On January 22, 1928, the Boston Sunday Herald had big news about four Massachusetts boys. These four young men had been chosen by the War Department to serve as flying cadets in the Army Air Force Corps.

This article caught the attention of Vermonters because one of those boys was J. Chesley Stewart. The Hardwick Gazette later reported, “Hardwick people all know Chesley isn’t a Massachusetts boy, but is a student at Boston University, and Vermont and Hardwick in particular, claim this young man as a native son.”

Hardwick held a congratulatory celebration of Chesley’s accomplishment.

Photo courtesy the Vermont Historical Society.