Ganesh Prasad and Airglades Airport

Contents 1 Early Days 2 Mathematical career 3 A few notable students 4 Other areas of work 5 References 6 Further reading

Early Days

Ganesh Prasad was born on 15 November 1876 at Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. He obtained the B.A. degree from Muir Central College, Allahabad, M.A. degree from the Universities in Allahabad and Calcutta and the D.Sc. degree from Allahabad University. After teaching at the Kayasth Pathshala, Allahabad, and at the Muir Central College, Allahabad, for about two years, he proceeded to Cambridge for higher studies and research. While at Cambridge he became acquainted with mathematicians like E.W. Hobson and Andrew Forsyth. He also sat, though unsuccessfully, for the Adams prize competition. Later he moved to Göttingen where he was associated with Arnold Sommerfeld, David Hilbert and Georg Cantor. In Göttingen Prasad showed his paper titled On the constitution of matter and the analytical theories of heat, the one he had submitted for the Adams prize competition, to Felix Klein, who appreciated it very much and got it published in the Göttingen Abhandllingen. Ganesh Prasad spent altogether about five years in Europe. Mathematical career

Prasad returned to India from Europe in 1904 and was appointed professor of mathematics at the Muir Central College, Allahabad. Within a year of his appointment at Allahabad, Prasad was sent to the Queen's College, Banaras and he continued there till 1914 when he was invited to head the mathematics department of Calcutta University. Ganesh Prasad was the Ras Behari Ghosh Chair of Applied Mathematics of Calcutta University (he was the first person to occupy this Chair) from 1914 to 1917 and Hardinge Professor of Mathematics in the same University from 1923 till his death on 9 March 1935. In between these two assignments he served Banaras Hindu University as professor of mathematics. While at Banaras, he helped found the Banaras Mathematical Society. Ganesh Prasad was elected President of the Calcutta Mathematical Society and the Vice-President of the Indian Association for Advancement of Science, Calcutta in 1924 and continued in the same position till his death. He was a founder member of the National Institute of Sciences, India, which has now been rechristened as the Indian National Science Academy. Ganesh Prasad authored 11 books including A Treatise on Spherical Harmonics and the Functions of Bessel and Lame and over fifty reaearch papers in mathematics. A few notable students A.N. Singh & B.B Datta: authors of History of Hindu Mathematics : A source book (2 Volumes) Gorakh Prasad : A former Professor at Allahabad University R.S. Varma B.N. Prasad: Founder of the Allahabad mathematical Society N.G. Shabde R.D. Mishra Other areas of work

Ganesh Prasad worked hard for the promotion of education in general in the rural areas of Uttar Pradesh. He was instrumental in the introduction of compulsory primary education in villages in Uttar Pradesh. He donated from his private savings an amount of Rs. 22,000 for the education of girls in Ballia. He also donated an amount of Rupees two hundred thousand for establishing prizes for the toppers at the M.A. and MSc examinations of the Agra University. He donated large amounts of money to the Allahabad and Banaras Universities also.

Airglades Airport and Ganesh Prasad

Airglades Airport (FAA LID: 2IS) is a county-owned public-use airport in Hendry County, Florida, United States. It is located 5 miles (8.0 km) west of the central business district of Clewiston, Florida.

Contents 1 Overview 2 History 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

Overview

The airport has a lighted 5950' runway (13-31) and ample aircraft tie-down space, Avfuel ® aviation and jet fuel, and repair facilities for visiting aircraft and locally-based aircraft owners. Unicom is on 123.05. Rental are available, as well as a local taxi service for easy travel around the area. History

In 1941, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill made an urgent appeal to the United States to provide war materials and pilot training for defense against a superior German air power which bombarded England during the Battle of Britain. Royal Air Force Cadets where unable to train in England because of horrible weather conditions and "…the Nazis had a nasty habit of shooting down anything that flew."

President Franklin Roosevelt responded by implementing the Lend Lease Act, which called for the construction of six British Flying Training Schools in California, Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas and the British Flying Training School (BFTS) #5 at Riddle Field near the town of Clewiston, Florida, which trained more than 1,700 cadets in the Royal Air Force.

The airfield was opened on 12 November 1942 by the United States Army Air Forces. Assigned to USAAF Southeast Training Center (later Southeast Flying Training Command). It conducted contract basic flying training by Riddle-McKay Aero College, under the jurisdiction of the 75th Flying Training Detachment (Contract Pilot School)

Daily life at Riddle Field consisted of Primary flight training in the Stearman PT-17, Basic flying training in the Vultee BT-13, through to completion of the Advanced flying course in the Harvard AT-6. The cadets also received extensive training in formation flying, acrobatic maneuvers, armaments and instrument navigation. More than 1,300 cadets earned their wings at Riddle Field and returned to England to face their two greatest enemies, the Nazis, and the weather.

Local volunteers established a Cadet Club in what was known as the Pioneer Building (on Ponce deLeon Street behind present day U.S. Sugar Corp.) where dances and games were provided. The Clewiston Inn also served as a meeting place for officers and cadets to socialize.

Inactivated 31 December 1945 with the drawdown of AAFTC's pilot training program and was declared surplus in 1946. Responsibility for it was given to the War Assets Administration (WAA) and the facility was eventually acquired by Hendry County.

The present-day Airglades Airport was built after the war over the runways of Riddle Field. The buildings of the wartime field have been replaced by modern buildings, however the airfield is partially still in use. The No. 5 BFTS Association of former students continue their contact with the Clewiston community through periodic visits.

Flying cadet at airfield sign

RAF Cadets on Parade

Cadet training in PT-17 Stearman

Cadets with AT-6 Texans See also Florida World War II Army Airfields 28th Flying Training Wing (World War II)
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