Work of Historian Chris Rumley helps in preserving rich history of AEDC

  • Published
  • By Deidre Ortiz
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TENN. --  Through his work documenting the history of AEDC, Chris Rumley, AEDC historian, has made important contributions to the Complex and its mission.

With the help of Rick Goodfriend, an AEDC photographer, he recently earned the 2016 Air Force Material Command Excellence in Heritage Projects Awards for efforts to showcase historic AEDC documents and photos at the Complex.

Rumley started working at AEDC in July 2013, but he will soon be leaving for Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany.

"It will be just short of three years [at AEDC] when my family heads out to Germany," he said.

He will be continuing as an Air Force historian at the U.S. Air Forces in Europe/U.S. Africa Command History Office at Ramstein AFB.

Prior to AEDC, Rumley was the historian at Little Rock AFB for the 314th Airlift Wing.
"We (my family) have been on a bit of a southern base tour for the past eight years," he said.

Rumley admits he had not heard of AEDC before applying for his position here, so he had a lot to learn.

"I am so glad we came to Tennessee. Serving as AEDC's historian has been such a great learning experience. For a quiet little base that often flies under the radar, the breadth of our history is surprising. 

"AEDC's history is intertwined with WWII through Camp Forrest; with the WWII advancements in jet aircraft and rocketry; with German advancements in wind tunnel testing and facility development. We also have strong ties to the American space program going back to Project Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. I like to tell people that it was Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin who left their footprints on the moon, but AEDC's fingerprints were all over that mission. Additionally, nearly every Air Force aircraft developed since the 1950s has been tested at AEDC including airframes, engines and associated weapon stores."

He explained this still doesn't cover all the programs AEDC has assisted, which also include modern space travel programs, rocket motor testing, hypersonics, and commercial aircraft design and engine testing, among others.

"That is an incredibly large spectrum of history that includes the people, the projects and the missions of our Air Force and it is just fascinating to me. Studying AEDC history for the past three years has been an enjoyable task and it has allowed me the opportunity to really broaden my own understanding of Air Force history. "

While at AEDC, Rumley has also been involved in making interesting discoveries. In the fall of 2014, Ron Bandy, a supervisor in the AEDC Carpenter and Paint Shop, recalled keeping a plaque after removing it and a picture of Gen. Henry "Hap" Arnold at Warehouse-1 almost 30 years ago.

It was determined that the plaque was the original AEDC dedication plaque. Its inscription reads, "At this site on 25 June 1951, President Harry S. Truman dedicated Arnold Engineering Development Center to the memory of Gen. H.H. (Hap) Arnold, the father of the U.S. Air Force."

Rumley took possession of the plaque for safe keeping, and it is now on display at the base in the Administration and Engineering building.

He has several memories such as this one, and he says it's these experiences that will make it hard to leave his AEDC family.

"I am very thankful for the opportunity to have worked at AEDC and for the opportunity to learn and to share the history with those working at Arnold AFB and those living in the surrounding communities."

But Rumley and his family now look forward to new opportunities that moving, to not just a new Air Force base, but a new country altogether entails.

"Before applying for the job in Germany we had a family vote," he said. "My wife Laurie was certainly on board for the adventure, but so were our three children. All three are elementary school age and are excited about what lies ahead for our family. We feel they are just the right age to go and to experience Europe and hopefully learn a new language.

  "As a family, we have completely enjoyed living in Tennessee.  My wife recently graduated from the University of Tennessee. This feels like home to us and we would come back here in a heartbeat. We have great neighbors, a great church family and we are still meeting people in our community that we want to know better and spend more time with.  It is a little hard and a bit sad saying goodbye, but we do it knowing that we may come back in a few years."

-AEDC-