About the B-25 History Project
The B-25 History Project is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation. Founded in 2014 by Dan Desko and Jim Stella, we are dedicated to honor and preserve the history of the B-25 and the men and women who built, flew, and maintain them; past, present, and future. In addition to thousands of digital documents, the project maintains both 2D and 3D physical archives containing hundreds of B-25 related artifacts. With well over 100 years of combined research experience, our resources give us a unique and comprehensive understanding of B-25 history. Our goal is to honor that history by utilizing it to inspire younger generations.
Preservation of the history related to the B-25 is one of our most important tasks. Too often, this history is discarded as unimportant or replaced by the newest technology. It is our goal to advocate for the importance of this history while preserving as much of it as we can. To reach this goal, we are collecting and preserving as many artifacts as we can find. We are utilizing the most widely accepted technics for preservation commonly used by reputable museums around the globe. As an example, all 2D artifacts are placed in an archival sleeve, bundled in archival folders and placed in archival storage boxes safe from dust, and supported to minimize cracking. They are held in a room designed to protect them from ultraviolet exposure at appropriate temperature and humidity. Prior to this level of protection, the documents are meticulously digitized to provide electronic copies of the artifact for use in research. This allows us access to the information contained in the document without the risk of damage to that historic artifact. This level of preservation is not cheap, but our goal is to maintain these documents for generations to come.
Honoring the history of the B-25 is the core of the B-25 History Project. Due to our location, we are focusing on honoring the men and women who built the B-25 at the North American, Kansas plant here in Fairfax, Kansas. Personally, this is one of my passions as both my Grandfather and Grandmother worked there. We erected a permanent monument as well as restored a B-25 vertical tail and rudder assembly that was signed by over 100 former bomber builders. Both are now on display at the Wyandotte County Historical Museum. We also took possession of a gate section which was the last artifact to be removed from the plant site. This was the employee gate that most employees passed through every day. Our goal is to restore this gate and use it to build another memorial in their honor. We also have tentative plans for two other possible memorials. Currently, we feel the best way to honor those men and women is to educate the next generation as to why we call them "The Greatest Generation".
Education is one of our main tasks. This website is likely the most visible part of our growing educational programs. We also team up with other groups to help educate and inspire the next generation. Another aspect of our education program is our presentations on many topics including the history of the Fairfax bomber plant, Kansas City's role in relation to WWII, the Doolittle raid, as well as many others. Our educational goals also include assisting with current restorations by providing information to enhance the accuracy of the restoration as well as assisting with historical information about airframes and crews. We also write articles for several historical organizations and museums.
Looking toward the future, the B-25 History Project believes the ultimate way to preserve and honor B-25 history is to bring a B-25 back to Kansas City. As the greatest generation ages, this goal becomes more and more important. Two thirds of the B-25s built came out of the North American Aviation, Kansas plant in less than 44 months. By the end of the war, not only was the Kansas plant the only one producing B-25s, they were turning them out faster than they were needed. Kansas City has an aviation history and that history includes the B-25, yet there currently isn't a single reminder to be seen. The B-25 History project is dedicated to changing that.