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Louis E. Holland was born June 29, 1878 in Parma, New York. After apprenticing at his uncle's engraving company, he moved to Kansas City in 1902, working his way up the corporate ladder of two engraving companies, Thompson-Slaughter and Teachenor and Bartberger. In 1916 he established Holland Engraving Co, and within five years made it the largest engraving company west of the Mississippi River.
Holland was active in the local advertising club and eventually became president of the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World. Holland was also active in Kansas City's Chamber of Commerce and became its president from 1925 to 1927. Involvement in both these organizations led him to the burgeoning aviation industry; the advertising clubs were keenly interested in how airmail freight rates were developing. He was instrumental in securing Kansas City's first air mail contract.
Convinced that Kansas City needed a commercial aviation field, Lou Holland persuaded the city manager to lease land for an airstrip just north of downtown. On August 17, 1927 Charles A. Lindbergh flew to Kansas City to dedicate New Richard's Field, later known as Kansas City Municipal Airport. This visit was very important when Lou Holland later used a recording of Lindbergh’s own words to convince Lindbergh that Kansas City should be a hub for the Transcontinental World Airlines (TWA), which Lindbergh served as chief advisor to. From 1949 to 1951, Holland was the Chairman of the Mayor’s Aviation Advisory Board. All this work earned him the title “Father of Kansas City Aviation.”
Holland also worked in other areas of significance. As a friend to Harry S. Truman, he encouraged the approval of $10 million in bonds to finance road construction in Jackson County from 1927 to 1931. During World War II he was the Chairman of the Smaller War Plants Corporation. He also served as Chairman of the Safety Committee of the American Automobile Association in 1945, later becoming its president in 1949. In 1952, he was appointed to the U. S. Department of Commerce Advisory Committee on Highway Safety.
Lou Holland died May 25, 1960. Soon after, his son L. Garrett closed the Holland Engraving Co and dispersed his father’s collections, both business and personal, to various local museums. The following images and audio are some of the items collected by Lou Holland from 1920-1955. All items are in the collections of the Kansas City Museum/Union Station Kansas City.
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