looking for contacts of the families of the crew of a B-17

[RSwank]

I received the following update email from Jacques Dronnet. He is
the main contact person for the May 7 Event.

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Hi Rolland

A first mail to you, it shall be an introduction of the French team preparing the B17 May Event.

Alain TOPPAN is the Mayor of Cornebarrieu where the B17 fortress crashed. Today ≈ 7,000 inhabitants.

Gilles COLLAVERI is still an active executive chap working as commercial in an aircraft manufacture Co.

I am Jacques DRONNET, the difference with the two above è I am now retired and disposing of way more time to dedicate to this project.

The crash occurred on June 25, 1944 and I was born in March 1944.

My family and I have leaving in the USA 1984 -1989; I will develop later in Bethesda Maryland and became an inhabitant of Cornebarrieu from 1989 up to now. Alain and I, are friends.

I have been working from 1981 until 2003 in the company mentioned hereabove, its name ATR, standing for Avions de Transport Regional and Gilles has been my deputy for years.

From 2003 up to 2020, I became a free lance mainly for ATR, acting a negotiator of aircraft contracts while in my Maryland period of time I have been creating and heading a subsidiary of ATR Customer Product Support. I still meet Gilles for business opportunities on informal and ad hoc basis.

Gilles has a hobby, as he might have told you https://www.aerocherche.fr/. Unbelievable.

For the B17 May 7 Event, Alain has constituted a 6≈7 person team but they have all their daily business to take care of.

Obviously, this event is a commemoration of a 23-year old young fellow who gave his life for our freedom, also a pass of vote of thanks to the others who spend a few months in prison and more generally to all the individuals who came …. Normandy, South of France ….

I stopped here this introduction and thence I will exchange with you at length about the past, what occurred in 1944 and afterwards, the future i.e. May 7 and the warm welcome of those who can come.

Regards

Jacques DRONNET

Mobile +33 6 86 42 40 26

Time difference between Toulouse and Eastern Time: minus six hours

jacques.dronnet@orange.fr

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