A 4"x6" glass plate negative, portrait photograph of Thomas Jr. and Madessa Wolfe, David City, Nebraska. Thomas Jr. is wearing dark knee-length pants, black leggings, white long-sleeve shirt with stiff collar, a scarf tied in a knot at the neck standing next to Madessa who is sitting on a stool wearing a striped knee-length jumper with round neck, vertical rows of lace on the bodice, a fabric tie at the neck and solid-color fabric belt worn loosely below the waist with a white under blouse with gathered and cuffed elbow-length sleeves, white anklets and white shoes, her feet resting on a shorter stool.
Thorpe Opera House Foundation/Boston Studio Project
Local Accession Number
00A08270000
Source
Original format: 4"x6" glass plate negative from the Boston Studio Project collection.
Historical Notes
Madessa and Thomas Wolfe, Jr., were the children of Thomas Sr. and M. Madessa. Thomas was the president of the First National Bank. Thomas Wolfe, Jr., was born June 12, 1901, in David City, Nebraska. He graduated from David City High School, St. John's Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin, and Northwestern University, where he specialized in Military Science and Tactics and taught air transport economics for seven years. He married Ethel Ashby April 16, 1925, and they moved to Pasadena, California. Thomas became vice-president of Pacific-Alaska Division of Pan American World Airways in San Francisco, and established and flew the first commercial around-the-world air service. He established Wolfe Enterprises, an aviation consulting firm for government agencies, university and aerospace industries. Thomas Wolfe, Jr., served as Assistant Secretary of Defense 1956-1957. Besides receiving many aviation awards, he was a football letterman for three years at Northwestern and was a competitive horseman. He died July 30, 1984, in Los Angeles, California.
