It was Dec. 17, 1903, when Orville and Wilbur Wright flew 120 feet in 12 seconds. This was the first powered flight recorded. Until this time flying was accomplished through gliders and balloons. World War I brought about many improvements to the field of aviation, but flying was still more of an oddity than a mainstream event. The first airplane to land in Rochelle was on July 3, 1918. Fred Gardner flew a plane from Rantoul, Illinois to Rochelle, spotted a fairly level field and landed safely.  

It was in 1943 that Henry C. Brown rented farmland from Elmer Linsey on Illinois Route 38 west of Rochelle for the purpose of creating an airfield. Henry had taken flying lessons in Dixon and had received his commercial pilot’s license; he was still working toward his instructor certification. With permission from the landowners Henry constructed two grass airstrips, a hangar, fuel tank and a small office on the farm. With the purchase of a Piper Cub Mr. Brown was in the airport business. Flying lessons, charter flights and airplane rides were now available. 

By 1945 Henry had outgrown his small airfield. He searched for and secured about 63 acres of land from Fred and Ione Bushnell south of Rochelle near Illinois Route 251. Rochelle Airport Incorporated was formed in 1946 with directors John Tilton, Fred Bushnell and Henry C. Brown. The initial fleet was two J-23 Piper Cubs with 65 Continental engines. 

As the airport grew, Mr. Brown hired a mechanic and second pilot. Henry (Hank) Marks was a World War II Army Air Corp veteran. Hank had an A&P Aviation Mechanical Certification which allowed him to work on the airframe and power plant of fixed wing aircraft. He was also a licensed pilot with flying experience as the co-pilot of B-17 bombers. Hired in 1946 Hank came with a wife, Alice, and young son, Michael. The Marks family lived in a one-room cabin at the southeast corner of the airfield. 

In 1946 Aleen Heltness and Mary Lou Cothern became the first women to hold a pilot license and own their own plane in Ogle County. They were trained and flew out of the Rochelle Airport.

Things were going well for Mr. Brown. By 1947 he had established runways, built 15 T-hangars, erected an administration building with offices, a snack bar and living quarters. He also had purchased five more planes. The airport was doing so well that Henry Brown offered pilot training classes, passenger rides, charters, and even sponsored a bowling team. Mr. Brown was ready to expand his business with the addition of a roller-skating rink and a fried chicken restaurant. The foundation was excavated, footings were poured, and concrete blocks delivered when disaster struck. 

Rochelle was hit by a severe windstorm. The airport suffered extensive damage. All of the T-hangars, Brown’s seven planes, and most of his customers’ aircraft were destroyed. The financial loss was devastating. The skating rink and restaurant plans were abandoned with the focus being to save the airport. Hank Marks stayed on and worked to help with the salvage and resurrection of the business. The corporation was unable to pay Hank, so he was deeded a portion of the unused land near the southeast corner of the airport. The Marks family was delighted with the deal and moved the cabin to their property. They later built a home and garage on the land. The cabin became Alice’s “she shed” where she enjoyed her passion for art. 

The Rochelle Airport was rebuilt and by 1948 R.M. Sage and Tarz Heath were running a small lunchroom and snack bar at the airfield.  Tarz Heath died in an airplane crash and his sister Joyce took over the lunchroom with her husband. Oswin (Duke) and Joyce Semmler added a jewelry store, the Skyway Jewelry and Gift Shoppe. 

Henry Brown retired from the airport and the property passed through the hands of Nealy Harris, Ralph Quest and Laverne Schultz. In 1959 Laverne changed the name of the airfield from Rochelle Field to Schultz field. Schultz field suffered a large fire in 1960. The administration building, Skyway Jewelry store, and two planes were lost. The $50,000 loss was enough to again put financial pressure on the owners of the airport. The Schultz family donated the airport to the City of Rochelle in 1963. 

After the airport fell under the control of the city, changes came quickly. The first major improvement was to replace the turf runways with Bituminous (asphalt) runways. Structures were upgraded, and runways were added and extended. The airfield has become an integral part of the city’s core services. In 1991 the Rochelle Airport was renamed Koritz Field in honor of Major Thomas F. Koritz, an Air Force surgeon shot down during the Persian Gulf War. Major Koritz was raised in Rochelle and initially learned to fly at the Rochelle Airport. 

There are times when I have to dig for hours to patch together, bit by bit, enough information to produce one of these bits of local history. Thanks to the work of Janet Brown and Melissa (Marks) Van Drew, most of my research was completed before I even considered this story. Many thanks.

Tom McDermott is a Flagg Township Museum historian and Rochelle city councilman.