About This Event
- Thursday, Oct. 8 from 5 to 9 p.m.
- Manchester Community College, 1066 Front St., Manchester
- In honor of Col. Robert Fortnam, WWII P.O.W., museum volunteer
- Guest speaker: Howard Mansfield, author of ‘I Will Tell No War Stories: What Our Fathers Left Unsaid about World War II’
- Delicious catered meal served buffet style!
- Live Music! Fantastic silent auction! Spectacular raffle prizes!
- Tickets $100 per person; tables of 8 $650; volunteers $75
All are invited to the Aviation Museum’s Annual Fundraising Gala, which will take place on Thursday, Oct. 8 from 5 to 9 p.m. at Manchester Community College, 1066 Front St., Manchester, N.H.
Our theme this year is historic preservation. We’re renewing the Aviation Museum’s obligation to tell the stories of those no longer here to tell them, with focus on World War II and the Greatest Generation. It’s our mission to honor their legacy by telling their stories.
Specifically, we will use this Gala to raise funds for a new exhibit dedicated to longtime Aviation Museum volunteer Robert Fortnam, a WWII aviator and German P.O.W.
As a volunteer, Bob told his story to many Aviation Museum visitors until his passing in 2017 at age 95, using his experiences to represent the sacrifices and service of all members of his generation.
Help us create an exhibit that will use video recordings to enable Bob to continue to tell his stories to visitors so that they won’t be forgotten.
You can do that by attending this year’s Gala, which promises to be a memorable and inspiring evening of great food, live music, an exciting silent auction and raffle, and more.
Tickets are $100 per person; a table for eight people is $650 or two tables for $1,200. Aviation Museum volunteers can attend for $75 per ticket.
Robert Fortnam pictured above and author Howard Mansfield pictured below.
Featured guest speaker is N.H. author Howard Mansfield, who will speak about his recently published memoir, ‘I Will Tell No War Stories: What Our Fathers Left Unsaid about World War II.’
Critics have praised the book, in which Mansfield surveys the silence of the generation of World War II veterans and how it hung over the peace they had won.
“Mansfield … breaks through the wall of silence some war veterans maintain… The result is an impeccably researched and beautifully written account of the stories his father wouldn’t tell. Readers will find themselves in heated sheepskin flight suits and oxygen masks, high in the sky over enemy territory, and they will feel the frustration of a child asking his father what it was like and not getting any answers. A vital and moving history of all that is left unsaid in the aftermath of war and how that affects the next generation.”
— Booklist
The event will also feature the unveiling of preliminary designs for the planned exhibit highlighting the World War II experiences of Aviation Museum volunteer Robert Fortnam.
Also highlighting the Aviation Museum’s 2026 Gala is a spectacular silent auction featuring one-of-a-kind aviation collectibles, fantastic packages, plane rides, flight lessons, and more.
The museum’s annual fundraising raffle will also feature a line-up of fantastic prizes up for grabs.
All proceeds from this great night out will go to support the museum’s planned Robert Fortnam exhibit and the museum’s historic preservation efforts.
About This Event
- Thursday, Oct. 8 from 5 to 9 p.m.
- Manchester Community College, 1066 Front St., Manchester
- In honor of Col. Robert Fortnam, WWII P.O.W., museum volunteer
- Guest speaker: Howard Mansfield, author of ‘I Will Tell No War Stories: What Our Fathers Left Unsaid about World War II’
- Delicious catered meal served buffet style!
- Live Music! Fantastic silent auction! Spectacular raffle prizes!
- Tickets $100 per person; tables of 8 $650; volunteers $75
All are invited to the Aviation Museum’s Annual Fundraising Gala, which will take place on Thursday, Oct. 8 from 5 to 9 p.m. at Manchester Community College, 1066 Front St., Manchester, N.H.
Our theme this year is historic preservation. We’re renewing the Aviation Museum’s obligation to tell the stories of those no longer here to tell them, with focus on World War II and the Greatest Generation. It’s our mission to honor their legacy by telling their stories.
Specifically, we will use this Gala to raise funds for a new exhibit dedicated to longtime Aviation Museum volunteer Robert Fortnam, a WWII aviator and German P.O.W.
As a volunteer, Bob told his story to many Aviation Museum visitors until his passing in 2017 at age 95, using his experiences to represent the sacrifices and service of all members of his generation.
Help us create an exhibit that will use video recordings to enable Bob to continue to tell his stories to visitors so that they won’t be forgotten.
You can do that by attending this year’s Gala, which promises to be a memorable and inspiring evening of great food, live music, an exciting silent auction and raffle, and more.
Tickets are $100 per person; a table for eight people is $650 or two tables for $1,200. Aviation Museum volunteers can attend for $75 per ticket.
Robert Fortnam pictured above and author Howard Mansfield pictured below.
Featured guest speaker is N.H. author Howard Mansfield, who will speak about his recently published memoir, ‘I Will Tell No War Stories: What Our Fathers Left Unsaid about World War II.’
Critics have praised the book, in which Mansfield surveys the silence of the generation of World War II veterans and how it hung over the peace they had won.
“Mansfield … breaks through the wall of silence some war veterans maintain… The result is an impeccably researched and beautifully written account of the stories his father wouldn’t tell. Readers will find themselves in heated sheepskin flight suits and oxygen masks, high in the sky over enemy territory, and they will feel the frustration of a child asking his father what it was like and not getting any answers. A vital and moving history of all that is left unsaid in the aftermath of war and how that affects the next generation.”
— Booklist
The event will also feature the unveiling of preliminary designs for the planned exhibit highlighting the World War II experiences of Aviation Museum volunteer Robert Fortnam.
Also highlighting the Aviation Museum’s 2026 Gala is a spectacular silent auction featuring one-of-a-kind aviation collectibles, fantastic packages, plane rides, flight lessons, and more.
The museum’s annual fundraising raffle will also feature a line-up of fantastic prizes up for grabs.
All proceeds from this great night out will go to support the museum’s planned Robert Fortnam exhibit and the museum’s historic preservation efforts.