About Collett E. Woolman
Collett Everman Woolman (October 8, 1889 – September 11, 1966), commonly known as "C.E.", was an American airline entrepreneur best known as the principal founder and first CEO of Delta Air Lines. == Biography == Woolman was born in Bloomington, Indiana, but grew up in Urbana, Illinois, where he attended high school. Between college semesters in 1909, Woolman attended the world's first aviation meet in Rheims, France, where his passion for aviation began. He graduated from the University of Illinois, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in agriculture. Woolman married Helen H. Fairfield in 1916 with whom he had two daughters. By 1920, they had moved to Monroe in northeastern Louisiana. === Early career === Shortly after graduating from college, Woolman became an Agricultural Extension Agent at Louisiana State University. At the time, the Southern United States was battling a cotton-destroying pest, the boll weevil. Woolman observed the work of entomologist B.R. Coad, at the United States Department of Agriculture lab in Tallulah, Louisiana. Coad and his team used airplanes and pilots on loan from the Army to develop improved methods of applying calcium arsenate to rid cotton plants of boll weevils.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.