Near Greenville in Greenville County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Donaldson Air Force Base / Captain John O. Donaldson

Donaldson Air Force Base Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Brian Scott, July 19, 2008

1. Donaldson Air Force Base Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Donaldson Air Force Base Greenville Army Air Base opened on this site in 1942 and trained B-25 bomber crews during World War II. Emphasizing air transport after 1945 and renamed Donaldson Air Force Base in 1951. It was the home to C-124 transports and called "The Airlift Capital of the World" for its role in the Berlin airlift, Korean War, and Cold War. Closed in 1962, it has been an industrial park since 1963.
Captain John O. Donaldson John Owen Donaldson (1897-1930) for whom the base was named, grew up in Greenville and attended Furman University and Cornell University before joining the British Royal Air Force in World War I. He became an ace, shooting down eight enemy planes, and was decorated by the United States, Great Britain, and Belgium. Donaldson was killed in a plane crash at an air show in 1930.

Erected 2004 by Donaldson Development Commission. (Marker Number 23-26.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • War, Cold • War, Korean • War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1942.

Location.

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34° 45.13′ N, 82° 21.447′ W. Marker is near Greenville, South Carolina, in Greenville County. Marker is at the intersection of Scotch Drive and Fork Shoals Road (County Road 50), on the right when traveling west on Scotch Drive. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Greenville SC 29605, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. McBee Chapel / McBee Methodist Church (approx. one mile away); McBee Chapel (approx. one mile away); Reedy River Factory (approx. 1.3 miles away); a different marker also named Donaldson Air Force Base / Captain John O. Donaldson (approx. 1½ miles away); Lake Conestee in Transition (approx. 1.7 miles away); Beaver at Lake Conestee (approx. 1.7 miles away); Mauldin United Methodist Church (approx. 3.4 miles away); The History of the Gosnell Cabin (approx. 3.4 miles away); Mauldin (approx. 3½ miles away); Pepper School (approx. 3.9 miles away).

Also see . . .
1. South Carolina Technology & Aviation Center. Donaldson Center was renamed in the 2010 to the South Carolina Technology & Aviation Center. (Submitted on July 20, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)

2. John Owens Donaldson Biography. (Submitted on July 20, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)

Captain John O. Donaldson Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Brian Scott, July 19, 2008

2. Captain John O. Donaldson Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on July 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,733 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.