We received the following press release--RL Book Salutes Canada's Air Force Medical Branch A new book which highlights the contributions of members of Canada’s Air Force Medical Branch over the past 60 years - including development of the anti-gravity flight suit worn by today’s fighter pilots - has been written and published by Ottawa, Ontario writer Harold Wright. The 306-page self-published book profiles 76 men and women from across Canada, who during and after World War II worked as doctors, administrators, flight crew, pharmacists, nurses and technicians.  Many were responsible for designing and inventing equipment and procedures which helped air crew overcome the challenges of faster airplanes and higher altitudes. Some were recognized for their work with prestigious awards such as the Order of the British Empire.  Others received the Order of Canada. Among those profiled in the book are: Group Captain Wilbur Franks of Toronto, who invented the Franks anti-gravity suit and later had a building in Winnipeg named after him; Major General Wendy Clay of Ottawa, the first female air force pilot, flight surgeon and Surgeon General of the Canadian Forces; Wing Commander Nig Coons of Hamilton, who worked with NASA and was monitoring the health of the three astronauts who died in a fire on the Apollo 1 launch pad; Captain Wilhelmina de Groot of Collingwood, a female doctor who survived the crash of a Hercules aircraft in the Arctic and while with a broken foot, took care of several injured passengers and crew; Group Captain Jack Wickett, a native of Lethbridge, Alberta, who was shot down by the Germans and later escaped. After the war, many of those in the book served their country as members of the Armed Forces and in the private sector, including Sandy Watson, an ophthalmologist who founded the Eye Institute in Ottawa, Chester B. Stewart, of Norboro, Prince Edward Island, who became Dean of Medicine at Dalhousie University in Halifax and G/C Ed Hall, who became the Dean of Medicine at the University of Western Ontario and was president of the university for 16 years. The book will be of interest to military historians, war veterans, air museums, libraries, and anyone researching events surrounding World War II.  Mr. Wright, who served in the Armed Forces from 1942 to 1975 and was associated with health care activities for another 22 years, is resident of South Ottawa.  The book, which includes 92 photos, sells for $28.75. For more information, contact: Harold Wright, Ottawa, (613) 731-8453 - Email: E-mail Back to 1st Quarter 2000 List of News Items Back to Master List of News Items Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by Coalition Web, Inc. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com