both military and commercial use, and the runways, as well as the Coast Guard Station; daily work as an adjutant officer and physical trainer for the squadron as well as general duties; his uniform and the living conditions there; military activities at Mills Field and their dominance over commercial airline activities; Bell P-39 Airacobra aircraft stationed at Mills Field; discusses photographs he donated to SFO Museum (accession group 2002.102); first and second flights in a trainer airplane; dirigible accident in Daly City, California in 1942; discussion of the use of Tanforan Race Track as a collecting point for Navy sailors prior to its use for the internment of Japanese Americans in 1942; life after World War II, his teaching and coaching careers, and his work in city government, including his time on the city council in Burlingame and his time as mayor; involvement with the Airport Round Table, a group of airport representatives and local citizens in communities affected by the airport, beginning in 1981.
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