From the Eyes of a Docent

August 11, 2026

In my 16 years at NEAM, I have had numerous experiences with visitors to the museum.

From meeting a Tuskegee Airman just before Veterans Day, to meeting the granddaughters of Howard Bunce, to meeting the grandson of one of the airmen that flew on Jack’s Hack in WWII. My most recent experience came last week, when a young woman arrived with her nephew as I was manning the entrance to our Sikorsky HH52A Seaguard Helicopter.

Mallory Spencer walked up to me with her 7-year-old nephew, Percival, in tow. She said to him, “Tell him what your name is,” to which he replied “My name is Percival Spencer”.

I immediately recognized the name as the designer of the Republic RC-3 Sea Bee aircraft.

Mallory says to me, “His favorite aircraft is the SeaBee, you have one here right?” I said, “Yes, but it is in storage now, And Storage is not open today.” I continued, “Storage is open on Tuesday and Thursday when the restoration team works and also on the weekends.” She said, “That is ok, we will have to make another visit.”

Little did I know then that the next visit was going to be last Thursday. I had just arrived at the Restoration Hangar when I was told that I had some visitors in the front lobby. I left restoration and walked towards the lobby and when I got to the helicopter display in the Military Hangar, there was Mallory, Percival, Percival’s mom, Courtney, and his uncle, Andrew. I was introduced to them all, and we immediately headed toward the storage hangar with energetic Percival right on my heels. As we walk, Courtney proceeds to tell me that Colin, Percival’s dad, had worked on the restoration of the NEAM Electra 10 when he was in high school. He also joined the Coast Guard in 2004. Then, Colin and Courtney were married in NEAM standing in front of the Electra in September 2014. The next fact that Courtney stated was the real eye opener for me understanding this family connection to the SeaBee.

The designer of this aircraft was Percival H Spencer - the great, great cousin of Colin. When Courtney and Colin had a baby in 2018, Colin said no doubt, being the great, great, great cousin of Percival H, they had to name their new baby boy, Percival. And the circle is now complete - design of the RC-3 by Percival H in 1945-46, to his great, great, great cousin Percival Francis, 7 years old and visiting that aircraft now owned and in storage at the New England Air Museum.

- Keith Lindstrom, NEAM Volunteer