- Dates
- 1974-11-09 – 1975-02-16
- Kind
- Construction
- Where
- Beaver Island Airport
- Participants
- Walt Wogan (designer) · Zack Gorganoff (designer) · Robert J. Gillespie (supervisor) · Ed Wogan (donor) · Connie Wogan (donor)
- Eras
- Modern era
- Concepts
- transportationhealthcarecommunityheritage
- Within
- Beaver Island
Summary
Construction began on 9 November 1974 on a 62-by-40-foot hangar at the Beaver Island Townships Airport to house “The Beaver,” the island’s Beaver de Havilland emergency aircraft. Volunteer labor, supervised by airport manager Robert Gillespie, completed the building, which the aircraft moved into on 16 February 1975.
History
The Beacon reported the hangar was designed by Walt Wogan and Zack Gorganoff, with a group of volunteer laborers building it under Gillespie’s supervision. Ed and Connie Wogan pledged $4,000 of Ed’s winnings from the State Lottery toward construction, with the Beaver Island Airport Fund financing the balance.
By the February 1975 completion report, Gillespie was credited with coordinating the volunteer workers and serving as liaison between the island and the state Aeronautics Commission, in addition to working on the building himself. Wojan Construction drew up specifications and supplied materials at cost, which Gorganoff approved; island men spent “hours of their ‘spare time’” on construction once supplies arrived, and island women organized and cooked food brought to the airport for the work crews. The Beacon noted the island had three pilots qualified to fly the aircraft on short notice, and that the St. James and Peaine Township boards wanted readers to know what “all of these people have done and are doing,” crediting the project to what its participants “have given of themselves.” The May–June 1974 Beacon separately records the aircraft flying its first two medical evacuations, on 18 and 24 June, before hangar construction began that November.
Evidence and limits
The reports establish the construction start, reported completion, and reported occupancy, but not a permit, final cost, ownership, or later use. “Hanger” is the spelling in the source headlines; this record uses the standard architectural term “hangar.” The article does not establish whether Walt Wogan is the same person as the episode-qualified passenger in the 1968 Beaver Islander record.
Open questions
- What was the airport fund’s legal status, its contributors beyond the Wogans, and the project’s final cost?
- Are building plans, permits, photographs, or later airport records available?
- Are the five named participants documented elsewhere with full civil identities?
See also
Sources
- Reports that construction began November 9 on a 62-by-40-foot building at the Beaver Island Townships Airport; names Walt Wogan and Zack Gorganoff as designers, airport manager Robert Gillespie as supervisor of volunteer labor, and Ed and Connie Wogan as $4,000 donors. The source says the Beaver Island Airport Fund would finance the balance and does not report completion.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1974-12_Beaver-Beacon
- The held nine-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1974-12_Beaver-Beacon
- Records the aircraft making its first two medical evacuations on June 18 and June 24, before the November hangar construction began.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1974-05_Beaver-Beacon
- The held eleven-page combined May–June issue scan is paired with the OCR source stored under the archive 1974-05 key and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1974-05_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports the hangar completed and “The Beaver” moved in on February 16, with Robert Gillespie coordinating workers and airport liaison work, Ed and Connie Wojan contributing lottery winnings for materials, Wojan Construction providing specifications and materials at cost, Zak Gerganoff approving specifications, and island volunteers completing construction and food support. It does not provide a final cost, permit, title, or aircraft log. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1975-02_Beaver-Beacon
- The scan confirms the completion and reported move-in date.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1975-02_Beaver-Beacon
Added 1 August 2026 · revised 3 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “Construction and completion of Beaver Island emergency-aircraft hangar, 1974–1975”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/construction-of-beaver-island-emergency-aircraft-hangar-1974/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, December 1974, “New Hanger.” (and 5 further sources listed on the page).
Last revised 2026-08-03. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.
BibTeX for “Construction and completion of Beaver Island emergency-aircraft hangar, 1974–1975”RIS for “Construction and completion of Beaver Island emergency-aircraft hangar, 1974–1975”