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his father and two brothers. Captain Billard was the first Kansas aviator to be killed in the war. His remains were first buried in a temporary grave, then later were removed to the St. Mihiel Cemetery at Thiaucourt, France. In 1924 his brother Robert carried out Billard's wishes, by having his remains cremated and the ashes scattered over the garden at Provins, France that had at one time been his mother's home. Later the Rotary Club of Topeka presented a bronze bust of [[strikethrough]] Captain [[/strikethrough]] L. Phil Billard to the city's Memorial Hall. During civic ceremonies in June 1924, the Topeka Airport was named "BILLARD FIELD" in his honor. In July, 1938, his brothers presented the Kansas Historical Society Museum with one of his early planes for permanent display. Captain L. Phil Billard held F.A.I. Expert Pilot License No. 80.

Flying Pioneer L. Phil Billard was one of those air-minded young men of the early period who, with his [[strikethrough]] means [[/strikethrough]] personal wealth and enthusiastic determination, contributed much to promote flying in his home state, then went on to serve his country in World War I, giving his life to the cause - surely a patriotic young man [[strikethrough]] who's [[/strikethrough]] whose memory must be [[strikethrough]] included [[/strikethrough]] honored in the annals of early American aviation history.

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Transcription Notes:
* St. Mihiel American Cemetery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mihiel_American_Cemetery_and_Memorial make sure to use [[strikethrough]] and others to denote changes in the style of the text.