When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
1958 CASPER AIR DEFENSE FILTER CENTER PRESENTATION CEREMONY
SIGNED BY MAJOR GENERAL JARRED V. CRABB & BRIGADIER GENERAL HAROLD L. NEELY
Original signed program from the Casper Air Defense Filter Center Presentation Ceremony held Wednesday, June 4, 1958, at the American Legion Club in Casper, Wyoming.
This is an unusual surviving piece of Cold War U.S. Air Force and Ground Observer Corps history, made especially significant by the original signatures associated with the ceremony.
Prominently signed on the front are:
• Major General Jarred V. Crabb
• Brigadier General Neely
Crabb was a highly decorated career American military aviator whose service extended from the pre-World War II era through the development of the United States' Cold War continental air-defense system. During World War II he commanded V Fighter Command in the Southwest Pacific. By 1958, Crabb was serving as a Major General and Chief of Staff of Air Defense Command.
The program also bears additional period signatures associated with the event, including military personnel connected with the Casper Filter Center. Please examine the photographs closely for all signatures and handwritten inscriptions.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The Casper Air Defense Filter Center formed part of the United States' Cold War aircraft warning network. Filter centers received and evaluated reports from Ground Observer Corps posts, where civilian volunteers visually observed and reported aircraft movements.
These reports were used alongside military air-defense operations during a period of intense concern over the possibility of Soviet bomber attack against the continental United States.
The June 4, 1958 date is particularly interesting because this program comes from the closing period of the Ground Observer Corps system. Improvements in radar coverage and automated warning systems were rapidly making the nationwide civilian observation network obsolete, and the Ground Observer Corps was discontinued the following year.
ITEM DETAILS
• Original 1958 presentation ceremony program
• Casper Air Defense Filter Center
• Casper, Wyoming
• Wednesday, June 4, 1958
• American Legion Club
• Cold War-era U.S. air defense
• Ground Observer Corps association
• Prominently signed by Maj. Gen. Jarred V. Crabb
• Prominently signed by Brig. Gen. Neely
• Additional period signatures
• Approximately 8½ x 5 inches folded
• Approximately 10 x 8½ inches fully opened
• Original period ephemera — not a reproduction
CONDITION
Original vintage condition with age and handling consistent with a 1958 paper program. The original signatures and inscriptions remain visible. Please review all photographs carefully for exact condition, folds, edge wear, signatures and other details.
An exceptionally interesting piece for collectors of Cold War history, U.S. Air Force material, Air Defense Command, Ground Observer Corps memorabilia, military autographs, Wyoming history and historic American military ephemera.
Unlike a general piece of Ground Observer Corps memorabilia, this program can be tied to a specific documented ceremony, place and date and retains the original signatures of senior Air Force officers who were present.
