Floyd McRae Jr. Collection
Scope and Contents
Collection contains records of the relationship between McRae and Eddie Rickenbacker from 1941 to 1972, beginning with the event of Rickenbacker's plane crash in Atlanta and ending with McRae's death. All of the material relates to Rickenbacker in some way. It includes photos, correspondence, medical records, published newspaper and magazine articles, and some corporate documents.
Dates
- Creation: 1941 - 1970
Creator
- McRae, Floyd, Jr. (Person)
- Rickenbacker, Eddie, 1890-1973 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Biographical / Historical
Dr. Floyd McRae Jr. (1889-1972) was a prominent physician in Atlanta, GA. He was the son of Floyd McRae Sr., another important doctor in the city's history. The younger McRae was the chief of surgery at Piedmont Hospital, and an active civic booster. He led the team that attended to Eastern Airlines president, Eddie Rickenbacker, and his crew when their plane crashed in Atlanta in February, 1941. This began a lifelong friendship between the two men. After leaving the hospital in 1941, Rickenbacker donated money to found the Rickenbacker Blood Bank the following year. McRae oversaw the blood bank and also became a shareholder in Eastern Airlines. Likewise, McRae involved Rickenbacker in the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. McRae died in 1972 and his daughter-in-law donated this collection (with the help of Auburn University History Department professor Dr. David Lewis) to Auburn University in 2007.
Full Extent
.5 Cubic Feet (1 doc box)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This finding aid is organized by accessions. Each accession represents an addition to the collection. Each accession also represents a transfer of physical and legal custody of archival materials from the donor(s) to Auburn University Special Collections and Archives.
Processing Information
Accession 07-011 processed by Michael K. Law, 2007. Finding aid entered into ArchivesSpace by Shelby Strozier, 2024. Finding Aid edited by Abbott Kleiner 7/2026.
- Title
- Guide to the Floyd McRae Jr. Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Subtitle
- Record Group #1010
- Author
- Michael K. Law
- Date
- November 2007
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Auburn University Special Collections and Archives Repository
Auburn University
Ralph Brown Draughon Library
231 Mell Street
Auburn Alabama 36849
334-844-1732
archives@auburn.edu
