Dr. Robert W. Tidwell, II, is Interim Helen DeVitt Jones Endowed Director of Collections, Exhibits, and Research at the National Ranching Heritage Center at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Born in San Antonio, “Military City USA,” Tidwell has been a military aviation enthusiast since childhood. He earned his B.A. in Political Science, M.S. in Museum Science, and Ph.D. in History from Texas Tech University. He has served as curator at the Silent Wings Museum—located on the former site of South Plains Army Airfield, the largest combat glider training base in the United States. His presentation, Edith Whatley McKanna: Multitalented Aviator, explores the life of a Texas oil magnate and pioneering pilot who merged business, aviation, and wartime service.
