A Bit Of History & A Reunion At Palm Springs Air Museum February 4th 2023
On Saturday, February 4th 2023 at 10 a-m, the reunion of singer Roberta Linn and Triple ACE Fighter Pilot’s daughter will take place at the Palm Springs Air Museum, located at 745 N. Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Roberta Linn met Trish when she was a little girl. They met in Apple Valley on June 6, 1953, where Linn sang for the crowd. Trish’s father, Captain Joseph C. McConnell rose to national fame between January and May 1953, when he became the all-time highest-scoring jet ace in US History. After a meeting in the White House with President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Air Force sent McConnell on a nationwide publicity tour. The people of Apple Valley were so “appreciative” of McConnell’s service to the country, that they built him a house in Apple Valley, named it “Appreciation House” and donated it to him and his family.
Trish McConnell lives and works in Indio.
The Palm Springs Air Museum is a living history museum that contains over 75 vintage airframes from the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, (across the spectrum of Military Aviation, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the F-117 Stealth Fighter inside the new Jim Houston Pavilion,) to significant civilian aircraft like Clay Lacey’s Lear 24. Many of the aircraft are airworthy and fly regularly. The planes are housed inside 91,000 square feet of open hangars and on the tarmac at our ten-acre facility. Additional displays and memorabilia are located throughout the hangars. The Museum is open daily from 10 am until 5 PM. (Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas & Feb 18, 2023). Kids 12 and under get in free with paid adult admission. Warbird rides are also available. For more info, visit PalmSpringsAirMuseum.org or call 760-778-6262 during business hours.
U-S Air Force Captain Joseph McConnell in uniform, Roberta Linn, 2nd from left, and Trish McConnell, the girl standing in front of Robert Linn and looking to her left at her siblings. June 6th 1953 in Apple Valley CA.
Photo from Palm Springs CA Air Museum
