Marvin Lee 'Lefty' Gardner

Lefty Gardner served with distinction in the 8th Air Force in England during WWII. As a bomber pilot flying the B-17 and the B-24 over Germany, Lefty flew the required 34 missions but instead of returning home he volunteered to fly Top Secret missions at night in bad weather to recover downed flyers and bring supplies to the underground movement. After 12 of those very hazardous missions, and with victory over Germany in sight, Capt. Gardner returned to Texas.

His next "mission" became a very significant contribution to aviation history. He and Lloyd Nolen and a few crop-duster pilot-friends started recovering WWII fighters and bombers when most were being scrapped. That was the beginning of The Confederate Air Force, now known as the Commemorative Air Force. In 1964 Lefty began flying he & Lloyd's Lockheed P-38 Lightning at air shows around the country. In 1970 his now famous "White Lightnin' " began aerobatic demonstrations at the Reno National Air Races. For many years he raced both his P-38 and his P-51 Mustang "Thunderbird" at Reno. The big win was in 1976 when he won the Unlimited Gold Race. In his lifetime, his achievements won high praise from fellow pilots and most certainly deserves being part of the Wall of Honor.