Canton's Pioneers in Flight

Showcasing Canton’s early aviation activities, ranging from the 1907 Aero Club to the development of the Akron-Canton Airport, this presentation is based on Kim Kenney's book Canton's Pioneers in Flight.

Presenter: Kimberly Kenney - Executive Director at the McKinley Museum

Kim Kenney graduated summa cum laude from Wells College in Aurora, NY with a major in American history and minor in creative writing. She earned her Master of Arts degree in History Museum Studies at the Cooperstown Graduate Program. Kim became Curator of the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum in October 2001 and was promoted to Executive Director in 2019.

She is the author of eight books, including Stark County Food: From Early Farming to Modern Meals (with co-author Barb Abbott of Canton Food Tours) and Murder in Stark County. Her ninth book, Exploring the American Presidency through 50 Historic Treasures, is forthcoming in 2022. Her work has appeared in The Public Historian, the journal of the National Council for Public History; White House History, the journal of the White House Historical Association; The Repository; The Boston Globe; Aviation History; and the literary magazine Mused.

Kim has appeared on The Daily Show, First Ladies: Influence & Images, and Mysteries at the Museum. Her program “The 1918 Influenza Pandemic” was featured on C-SPAN’s series American History TV. She is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Mount Union, where she received the Jane Weston Chapman Award for her dedication to women’s history programming.