CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Customs House Museum and Cultural Center raised $126,000 at their annual Flying High fundraiser, taking guests back for a night in the Roaring ’20s.
The annual fundraising event supports Customs House Museum and Cultural Center, located on Second Street in downtown Clarksville. This year, Flying High was held at Clarksville Regional Airport. Guests enjoyed an afternoon of food, music, dancing and an auction featuring local goods and art.
The signature auction piece, a painting titled “Appalachian Morning” by Larry Richardson, sold for $5,000.
This year’s Gracey Award was presented to Dee Boaz. Named for Donald and Finley Gracey, the award recognizes exceptional supporters of Customs House Museum.
Boaz, a native of Fairhope, Alabama, moved to Clarksville in 1983 to become editor of The Leaf-Chronicle. She was the first woman elected president of the Tennessee Associated Press Managing Editors Association, and she served on the nominations committee for the American Society of Newspaper Editors. She retired in 1994. Boaz co-founded Leadership Clarksville, the Customs House Museum Guild and the Flying High Fundraiser, and she has served on several local boards, including the Clarksville-Montgomery County Library Board of Trustees.
Clarksville-Montgomery County Arts & Heritage Development Council also presented Lifetime Achievement Awards in Art and Heritage to the late Dan Hanley and Mark Holleman.
The event included a special exhibit in The Flagship Detroit. Manufactured by American Airlines in 1937, this Douglas DC-3-G102 aircraft served as the company’s flagship during World War II and was featured in many of their advertisements.
The Flagship Detroit was used to transport First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt on several occasions. Guests at Flying High were invited to tour the plane, and see Roosevelt’s favorite seat, the rear seat on the right side, just toward the entry door.