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GLENN E. MESSER
Pioneer Midwest Aviator 

Glenn E. Messer was born in Henry County, Iowa, July 12, 1895, son of a farmer, general contractor, hardware and farm implement dealer. He attended local grade and high schools, then was induced to enter medical school at the University of Iowa by their elderly family doctor who agreed to pay Glenn's college expenses, providing young Messer would follow in the doctor's footsteps upon graduation. 

After a time Messer decided he would never enjoy being a doctor. He became dissatisfied with this obligatory arrangement and wanted to change to engineering. He realized, however, that this would mean paying his own way. 

About this time Messer met aviator George Gustafson of Bay City, Michigan, who owned a Wright biplane and was flying exhibitions and instructing students on occasion. From Gustafson, Messer learned that flying might be a means of earning money to finance his engineering education. As a result he left medical school after his second year and went to Bay City where he obtained four hours of flying instruction from Gustafson on the Wright biplane although he did not solo at that time. 

Messer had also been doing some dirt track automobile racing for Alex Sloan, so after taking flying lessons he persuaded Sloan to obtain a Wright biplane for exhibition work. They contacted the United Fairs Booking Company in Chicago to arrange for flying dates, and Messer made his first solo flight and public exhibition at Streator, Illinois, on May 13, 1911. This was followed by other exhibitions that year in Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas. 

That fall he started engineering school at the University of Illinois. He continued doing some flying; in this way financing and completing his engineering education.