Person:Donald Butterfield (1)

Name	Donald Raymond Butterfield
Gender	Male
Birth`^?`	20 Dec 1921	Waterloo, Black Hawk, Iowa, United States
Marriage	26 Dec 1941	Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, United Statesto Elizabeth Jane Wriston
Marriage	Sep 1950	Las Vegas, Clark, Nevada, United Statesto Margaret Yvonne Middleton
Annulment	Sep 1950	California, United Statesfrom Margaret Yvonne Middleton
Marriage	c. 1960's	to Thelma Mae Noble
Marriage	Abt 1967	White Sulphur Springs, Greenbrier, West Virginia, United Statesto Lois Jean Vineyard
Divorce	Nov 1971	Charleston, Kanawha, West Virginia, United Statesfrom Lois Jean Vineyard
Marriage	2 Apr 1976	Las Vegas, Clark, Nevada, United Statesto Marjorie Elinor Welling
Death`^?`	16 Jan 2015	Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas, United States
Burial`^?`	2015	Waterloo, Black Hawk, Iowa, United Statescremated

Donald was born in Waterloo, IA, raised in Manchester, IA with his parents and brother, John Gordon until the death of his father, Raymond in 1937. He then moved to McGregor, IA to finish the last two years of high school and lived with his Uncle Glade and Aunt Gean Butterfield. He graduated with the class of 1939. His mother, Zola Butterfield had moved to West Virginia to teach (where she eventually remarried). She sent Donald to a private college in Missouri and he eventually moved to Montgomery, WVA where he continued his education. He wanted to become a lawyer.

He married 21 Dec 1941 in Cincinnati, OH to Elizabeth Jane Wriston, the first of Don's wives(7). They had two children: Elizabeth Betty Jane and Donald Raymond, Jr. They divorced about 1956.

Donald enlisted in the US Army Air Corps on 4 August 1944 to become a pilot. He was transferred to Maxwell Field in Alabama and earned his wings in May 1945. He was a 2nd LT and was discharged from US Army Air Corps 25 May 1945. The next day, 26 May 1945 he was transferred to the newly formed US Air Force. After the end WW II he was stationed in Germany during the war Criminal Trials and the Berlin Blockade Relief Program. He was assigned as an observer and liaison to the Nuremburg Trials, the International Military Tribunal in Germany. He was one of 57 witnesses to the execution by hanging of the German war criminals and spent 200 days at the trials. He was then assigned to the First US Military Tribunal at Dachau concentration camp where he assisted Brig. General Emil C. Keil, USAF who was the president of that court. He was photographed helping with the Berlin Blockade Relief Program where he flew "Clarence the Camel" to promote the program. (There are photo's of him and Clarence on the plane.) He worked with General Irvine for many years in aircraft and weapons systems procurement and he sent Donald to Harvard Business School through the AFA University Program where he received his Masters degree. There was a period of time when he was assigned to fly General Curtis LeMay (one of many fine military officers that he worked for) to all his meetings. He was relieved of that duty to be assigned as a fighter pilot in the Korean War. During the 1950's he was a Wing Commander of the B-36 Bomber Program based in Fort Worth, TX.

Major Donald Butterfield's final six years of service were as jet test pilot for Air Force Procurement at Edwards AFB, Palmdale, CA. He tested more than 70 models of aircraft manufactured by both American and foreign countries.

Don was a business consultant for various companies through the 1960's and 1970's in the financial and insurance industries.

His final wife, was Marjorie Elinor Welling. They married 2 Apr 1976 in Las Vegas, NV. She predeceased him 17 Jan 2011 in Los Angeles, CA.

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