DECEMBER, 1959
THE PIEDMONITOR
PAGE FIVE
RESEARCH TRIANGLE boundaries are supplied by (left) North Carolina State
College at Raleigh, represented by Memorial Tower; (center) University of North Caro
lina at Chapel Hill, represented by the Old Well and South Hall; and (right) Duke
December Station of the Month
University at Durham, represented by its Gothic chapel. From these three research-
minded universities the Research Triangle Institute draws scientific talent and, with them,
carries on an interchange of ideas and information to make living in the future better
in every way.
Triangle Area Plans For Tomorrow
RALEIGH- DURHAM AIR
PORT, N. C.—Two cities—one
long noted for state government,
the other recognized a's a bul
wark of the tobacco industry,
and both known for education
and culture — have in recent
years become highly industrial
ized metropolitan centers.
Along with this industrial
growth of Raleigh and Durham,
an airport was built. Arven Saun
ders, airport manager, tells the
story;
“Before the beginning of the
second World War, 900 acres of
land were acquired. The day the
ground was broken for the air
port, the Japanese attacked
Pearl Harbor and the govern
ment came in on a lease arrange
ment and took over.
“At the end of the war, the
airport was returned to the
Raleigh-Durham Airport Authoi’-
ity. Plans for a new terminal
building were announced at that
time.
THE RDU STAFF handles seven through-flights daily. Upper photo
shows Wallace Kerr and Jeter Wheeler at the operations table. Lower
right picture has Station Manager C. B. Nutt, Bill. Jett and Carolyn Re
pass working on reservations. At lower left is Jim Vestal on radio.
Absent at photo-taking time were Caval Williamson, Dan Berry, Verne
Crisp, Arthur Holmes and Harold Warner, district sales manager.:
“After several years of waiting
for federal funds that never
came, the people of the commun
ities decided to go ahead on their
own. The down payment came
from selling timber on the land.”
The end of Saunders’ story is a
beautiful, modern terminal, one
of few in the nation built with
only local funds. (The second
story, added in 1958, received
federal aid.) It has a spacious,
well-furnished lobby and an ex
ceptionally nice restaurant.
Passenger traffic has grown
from 32,000 enplaned passengers
for 1948 to 143,000 estimated
from current trends for 1960.
This good growth pattern is a
pleasant reward for the faith of
the airport authority in air
travel for the Raleigh and Dur
ham area.
Now serving on the authority
is Judge James R. Patton (chair
man), J. Elvey Thomas, George
P. Geoghegan, Jr., Dillard Teer,
O. C. Sawyer, Harmon L. Dun
can, W. H. Treatman and Carl
Goerch.
Diversified Area
The area served by the airport
is widely diversified—from farm
ing to nuclear reactor—in occu
pations, education and attitudes.
The impetus for diversification
comes from many sources.
First, there is Governor Lu
ther Hodges, .who has energeti
cally campaigned for new indus
try for the state. His “Exhibit
A” in evidencing what the area
and industry can do for each
other is the Westinghouse meter
plant at Raleigh.
This extensive operation has
brought people from decadent
farms, educated them in trades
and provided them with a stan
dard of living before unknown.
In return, the people have re
sponded with enthusiasm and
work in the world’s largest elec
trical meter-making plant.
Groups Solicit
Then there are the community
groups—the Raleigh Chamber of
Commerce, the Durham Chamber
of Commerce and the Commit
tee of 100 in Durham—who soli
cit new industry to take the
place of a dwindling farm econo
my and to enable young people
to remain at home in their chos
en professions.
Lester Rose, general manager
of the Raleigh Chamber, said,
“Until about 12 years ago, peo
ple thought that the state and
the educational institutions
would provide ‘the dollar’ for
Raleigh. They feared industry
would destroy the city’s culture.”
‘Peal’S Allayed’
“By projecting the picture of
what industry could do for the
area, we allayed their fears,” he
said. “The growth has been no
less than phenomenal. Indus
tries numbered 46 in 1940; now
they are counted at 151. And the
number of wholesale distribu
tors jumped from 98 in 1940 to
258 in 1959.”
Durham’s growth is similar
with 124 industries at present
and 130 wholesale distributors
counted in the 1954 census. Be
sides those figures, 19 per cent
of the nation’s cigarettes are
manufactured there.
Perhaps the most intriguing as
pect of the area is the Research
Triangle Institute and its financ
ing Foundation. Now staffed
with 36 permanent workers and
38 temporary field representa
tives, the institute does funda
mental and applied research in
the area of statistics, economics,
engineering and the physical
sciences.
Though temporarily located in
Durham, the institute ultimately
will be located in a research
PRODUCTION TEST on the
Little Zipster, latest in the line of
Bensen Aircraft, is continued by
company President Igor Bensen.
park. Already Chemstrand Corp.
has announced plans for a re
search building there. And the
institute recently released infor
mation on the Camille Dreyfus
Laboratory to be erected as part
of the institute’s research activi
ties.
‘From A New Angle’
Frances B o h 1 e y, administra
tive assistant to President George
Herbert, said the institute cre
ates a need for “people who can
see a problem from a new angle.”
She points out that research de
pends on the interchange of in
formation and ideas and that
“air service plays an important
part in this function. We at the
institute couldn’t do without ade
quate air schedules.”
Bensen Corp.
Meanwhile, near the Raleigh-
Durham airport, another type of
research goes on at the Bensen
Aircraft Corporation, which
makes gyrocopters and helicop
ters.
Igor Bensen, president and
founder of the company, says his
fondest dream has been “a heli
copter for John Q. Public.” He
points out that the future of this
type craft depends largely on
educating the public in its safe
ty and adaptability.
Bensen’s enthusiasm and de
votion to flight is somewhat
reminiscent of that of Wilbur
and Orville Wright, who made
North Carolina the birthplace of
aviation. The high interest in
flying—both private and com
mercial—give him pretty good
odds in succeeding at his task.