TLD
I found this, and I’ll have to go over to the Museum (haven't been there in more than 5 years) and try to get a picture of it. Have always liked the Mitchell, so close to the Fortress in my esteem, it's hard to pick a favorite!
January 11, 2005
Spirit sparks Sparks City Council Meeting
A replica model of the "Spirit of Sparks," the Mitchell B-25 bomber manufactured by Boeing, was presented to the City of Sparks in honor of the Sparks Centennial. Doug Summers, president of the local society of International Plastic Modelers Society, and Neil Hulse, the secretary, made the presentation. Hulse assembled the model.
The model is 14 inches long, 5 inches high and has a wingspan of 16 inches. Mayor Pro Tem presented the model to Dick Dreiling, president of the Sparks Heritage Museum board of trustees. It will be displayed in the Military Exhibit at the Museum on Victorian Avenue at Pyramid Way.
History
Several thousand citizens in Sparks began raising money to purchase a bomber for the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II in June 1944. Sparks Tribune Editor Edwin C. Mulcahy brought the idea to a meeting of the Sparks Bond Campaign Planning Committee. A fund raiser rally was held at the "B" Street Park (now the south side of Victorian Square). Women's groups, church and labor organizations assisted. Tobacco heiress Doris Cromwell, made a significant contribution.
Bond sale tables were setup at the rail yard on payday with Southern Pacific officials contributing. Local merchants contributed and every church in town passed the hat. Children went door-to-door soliciting donations.
By mid-July, with prospects for reaching their goal appeared likely, city officials contacted Boeing Aircraft in Seattle to arrange for the purchase. Workers on the line at the factory christened the plane as the "Spirit of Sparks" and painted the name on the fuselage before it was sent off to Europe in July 1944.
It's traditional for bomber crews to rename a plane for luck. Because the "Spirit of Sparks" was named at the factory for the efforts of the citizens of Sparks, the crews didn't change her name and never tampered with the luck. The "Spirit of Sparks" flew 112 combat sorties and never lost a crew member. The plane took a hard landing and had to be scrapped in Italy in late 1944.