Delgado in the 1940s and WWII

August 04, 2021

Delgado, still a young institution in 1940, was still flying high after the successful building and launching of two biplanes…The Maid and The Flash. Both planes were built on the City Park Campus and combined the expertise and skill of many of the students and faculty.

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, government officials (seeing Delgado’s aviation record) enlisted the school to train corpsman in the maintenance, upkeep, and operation of aeronautical projects throughout the war. Next door on City Park Avenue (now the site of Delgado’s Administration Building), Andrew Higgins was busy planning and building “the boat that won the war”, his infamous landing crafts that would be made famous during the Normandy Invasion. Higgins also partnered with neighboring Delgado for both manpower and expertise in the project.

A historical marker was dedicated at the front of the City Park Campus, honoring the site of the Higgins Plant and Delgado’s role in the war. The plaque recognizes the impact the site had on the war effort and the “Delgado Men”  who helped make it possible.