MGA, Museum of Aviation WWII Curation Project To Receive Daughters of the American Revolution Historic Preservation Award

Author: Sheron Smith
Posted: Wednesday, August 26, 2026 12:00 AM
Categories: Pressroom | Students | Honors/Awards | Faculty/Staff | School of Arts and Letters

Macon, GA

MGA history major Lauren Fairall is among the history majors helping catalog the 483rd Bomb Group Collection, a significant archive documenting the experiences of the 483rd Bomb Group (Heavy), a B-17 Flying Fortress unit that served with the Fifteenth Air Force in Italy during World War II. This project is a collaboration with the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins.
MGA history major Lauren Fairall is among the history majors helping catalog the 483rd Bomb Group Collection, a significant archive documenting the experiences of the 483rd Bomb Group (Heavy), a B-17 Flying Fortress unit that served with the Fifteenth Air Force in Italy during World War II. This project is a collaboration with the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins.

For Middle Georgia State University history major Lauren Fairall, the study of World War II isn’t confined to textbooks and classroom discussions.

Working as an intern, Fairall is helping catalog the 483rd Bomb Group Collection, a significant archive documenting the experiences of the 483rd Bomb Group (Heavy), a B-17 Flying Fortress unit that served with the Fifteenth Air Force in Italy during World War II.

“I’ve always had an appreciation for World War II, but then getting a hands-on approach to it, actually seeing the documents, is really cool, and it makes history come alive for me,” said Fairall, a sophomore. “It’s one thing to have everybody tell you, ‘Oh, this is what happened,’ but to actually see the things and say, ‘This was somebody’s real life. This actually happened,’ really excites me.”

The multi-year cataloging project is a collaboration of Middle Georgia State (MGA) and the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins. Now, the two partners have been named recipients of the Historic Preservation Award from the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) for its work to preserve, organize and expand access to the collection.

"The strength of this project lies in the collaboration," said Erin Tapp, Museum of Aviation collection manager. "By combining the expertise and resources of both institutions, we were able to better preserve this remarkable collection while creating educational opportunities for students and expanding public access to the history of the 483rd Bomb Group."

The 483rd Bomb Group Collection consists of documents, artifacts, and other materials connected to the servicemen who fought with the unit. The collection includes items they brought home from the war, materials related to the group’s activities after the war, and records documenting their wartime experiences.

Stationed in northern Italy, the 483rd Bomb Group flew missions in the European theater from April 1944 through April 1945. The unit suffered significant casualties during its service.

The collection was donated to the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, and eventually made its way to the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, with members of the Legacy Group, made up of family members of the original servicemen, helping facilitate its arrival.

Through the partnership with MGA, the materials are now being arranged and cataloged using modern archival practices and the ArchivEra archival management system. The collection has been temporarily transferred to MGA’s Macon Campus, where it is being cared for by Ashley Bennett, University Library archivist, and faculty and students in the Department of History and Political Science.

The goal is not simply to organize the collection, said Dr. Susan Asbury, associate professor of history at MGA, but to make it more accessible and preserve it for the future.

“These are items and artifacts that the soldiers who fought with the 483rd during World War II collected and brought back with them from wartime,” Asbury said. “We are cataloging it using modern archival tagging and processes, and to make it more accessible to the public.”

Bennett said students are currently working with mission files, which can contain call signs, information about members of the squadrons and details about individual missions. Other portions of the collection include diaries and personal accounts.

“They get a personal, firsthand account of what they’re looking at,” Bennett said. “It gives them the context that a lot of times we don’t see in a photo. If we have the documents that are paired with the photo, it just gives the overall picture that much more power.”

The collection also offers a glimpse into the everyday experiences of young servicemen during wartime.

“The diaries will have people talking about what went up, what came down, who didn’t come back,” Bennett said. “It’s just the day-to-day that they saw and how they would compartmentalize things.”

That firsthand perspective is particularly valuable for students preparing for careers in public history, Asbury said. In addition to learning about the historical content of the collection, students learn how to handle, preserve, organize, and eventually digitize historical materials.

“It’s a nice experiential learning opportunity for our students, particularly those who are in the public history concentration,” Asbury said.

The project has already resulted in a public exhibition at MGA, providing the campus and community with greater access to materials from the collection. The partners also have established priorities for archival rehousing and future digitization.

The DAR Historic Preservation Award recognizes individuals, organizations and institutions that demonstrate outstanding dedication to preserving America’s historic heritage. The Sukey Hart Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, of Warner Robins will formally present the award to Asbury, Bennett, Tapp, and Arthur Sullivan, Museum of Aviation curator, on September 9.