ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
A love of aviation and the military are not just in the blood of Lewis Armstrong. They are both lifelong passions.
Born Sept. 6, 1925, in Liberal as the fifth of six children, Armstrong, like many in his generation, left high school at age 17 to serve his country in World War II.
Armstrong joined the Army Air Force and became a tail gunner on a B-24 Liberator in the Fifth Air Force, flying missions in the Pacific Theater.
Armstrong would complete his high school education upon returning to Liberal before going on to study at Oklahoma State College and Emporia State Teachers College, where he met his wife of more than 70 years, Vivian.
Armstrong completed his doctorate of optometry at Northern Illinois College of Optometry, as Vivian worked to support his studies.
Armstrong returned to Liberal to start his practice as an optometrist, and along with his work, he loved to learn and had many hobbies throughout his life. It is in Liberal where the couple raised two children, Bettina and Brett.
Prior to enlisting in the military, Armstrong operated a ham radio at age 16 and continued this through most of his life, traveling the country to ham radio events with a portable radio and antenna in his van for use when traveling.
Armstrong’s love of aviation is shown in his many years spent building and refurbishing small aircraft from his own hangar at the Liberal airport.
He likewise completely built an experimental aircraft that is now housed at the Mid-America Air Museum in Liberal, and for many years, he traveled to the Experimental Aircraft Association convention in Oshkosh, Wisc. These trips proved to be a highlight of the year for him.
Armstrong’s hobbies, though, extended beyond aviation and military. In the early 1960s, he decided to learn to paint and set up an art studio in his basement.
Initially, he worked in oil paints, but watercolor became his preferred medium. He exhibited his work throughout the community and studied with many different teachers, and he was honored to have a retrospective of his watercolors at MAAM late in his life.
Even after retiring from optometry at age 65, his love of learning to continue, as he began seriously studying math in hopes of completing an education in electrical engineering.
However, he was unable to finish this goal, but it is still indicative of his desire to continue learning. His cross country travels would continue in his van to visit family and attend radio, airplane and art events.
In 2010, Armstrong was able to visit the WWII Memorial in Washington, a site that holds deep meaning for him and so many of his generation, and for five years, he volunteered to drive veterans to the veterans hospital in Amarillo, Texas. He also served as a member of American Legion Post No. 80 in Liberal.
“Though Vivian passed away in 2022, Lewis continues to inspire all who know him with his intellectual curiosity, quiet determination and deep love of country,” his son, Brad, said Saturday at a celebration of Armstrong’s 100th birthday. “He is the very embodiment of the Greatest Generation.”
Armstrong currently resides at Good Samaritan Society in Liberal.
