GHS Classmates who attended Gardner Junior High School on Waterford Street in 1956, or attended Westminster Junior High School in 1957, may remember Mr. Joseph Aveni as Grade 8 Homeroom teacher, Grade 8 Science teacher, or Westminster School Principal. What many may not have known, or forgotten, is that Joseph F. Aveni served aboard a B-24 bomber crew as radio-operator/gunner in World War II. Mr. Aveni flew 44 missions in the China-Burma-India theater as part of the famed Flying Tigers. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and other decorations. He served as Principal of the Westminster Elementary School for 28 years.
The photo above was published in the Images of America series, Westminster, compiled by the Westminster Historical Society (2001), page 104. Betty Aveni provided the photo.
If you have a special memory of Mr. Aveni, we encourage you to add a comment to this post.
Editor's Note: The plane used by the Flying Tigers was the P-40 - a single engine fighter capable of carrying 1500 pounds of bombs. These were attached to one of three locations - one on each wing and one directly beneath the cockpit. The munitions came in three sizes: 250, 500, and 1000 pound bombs.
2 comments:
thanks so much. joe was more then the principle tosome members of the family. there were 6 of us that went through the westminster school system. i personally didn't know about his flying tiger's history. thank you again.
Among the many things Mr Aveni taught us was one valuable piece of advice that arises whenever we make a new acquaintance, namely how to shake hands in a firm and confident manner. It was a lesson that remained with me for a lifetime.
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