Date Original
1945-1993
Description
This collection is comprised of photographs, papers, personal correspondence, paintings by Edward W. Holland, photographic prints of Holland’s paintings, personal mementos of Arkansas governors Rockefeller, Pryor, Bumpers, Clinton, and White, and a scrapbook. All materials are related to the life and career of Edward W. Holland, artist and former head of the Arkansas Department of Aeronautics.
Biographical/Historical Note
Edward William Holland was born in Warren, Arkansas, on January 13, 1920, to Willie and Nora Holland, the second of three children. As a young adult, Edward W. Holland worked as a theater sign artist and assistant manager at a movie theater in Camden, Arkansas. Holland also painted large signs around Monticello and Pine Bluff. After the attack upon Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, Holland enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. During this military service, Holland flew as a radio operator and gunner for thirty-seven combat missions in the South Pacific, earning four air medals, two battle stars, and a presidential citation for his service. In 1942, Edward Holland married Madeline Oliver in 1942 in Palm Beach, Florida. The couple had their only child, Sheila, in 1947 in Morrilton, Arkansas, the family’s residence and where Holland managed a movie theater. Holland was drawn to aviation and after his service during the war, Holland continued to fly as a corporate pilot, a part-time charter pilot, and as a personal pilot for Winthrop Rockefeller prior to his being elected governor of Arkansas. In 1969, Holland became the Director of the Arkansas Department of Aeronautics and served as director under six governors: Rockefeller, Pryor, Bumpers, White and Clinton. He served until 1984, when he resigned due to medical issues. During his tenure with the Arkansas Department of Aeronautics, Holland advocated for building up Arkansas’s aviation industry and oversaw the establishment of ten new airports in the state. Holland was a co-founder of the Arkansas Aviation Historical Society and was inducted into its hall of fame in 1984. Holland also held memberships in the Airplane Owners and Pilots Association, the National Association of State Aviation Officials, and the Quiet Birdmen. Holland was a noteworthy watercolor painter with many of his aviation paintings on permanent display at the Little Rock Air Force Base. Edward W. Holland died on March 31, 1993. His wife Madeline died in 1999. Both are buried in Naples Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Naples, Florida.
Physical Description
Document, 8.5" x 11"
Geographical Area
Arkansas
Language
English
Identifier
MS.000829
Resource Type
Text
Collection
Edward W. Holland papers, MS.000829
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
Edward W. Holland papers, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rights
Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
Disciplines
United States History
