Eleanor Mae Code and Spouses¶
Eleanor and Glenn Gregory¶
Ancestors of Glenn Gladstone Gregory¶
Parents of Glenn Gladstone Gregory¶
Glenn Gladstone Gregory, son of Isaac Charles Gregory and Louise Farrington, was born on 14 Feb 1899 in Orleans, Nebraska and died on 27 Aug 1968 in Houston, Harris, Texas at age 69.
Glenn married Jessica Anne Scott on 2 Aug 1918 in Manhattan, New York. Jessica was born on 26 Jul 1900 in New York and died in Jan 1987 in Houston, Harris, Texas at age 86.
The child from this marriage was:
Glen Gladstone Gregory Jr. was born on 12 Aug 1919 in New York and died on 15 Dec 1989 in Harris County, Texas at age 70.
Glen married Eleanor Mae Code about 1941. Eleanor was born on 8 May 1916 in Crookston, Minnesota, died on 27 Mar 2002 in Palm Springs, California at age 85, and was buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Bayfield, Wisconsin. They were divorced about 1942. They did not have children.
Gregory Family¶
The following is a possible history of Glenn Gladstone Gregory’s family:
Glenn Gladstone Gregory Sr. born in Nebraska in 1899 married Jessica Anne Scott in 1918 in New York. They had at least one child; Glenn Gladstone Gregory Jr. in 1919 in New York. The couple lived in Cleveland in 1920 and St. Louis, Missouri in 1930. Jessica was in New York in 1940 and Glenn Jr. was with her. Jessica and Glenn Sr. were possibly divorced by that time. Jessica died in 1987 in New York.
Glenn Gladstone Gregory Sr. married for a second time to Florence Josephine Bauer and they had at least two children in Harris Texas. Glenn Gregory Sr. died in 1968 in Houston, Harris, Texas.
Glenn Gladstone Gregory Jr. married Eleanor Code around 1941 and they lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They were separated or divorced around 1942. Glenn Gladstone Gregory Jr. later married Etta Frances Hott and they had at least three children in Harris, Texas. Glenn Gregory Jr. died in 1989 in Houston, Harris, Texas.
Eleanor and Craig Ladd¶
Ancestors of Craig Ladd¶
Parents and Siblings of Craig Ladd¶
Charles Benjamin Ladd, son of Anson Ladd and Julia Ann Smith, was born on 21 Jul 1876 in Bridgehampton Township, Sanilac, Michigan and died in 1936 in Bayfield, Michigan at age 60.
Charles married Anna Julia Burton, daughter of Charles Burton and Phoebe Ann Bell Cowen, on 29 Aug 1911 in St. Ignace, Michigan. Anna was born on 10 Feb 1891 in Allenville, Michigan and died on 26 Jun 1984 at age 93.
Children from this marriage were:
Sybil Marie Ladd was born on 17 Apr 1917 in Bayfield, Wisconsin and died on 17 Apr 1917 in Bayfield, Wisconsin.
Craig Burton Ladd was born on 31 May 1919 in Wisconsin, died on 12 Jan 1949 in Rhein Main, Germany at age 29, Craig Ladd died January 12, 1949 when the Air Force cargo plane he was piloting crashed during the Berlin airlift operation. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Bayfield, Wisconsin.
Craig married Eleanor May Code, daughter of Milton Edward Code and Edna Louise Potts, on 12 May 1947 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Eleanor was born on 8 May 1916 in Crookston, Minnesota, died on 27 Mar 2002 in Palm Springs, California at age 82, and was buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Bayfield, Wisconsin.
Gayle Ladd was born 8 Sep 1920 in Wisconsin, died 19 May 2007 in Ashland, Wisconsin at age 86.
Eleanor Mae Code¶
Eleanor Mae Code, daughter of Milton and Edna (Potts) Code, was born Mary 8, 1916 in Crookston, Minnesota where her father was assisting in the management of the Home Lumber Company owned by his father-in-law, Charles Potts. Following Charles death in 1925 the family moved to Lisbon, North Dakota where her father managed the Thompson Lumber Yard. There, Eleanor finished elementary school and graduated from Lisbon High School in 1934.
Eleanor with sisters Charline (Left) and Dorothy (right)
After high school Eleanor moved to Minneapolis and attended Minneapolis Business College in Roseville, Minnesota. The college provided career-focused courses for high school graduates with major areas of study in business, technology, and health care.
Following business school, Eleanor found employment in the Polyclinic in Denver, Colorado. While working in Denver, Eleanor is likely to have met Glenn Gladstone Gregory Jr. (known as “Greg”) whom she married in 1941. The couple moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico that year.
Eleanor and Greg
The marriage ended with a divorce around 1942.
Eleanor eventually moved back to Minneapolis, Minnesota where several of her siblings were residing. She rented an apartment near her sister Dorothy Rhoades’ family and found work at the army base at Wold Chamberlain Field (later renamed Minneapolis – St. Paul International Airport). Sometime after 1945 she began employment in an office at the Veterans Administration in Minneapolis. During this time, she met Craig Burton Ladd who was stationed at nearby Ft. Snelling army base. Craig had originally enlisted in the military on 16 Jul 1941 and had 52 missions flying a B-24 Liberator over Germany in World War II. After the German surrender, he had volunteered to return to flying.
A Consolidated B-24 Liberator Public Domain File: Maxwell B-24 (cropped).jpg Created: 1940s
Eleanor married Craig Burton Ladd on 7 May 1947 in Minneapolis, Minnesota at St. James Episcopal Church at 3225 E. Minnehaha Parkway. Lois Egan, sister of the bride was the Maid of Honor and a friend of Craig from the army base was Best Man. The couple moved into Eleanor’s apartment and lived in Minneapolis while Eleanor continued to work for the Veterans Administration and Craig flew missions for the military.
Wedding of Eleanor and Craig Ladd
Less than two years after their marriage, tragedy struck. Craig was a crew member on a C-54 aircraft which crashed on an approach in a snowstorm near Rhein-Main, Germany while taking part in the Berlin Airlift operations. Craig Burton Ladd died on 12 Jan 1949 in Rhein Main, Germany at age 29. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Bayfield, Wisconsin.
Note: The Berlin Blockade occurred during the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany. Due to conflicts regarding currency issues, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control. The Western Allies organized the Berlin Airlift from 26 June 1948 to 30 September 1949 to carry supplies to the people of West Berlin. American and British air forces flew over Berlin more than 250,000 times, dropping off necessities such as fuel and food.
Berlin airlift video (1950s vintage - duration 10:44)
Berliners watching a C-54 land at Berlin Tempelhof Airport, 1948. Public Domain File:C-54landingattemplehof.jpg Created: 1 January 1948
Craig Burton Ladd
Eleanor continued to reside and work in Minneapolis for a few years following Craig’s death. She also enlisted in the Air Force Reserve in which she served for four years.
Minneapolis circa 1950 Left Couch: Eleanor Code Ladd, Edna Code. Right Couch: Milton Code, Dorothy Code Rhoades. Seated on Floor: Charlene Code Gaubert, Lois Code Egan.
Eleanor had moved from Minneapolis to Santa Barbara, California by 1955. She had been close to her Aunt Minnie (Code) Sutton who was living with her husband in Santa Barbara and may have relocated there at her Aunt's urging. She may have later resided in Los Angeles for a while before moving to Palm Springs in the late 1950s. Eleanor occasionally returned to the Midwest to visit family and friends. In 1958 she returned to Lisbon, North Dakota to help the family celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of her parents, Milton and Edna Code. Over the years, several members of her family traveled to California to spend time with her. In 1962 Eleanor’s parents died in traffic accident in Wyoming while on their way to California for a visit. Eleanor returned to Lisbon to attend their funeral.
Eleanor was intelligent and resourceful. She was also gregarious, loved meeting people and being in the center of activity. These qualities enabled her to adapt to many career situations. She also possessed abundant secretarial and organizational talents that placed her in the offices of prominent architectural/engineering firms such as the John Wessman Company and Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall.
In the 1960s she was hired to work as an Office Manager/Secretary by Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall. Part of her employment there included a couple years in Victoria (now Limbe), Cameroon, Africa where the company was contracted by the newly independent government for construction projects including the building and maintenance of roads. She enjoyed the opportunity to travel and meet new people in the office and community.
Eleanor (third from left) with colleagues from Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall construction operations in Limbe, Cameroon, Africa.
Eleanor’s employment during the 1970s with the Wessman Construction Company occurred during the time when the company was building housing tracts, commercial centers and municipal buildings as development was spreading fast from Palm Springs eastward.
Eleanor's adventurous spirit and organizational skills also led to another career as an agent for performing artists. She loved meeting unique and talented people and though it didn’t develop into a long-term venture, it was a time that she thoroughly enjoyed.
In retirement, Eleanor found much enjoyment in social interactions and travel. One such endeavor was a Mediterranean cruise that she took with her sister Charlene Code Gaubert in 1985. This was a Golden Odyssey Cruise with the Royal Cruise Line which was undertaken about a year after Charline’s husband had passed away. They both enjoyed dining and socializing onboard the ship as well as the sightseeing and adventures in various Mediterranean ports.
Throughout the remainder of her life, Eleanor pursued an active social life, travelled and continued to reside in Palm Springs.
Eleanor died on 27 Mar 2002 in Palm Springs, California at age 85, and was buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Bayfield, Wisconsin in a plot next to Craig Burton Ladd.
Additional information and Photos¶
Berlin Airlift Monuments¶
The monument is located at the eastern edge of the small park that occupies Platz der Luftbrücke, directly across the street from the former Tempelhof airport. The monument is separated from the grass by a stone surface. The monument itself is a large curved structure that features three "claws" (on the left and right sides as in the middle), which represent the flight patterns that the U.S., U.K., and France, followed during the operation. The monument has been nicknamed the "Hunger Rake" or "Hungerharke" by Berliners. The monument was dedicated in 1951 and was designed by Eduard Ludwig.
*Crew of the C-54 #42-72629:* 1LT Ralph H. Boyd 1LT Craig B. Ladd TSGT Charles L. Putnam
SOURCE Berlin Airlift Monument
At the intersection of Willy Brandt Allee and Schiersteiner Straße.
A red, rectangular granite block monument which commemorates the names of 31 American servicemen and civilian who died in service during the Berlin Airlift operations.
The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control. The Soviets offered to drop the blockade if the Western Allies withdrew the newly introduced Deutsche Mark from West Berlin.
The Western Allies organised the Berlin Airlift (also known as Berliner Luftbrücke, literally "Berlin Air Bridge" in German) from 26 June 1948 to 30 September 1949 to carry supplies to the people of West Berlin, a difficult feat given the size of the city's population. Aircrews from the American, British, French, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, and South African:338 air forces flew over 200,000 sorties in one year, providing necessities such as fuel and food, with the original plan being to lift 3,475 tons of supplies daily. By the spring of 1949, that number was often met twofold, with the peak daily delivery totalling 12,941 tons.
Having initially concluded there was no way the airlift could work, its continued success became an increasing embarrassment for the Soviets. On 12 May 1949, the USSR lifted the blockade of West Berlin, although for a time the Americans and British continued to supply the city by air as they were worried that the Soviets would resume the blockade and were only trying to disrupt western supply lines. The Berlin Airlift officially ended on 30 September 1949 after fifteen months. The US Air Force had delivered 1,783,573 tons (76.40% of total) and the RAF 541,937 tons (23.30% of total), totalling 2,334,374 tons, nearly two-thirds of which was coal, on 278,228 flights to Berlin.
The C-47s and C-54s together flew over 92,000,000 miles (148,000,000 km) in the process, almost the distance from Earth to the Sun. At the height of the Airlift, one plane reached West Berlin every thirty seconds.
Seventeen American and eight British aircraft crashed during the operation. A total of 101 fatalities were recorded as a result of the operation, including 40 Britons and 31 Americans, mostly due to non-flying accidents.
The Berlin Blockade served to highlight the competing ideological and economic visions for postwar Europe and played a major role in drawing West Germany into the NATO orbit several years later in 1955.
Source of information: en.wikipedia.org
Eleanor Ladd Obituary¶
Private funeral services were held for Eleanor Mae Ladd, 85, Palm Springs, Calif. Mrs. Ladd died on March 27, 2002 at her home.
Eleanor Mae Ladd, daughter of Milton and Edna (Potts) Code, was born Mary 8, 1916 in Crookston, Minn. She graduated from Lisbon High School in 1934. She served in the Air Force for four years. She was employed as a secretary for a construction company in Africa and areas in the United States.
She is survived by three sisters, Marjorie Johnson, Betty Fish, and Lois Egan.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Craig Ladd, who died January 12, 1949 when the Air Force cargo plane he was piloting crashed during the Berlin airlift operation.
Interment at Greenwood Cemetery, Bayfield, Wis.
Photos¶
Craig Burton Ladd (rear second from left) with crew members
Eleanor Code Ladd, Lois Code Egan (sister), and Suzanna Code Sullivan (cousin)