Captain Hugh Graff

Hugh posed in the middle room of our musem in a very special place.  That photo you see over his shoulder of the dashing young Captain is Hugh.  His wife, Norma, said the pretty Hostess he was flirting with was not her!

A closer look at the photo.

Hugh in a promo shot for TWA.  His career with TWA began in 1944 and he retired in 1980.  During that time he was the head of the Training Center and Chief Pilot.  Read on for more of the interesting items about Hugh.

Hugh posed for a shot that mirrored his profile in the earlier photo.

Shirley Graff

Hugh's daughter, Shirley, who was a Hostess with TWA for 1966-91 holds the book her sister put together for their Dad on his career.  The page is open to the promo photo of Hugh and Shirley in the cockpit of what group concensus believes is a 727 simulator.

A family affair

Daughter, Natalie Graff Baker in from Lafayette, California and the one who put her Dad's photo book together, snaps away while Norma (wife) and Hugh discuss a display piece.

This family looks great!

Years later and Dad and daughter are still looking great!

Hugh's new cap and an old log book!

As dashing as his Captain's hat is, we couldn't let Hugh get away without an AHM cap!

The stories!

Don Sikes (gesturing) talks with Hugh (while the group looks on) about all kinds of airplane experiences.  Don is an active volunteer at the AHM and most fondly on his favorite plane, the L-1011.  Hugh just happens to be the man who flew in the first L-1011 delivered to TWA and one of the crew on board that flight was none other than Captain Rodney Boone who flew our L-1011 in!  If Hugh had not been in Arizona at the time our plane came, he would have been part of the crew with Captain Boone again!  While the Graffs were here our Director of Maintenance, Larry Turpin, related that he was on the ramp when the first L-1011 came in, so he was the one that flagged Hugh in.  Small world!