WAAAM building fund takes flight

The Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum in Hood River, Ore., has received a gift of $1.5 million from airplane enthusiast Jerry Wenger.

The donation is the start of another building expansion to increase the display space found at the museum from just over 2.5 acres to just over 3.5 acres. It will fun a 45,000-square-foot expansion to the museum’s facilities, officials noted.

“WAAAM has been very successful because of all our donors and our fantastic volunteers who make this all happen,” says Museum Director Judy Newman. “These are all folks who love airplanes and automobiles and old stuff and do what they can to keep the stories of the past relevant to today. This isn’t a private collection of antiques — WAAAM is a community collective of transportation history made possible by many individuals.”