PATUXENT RIVER, Md. –
A mural that once held pride of place on the lobby wall of the now-demolished Officer’s Club at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River will once again be a focal point, this time for visitors at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum in Lexington Park, Maryland.
The mural, an oil-on-canvas painting by George F. McWilliams, represents NAS Patuxent River’s role in national space history—particularly, the role of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS), its graduates and its long-standing relationship with NASA.
In 2015, Pax River’s Officer’s Club—along with its remaining furnishings—had been long closed and headed to demolition. Knowing its fate, then USNTPS Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Tim Davis and USNTPS Technical Director John Hardison went looking for the painting.
“The building had been closed up and had fallen into serious disrepair,” Hardison said. “There were roof leaks and mold everywhere. Literally one-third of the mural had detached from the wall, held up by the portion that was still adhered to the wall.”
Davis is no longer at USNTPS, but is an instructor and scientist for Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in California, Maryland.
“I thought it would be terrible if it got thrown away or destroyed,” Davis said.
Since he had a contact at the Pax River Naval Air Museum, he connected with them to take on the restoration project.
According to Courtney Stanley, communications specialist for the museum, the mural underwent significant restoration work due to exposure from years of wear, grime and various airborne particles.
“The panels and support structures for the mural were constructed by JF Taylor Company,” Stanley said. “Our conservator team will attach the restored panels, which now have a lifespan of at least 100 years.”
Once attached, the panels will be raised high into the spaces of the museum’s Test & Evaluation Hall.
“It’s important that we don’t lose the history of Pax and all the test pilots who were here,” Davis said. “I vividly remember seeing the mural above the entry doors at the Officer’s Club and now we get to see that part of our history at the museum.”
McWilliams is a Southern Maryland native who currently resides in West Virginia. He worked as a graphic artist for the U.S. Naval Air Test Center, now the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD).
USNTPS has produced nearly 100 astronauts including Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, Jim Lovell, John Glenn, Charles Bolden and many more, including four crew members currently aboard the International Space Station. USNTPS is a component of Naval Test Wing Atlantic, the test wing under NAWCAD, located at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.
Written by NAWCAD Visual Information. 