COMMANDER OF NC-4 SPEAKS TO UNIVERSITY THIS EVENING

Harvard will today act as host to the man who was first to cross the Atlantic Ocean by air, Lieutenant-Commander Albert C. Rcad. Members of the University will have an opportunity to hear personally from Commander Read of his experiences, when he will speak at the meeting in the Living Room of the Union at 8'clock. Preceding the meeting there will be a small dinner given in his honor in the Trophy Room of the Union at 7 o'clock. commander Reads talk tonight is the first one of a series which the Graduate Manager of the Union is arranging.

Commander Read was appointed to the Naval Academy from Massachusetts in 1903, graduating-with honors in 1907. On June 30, 1915, he was detailed by the Navy Department to receive flying in struction and on June 5, 1917, he was sent to the Naval Air Station at Bay Shore, Long Island, where be acted as Commanding Officer. Later he went to Washington where he ably filled various responsible positions in the Department of Operations, Aviation.

It was on the strength of this record that he was assigned to the "NC" type of plane at Rockaway, where he was appointed in charge of the NC-4. It was in this capacity that he flew the NC-4 to victory over her sister planes in May, 1919, thus giving the United States the honor of being the first nation to successfully complete a transatlantic fight with a heavier-than-air machine.

Crew of Seven Accompanies Read.

Commander Read will be accompanied by his famous crew, each of whom is an acknowledged expert in his own particular line of work. Of these, Lieutenants (j.g.) W. K. Hinton and H. C. Rodd and Chief Machinist E. S. Rhodes were members of the original transatlantic crew. Hinton, who pilots the NC-4 has been connected with naval aviation from the beginning. Rodd, the Radio Operator, has served in that branch ever since our entrance into the war. Rhodes gained his position as mechanic on the NC-4 on account of his knowledge of Liberty Motors. The other men who are at present attached to the crew are: Lieutenant (j.g.) J. B. Anderson, xerographer; Ensign P. Talbot, assistant pilot; and Warrant Machinist L. Moore and Chief Machinist C. L. Kessler. Liberty Motor experts.

Other invited guests are: Commander B. B. Taylor, Lieutenant-Commander G. W. Weichelt, and Lieutenant F. R. Geiselman of the mother ship, the U. S. S. Isobel and Lieutenant (j.g.) F. D. Halbert, "advance agent" and supply officer for the NC-4