Authors: Eden Maxwell
Date Submitted: August 31, 2001
Article Type: Journal

Tom Crouch, our Sikorsky maven friend with the convertible, and I arrived at the Garber Facility, entered the lobby of the main building, a large metal A-frame structure, and proceeded to the back. It was hot in the metal shed. Aeronautic artifacts filled the huge space from floor to ceiling. We moved toward a big freestanding box painted white in the center of the building. The box had a door with the type of handle you might find on a meat locker. We walked inside. The fluorescent-lit room was air-conditioned and contained a collection of art prints and posters associated with flight. Humidity and temperature were carefully regulated and monitored to avoid decomposition of the art. In one corner of the room, archives staff members were cataloging various posters by taking digital photos and notes on a computer .

In short order we met Tom Yarker who was in charge of getting the Eddy for us from its resting place. Tom Y. excused himself, saying he’d be back soon. I took out my camera, pad, calipers, tape measure, and was game to get started. About 15 minutes later, the rear door to the “meat locker” opened. Tom Y. and a helper rolled a dolly holding a large clear and heavy display case into the coolness of the big white box. Tom Crouch was all smiles. The Eddy kite was mounted on a backboard inside its Lucite sarcophagus. Not only did I feel like “Indy,” I was one with the archaeologist Howard Carter who discovered the treasures of King Tutankhamen’s royal tomb in Egypt. A small descriptive placard fixed to the backboard gave the particulars. Most importantly, the text said that Eddy had made this kite. It did not come off a production line. This unexpected bit of exciting news was extremely important to me. It was the difference between having an edition of a print and the artist’s infused energy of an original work hanging in your home.

Now, the job was to detach the kite from the case, which required a special security screwdriver to remove the tamper free bolts. But where was the tool? As the person in charge of this special screwdriver was not in, Tom Y. left once again to do some detective work. The Eddy in the case was facing me; the back of the kite still remained a mystery as the veil of the sail hid the nugget of construction that I was after.