A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THAT THE GOVERNOR DESIGNATE MAY 24 OF EACH YEAR AS "AVIATION MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN DAY" IN NEW MEXICO.

     WHEREAS, Charles Edward Taylor was born on May 24, 1869; and

     WHEREAS, in 1902, Charles Edward Taylor began working as a machinist for Orville and Wilbur Wright at the Wright cycle company in Dayton, Ohio; and

     WHEREAS, within six weeks, Charles, using only a lathe and drill press, built the first engine used to power the Wright flyer; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Taylor's ingenuity earned him a place in aviation history when the Wright brothers successfully flew their airplane on December 17, 1903; and

     WHEREAS, after this historic event, he continued to design engines for the Wright brothers and later taught them to build aircraft engines; and

     WHEREAS, in 1908, Charles Edward Taylor accompanied Orville Wright to Fort Meyer, Virginia, for test flights by the United States government and, in 1909, accompanied Wilbur Wright to New York for the Hudson-Fulton flights; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Taylor served as lead mechanic for Calbraith "Cal" Rodgers, who made his first transcontinental flight in 1911; and

     WHEREAS, Charles Edward Taylor had a successful career in aviation maintenance for more than sixty years; and

     WHEREAS, Charles Edward Taylor was honored by the federal aviation administration with the establishment of the Charles Edward Taylor master mechanic award, which recognizes persons with fifty years or more of aviation maintenance experience; and

     WHEREAS, Charles Edward Taylor died in 1956;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the life and memory of Charles Edward Taylor be honored and that appreciation be expressed for the invaluable contributions he made to aviation; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the governor designate May 24 of each year as "Aviation Maintenance Technician Day" in New Mexico in honor of Charles Edward Taylor; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the governor.