Collett E. Woolman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Collett E. Woolman
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Honorific plaque at the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame
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| Born | October 8, 1889 |
| Died | September 11, 1966 (aged 76) Houston, Texas, US
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| Known for | Founding Delta Air Lines |
Collett Everman Woolman (October 8, 1889 – September 11, 1966) was an important person in airline history. People who worked for him often called him "Wooly". He is best known as the founder of Delta Air Lines.
How Delta Air Lines Started
After college, Woolman worked at Louisiana State University. He was an Agricultural Extension Agent. At this time, a tiny bug called the boll weevil was destroying cotton crops in the Southern United States.
Woolman saw scientists using airplanes to spray chemicals. This helped get rid of the boll weevils. A company called Huff-Daland Aero Corporation noticed this work. They decided to start a new business. This new business would use planes for crop dusting.
On March 2, 1925, they formed Huff Daland Dusters in Macon, Georgia. In May 1925, Woolman joined them. He was the chief scientist. His job was to sell this new airplane spraying service. That summer, the company moved to Monroe, Louisiana. They had 18 crop-dusting planes. This was the biggest private airplane fleet at the time.
When summer ended, there was less need for crop dusting. So, in 1927, Woolman took the dusting operations to Peru. The seasons are opposite there. While in Peru, Woolman also started a passenger air service in 1928. He used a special deal with Peruvian Airways Corporation. This passenger service did not last long. But Woolman learned a lot from the experience.
Back in Monroe, the main company wanted to sell Huff Daland Dusters. Woolman and a banker named Travis Oliver led local investors. They bought the crop-dusting business. The new company was named Delta Air Service. It started on December 3, 1928. It was named after the Mississippi Delta region it served. Woolman became the vice president and general manager.
Passenger flights began on June 17, 1929. The first route went from Dallas, Texas, to Jackson, Mississippi. It stopped in Shreveport and Monroe, Louisiana. By June 1930, flights went as far east as Atlanta. They also went west to Fort Worth, Texas.
In October 1930, Delta stopped passenger flights. Another airline won the air mail contract for Delta's route. That airline bought Delta Air Service's planes and other things. But Woolman and other investors bought back the crop-dusting parts of Delta Air Service. They formed a new company called Delta Air Corporation on December 31, 1930. Woolman was on the board of directors for both companies.
Delta got an air mail contract in 1934. They started flying again. They were called Delta Air Lines. Their route, Mail Route 24, went from Fort Worth, Texas, to Charleston, South Carolina. The company officially changed its name to Delta Air Lines in 1945. Delta Air Lines kept its crop-dusting part until 1966. But by 1938, flying mail and passengers made more money.
For many years, Woolman led Delta Air Lines. He was the general manager. In 1945, he became president. From November 1, 1965, until his death in 1966, he was Delta's chairman and chief executive officer.
A retired Delta pilot shared a story about Woolman:
One time, Mr. C. E. Woolman and his wife were flying first class. I was a new Flight Engineer. We landed, and the agent said the flight was oversold. Someone had to get off. Mr. Woolman, who was talking to us in the cockpit, said he would give up his seat. He would take a flight the next morning. After telling his wife, he got off the plane. He stood by the gate and waved goodbye to us. He was the founder and president of Delta Air Lines!
About Woolman's Life
Woolman was born in Bloomington, Indiana. He grew up in Urbana, Illinois. He went to high school there.
In 1909, during a college break, Woolman went to the world's first aviation meet. It was in Rheims, France. This is where he first became very interested in airplanes.
He went to the University of Illinois. He earned a degree in agriculture. In 1916, Woolman married Helen H. Fairfield. They had two daughters. By 1920, his family had moved to Monroe.
His Death
Collett Everman Woolman passed away on September 11, 1966. He died in Houston, Texas. This was about a month before his 77th birthday.
His Legacy
Many things have been done to honor Woolman after his death. Delta employees gave a restored 1925 Huff Daland Duster plane to the Smithsonian Institution. There is also a memorial at the entrance to Delta's Technical Operations Center in Atlanta. In 1992, he was added to the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame. In 1994, he was honored in the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
