Braniff Airways Foundation is currently spearheading the effort to preserve the history of Braniff Airways, Inc., through collecting, preserving, promoting, and protecting the carrier's legacy. The Foundation, originally formed in 1978 as Sherry Fund and later Braniff History Group in 1983 and then in 2012, Braniff Preservation Group, which was created to assist in the preservation efforts for the historic Braniff Operations and Maintenance Base at Dallas Love Field, was registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization in October 2015. The Foundation was created by Richard Ben Cass specifically to join together other interested parties in promoting Braniff's history and to generate endowments for the Braniff International Heritage Archives and the Braniff Airways Space Sciences Department at The University of Texas at Dallas.
The Foundation curates the Braniff International Heritage Archives, which includes the lifetime collection of Mr. Cass in addition, to the items donated to the Foundation. The collection was founded in 1972, and has become one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Braniff memorabilia known to exist. The collection is the official repository for Braniff Airways, Incorporated. It includes over 100 million pages of company records and files, 40,000 collectible items, 1 million plus photos, slides and electronic images as well as large-scale Braniff company models, signage, and over 1100 employee uniforms. One of the founding cornerstones of Braniff Airways Foundation was to make the public aware that any Braniff item is historic and there are organizations that will accept them for preservation for future generations to admire and enjoy.
Since 1978, the group has called on several other institutions to come together not only to assist each another in preserving Braniff's heritage but also in assisting those in need of research access. Preservation Dallas, a Dallas, Texas, based historic preservation advocacy group; The University of Texas of Dallas, which houses the Braniff Video Oral History Program; DOCOMOMO, a modern preservation advocacy group; Flying Crown Land Group, a Non-Profit historic structure preservation development company, and other institutions interested in preserving Braniff's history. The Foundation also engages in the historic preservation of Braniff with the University of Dallas, Oklahoma Historical Society, Duke University, Frontiers of Flight Museum, The Kirkpatrick Science Museum of Oklahoma, and The University of Texas Southwestern.
Braniff Airways Foundation was formed to protect, preserve and promote the history and legacy of Braniff Airways, Inc., through collecting, preserving, promoting. The Foundation supports the Braniff Airways retirement groups through sponsorship of events and activities and the production of the annual Christmas party. The Foundation's roots date back to 1978 when it was formed as the Herb Sherry T-Shirt Fund.
The Foundation's largest costs are associated with the curation of its archive of Braniff Airways memorabilia, uniforms, corporate records and photos, slides and transparencies. Currently, Braniff International Heritage Archives houses over 40,000 of these items and the costs associated with accepting new collections and their registration, organizing and archiving is extensive. Archival quality wooden hangars for our over 900 uniform items are extremely costly as are the large 18"x22" professional quality and archival safe portfolios that house our extensive Braniff newspaper collection are excellent examples. A single coat hangar can cost $10 USD with shipping and the largest portfolio is approximately $135 USD and the archival quality storage binders and archival safe storage sleeves are $12 USD each and $11 for a box of 250 sheets, respectively. For even a small collection it can take up 10 hangars and 10 to 15 binders and 5 portfolios to properly archive the collection for storage and patron usage.
In addition, our next largest costs are associated with our Braniff Airways historical plaque and state historical marker projects. The project, known as Braniff Trail Historical Plaque Project, calls for the placement of over 60 plaques throughout the world at locations that were critical to the development and history of Braniff Airways. As an example, the placement of our plaques at DFW Airport alone will cost approximately $6500 USD with the outdoor plaque at Founder's Plaza costing 1/3 of that total amount. Even our small standard 12"x12" plaque costs approximately $250.00 USD with most averaging at least $450 USD. As of August 2019, the Foundation has placed over 29 plaques and we have begun the application process for the placement of several state historical markers at key locations in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. These markers cost approximately $1900 USD each.
Our next expense is our productions for the Braniff retirement groups. Each year we co-sponsor a large and extensive Christmas Party for the retirees at Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas, Texas. The costs associated with this are extensive for displays, banners and entertainment. Every two years we produce the Braniff History and Architecture Conference with Preservation Dallas. The rising costs associated with these full stage productions with famous guest speakers and a gourmet luncheon are costly and continue to rise in costs.
Organization name
Braniff Airways Foundation
Causes
Arts, Culture & Humanities, Veterans, Education - STEM
Operating Budget
Less than $100,000
Counties Served
Hood, Wise, Tarrant, Somervell, Rockwall, Parker, Palo Pinto, Navarro, Montague, Kaufman, Johnson, Hunt, Grayson, Fannin, Erath, Ellis, Denton, Dallas, Cooke, Collin
BIPOC Leadership
Neither/None
Address
P. O. Box 610646 2200 Braniff Boulevard