Max D. Anderson Born near Davenport, Nebraska, in 1919, to John William Franklin Anderson and Lena Mabel Lambert Anderson, Max D. Anderson grew up on a farm near Springview. WWI had ended as well as the Great Influenza Pandemic. Barnstormers and Lindbergh’s flights had piqued Max’s interest in the new field of aviation. He learned to fly in 1938 over the objection of his parents who thought aviation a frivolous sport. Having enlisted in the Navy at the outbreak of WWII, Max was assigned to the naval air station in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he met Flossie, the love of his life. Their love and devotion to each other only grew over the next 76 years.
Max’s aviation career began in the Navy. He instructed pilots at Cuddihy Field in Corpus Christi and flew the PB2Y, a flying boat, on supply missions over the Pacific during WWII. He became a corporate pilot, flying for Pearl Equipment Co., McDowell Enterprises, and Delta Coal Co. He also flew for the state of Tennessee. He enjoyed flying, believing that he flew in the best era of aviation.
