It’s National Aviation Day, established in 1939 by FDR to celebrate the development of human flight capability. If you are headed into the Wild Blue Yonder on one of today’s commercial jetliners, thank the early engineers and daredevils whose designs and experiments cleared the way for airborne travel. Today’s mural depicts Harry Atwood, an engineer and inventor hailing from nearby Roxbury. He was known for his pioneering work setting long-distance flying records and establishing the first air mail delivery in Lynn. Atwood signed with the General Aviation Corporation for three years, which purchased Franklin Park race track in Saugus and converted it into an airfield, which they named after Atwood.
