James E. Plew (July 3, 1862[1] – April 16, 1938)[2] was a successful Chicago businessman whose early interest in the development of aviation eventually led him to acquire the initial leasehold in 1934 on the Valparaiso, Florida property that would evolve into Eglin Air Force Base.
[5] By 1910, he operated a Curtiss machine out of a small flying field at 65th Street and Major Avenue in the Clearing Industrial District just south of where Midway Airport now stands.
While trying to qualify for his pilot's license on July 13, 1911, Dan Kreamer put the plane into a sharp turn at one hundred feet and spun into the ground at 7:18 p.m.
"[11][12] Plew briefly employed the Loughead half brothers, Victor and Allan, to work on two of his aircraft during which time both joined the Aero Club.
This leasehold became the headquarters for the Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base activated on June 14, 1935, under the command of Captain Arnold H. Rich.
[22] A plaque was mounted on one of the stone plinths at the East Gate of Eglin Field, commemorating Plew's part in the founding of the installation.
The inscription of the plaque, unveiled on Decoration Day 1939, read: "In memory of James E. Plew, 1862-1938, whose patriotism and generosity made this field possible.
"[23] This has disappeared over time, as have the stone gates, with further growth of the base, which the Okaloosa News-Journal correctly predicted "will be greatly expanded in the near future" in the front page story about Plew's death.
A Defense Housing Project at Eglin Field for civilian and military personnel, erected between May and October 1941 by the Paul A. Miller Construction Company of Leesburg, Florida, at a cost of approximately $800,000, was named Plew Heights in honor of the developer.