D. M. Teel in the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News, June 4, 1930 (Source: newspapers.com)

D.M. (Dill Mervin) Teel landed three times at Tucson. He used only his initials and last name when he signed the Register. In various records I reviewed, he was cited as having the nicknames "Don" or "Dan."

His first two visits were on May 14 and May 22, 1930 in an American Eagle A-129 (S/N 569) he identified as NC552H. Based both times in Los Angeles, CA, on the 14th he carried as his sole passenger Mrs. D.M Teel (Jessie Mae, see below). They were eastbound from Yuma, AZ to El Paso, TX. Notification of their arrival and passage through Tucson was published in the Arizona Daily Star, May 15, 1930.

For his second visit on the 22nd, he was apparently solo.He stayed overnight at Tucson, and returned to Los Angeles the next day.

From an article in the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News, June 4, 1930, right, we find mention of that flight to El Paso Teel took with his wife just a couple of weeks earlier. Teel was a fairly new pilot with a new appointment as director of education of the American Air School. The same article apeared in The Time-Tribune, Beaver City, NB on June 19th.

As part of his duties as the new education director, he started immediately to drum up business for the school. A week later he offered, below, a free monthly magazine describing curriculum and flight instruction. The school used American Eagle aircraft for instruction.

D.M. Teel in the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News June 10, 1930 (Source: newspapers.com)

And two weeks later, below, he announced the beginning of a new ground school schedule.

D.M. Teel in the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News June 25, 1930 (Source: newspapers.com)

His third and final landing at Tucson was on August 21, 1931 in NC8337. Although he did not identify the make in the Register, his airplane was a Curtiss Robin C Special, S/N 210 (still registered with the FAA and flying out of Wichita, KS). He carried C. Lanier as his only passenger. Based in Los Angeles, they were westbound from Big Spring, TX.

Further to his business, below is an advertisement for American Aircraft Co., American Air School and American Airport that appeared in the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News, June 10, 1930.

Advertisement for American Aircraft Co., American Air School and American Airport in the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News June 10, 1930 (Source: newspapers.com)

Teel-Wirt Wedding, The Times-Tribune (Beaver City, NB), January 5, 1928 (Source: newspapers.com)

Teel was born in Rexford, Kansas on March 6, 1908 (although his WWII draft registration states 1906), making him either 22 or 24 years old when he assumed the education director position with American, and when we first saw him at Tucson.

In the 1920 U.S. Census, his father, Charles B. (1880-1970), was listed as a farmer. His mother was Clara E. (1883-1958), and Dill was listed as their only child, although other records suggest he had siblings that died in infancy. According to his obituary, below, Teel served and earned his wings in the U.S. Air Service circa 1927.

According to the The Times-Tribune (Beaver City, NB), January 5, 1928, left, Teel married Jessie Mae Wirt (1908-1978) from Norton, KS on New Year's Day.

Two years later, the 1930 Census, recorded in April that year, placed Teel and Jessie Mae in Los Angeles at 660 North Sweetzer Ave. He worked as a "pilot" for an "air express" company. She was a "stenographer" for an "air service." It was not clear for which company he or she worked.

Somewhere between the 1930 Census and May 2, 1934 the Teels had a falling out. From published marriage records at ancestry.com, Jessie married Howard B. Wallace on May 2nd in Los Angeles. The 1950 Census documents the Wallaces living in Los Angeles. He was the proprietor of a cafe; she was "keeping house." She died October 22, 1978.

Margaret Iona Jenkins (Source: ancestry.com)

Meantime, according to an article published when Teel was 84 years old (see below), during the 1930s Teel "barnstormed throughout Texas," worked for an oil drilling company in Oklahoma and performed aerial photography for a company in Texas. He also worked for the Rock Glycerine Company and at the Odessa Flying Service in Odessa, TX.

On November 20, 1933, he and Margaret Iona Jenkins, right, gave birth to Peggie Don Teel in Texas. I found no record of their marriage, but a divorce record from 1945 documented their divorce. Other online records for Margaret Iona and Peggie Don are complete. Margaret Iona died about two months before Teel, on August 8, 2002 at age 87.

Mildred Margaret Sobush (Source: ancestry.com)

Shortly after his divorce from Jenkins, on December 1, 1945 Teel married Mildred Margaret Sobush (1917-1972), left and below, in Montreal, Canada. A Canadian citizen, she remained so until applying for U.S. citizenship in 1967 while living in Palm Beach, FL. Her name appears in some records as Emilia Margaret Teel, but it was written as Mildred on her application for naturalization.

According to the same article published when Teel was 84 (see below), during WWII Teel flew for the Royal Air Force Ferry Command. Although I found no details about his service, he appears below in a wedding photograph wearing R.A.F. wings and what appear to be Squadron Leader or Wing Commander stripes.

Sobush/Teel Marriage, December 1, 1945 (Source: ancestry.com)

Five years later, the 1950 Census placed the Teels living in New York City where his occupation was recorded as part owner of an "Oil-fuel-burner factory." She was "Keeping House." Later in the 1950s he flew for the U.S. Steel Corporation (see article below). Mildred jMargaret, his second (third?) wife, passed away May 16, 1972.

About two years after Mildred Margaret.'s passing he was retired and, on June 29, 1974, Teel married Mildred Rita (Dankyo) Bruton (1923-2001) in Palm Beach. Twenty years later, the article below documented Teel's induction into the OX5 Aviation Pioneers Hall of fame and provided some biographical background. Mildred Rita is cited in the last paragraph.

Palm Beach Daily News, February 20, 1994 (Source: newspapers.com)

Teel enjoyed about 30 years of retirement and flew West October 2, 2002 at age 94, placing him among the handful of other Register pilots to see the 21st century. According to records at ancestry.com, he passed away in Palm Beach, Florida. His obituary from October 7th is below.

Palm Beach Daily News, October 7, 2002 (Source: newspapers.com)

Teel Grave Marker (Source: findagrave.com)

His grave marker is at right. From the dates engraved on the stone, the "Mildred" interred next to him was Mildred Margaret Sobush, his second (?) wife.

An obscure reference to a "DM Teel" is made in an online database of early aircraft registration numbers. He was listed as 6th owner in the chain of custody of the Ford Timotor NC5809 (not a Register airplane). From the data, it was not possible to determine a date or location for his ownerhip. However, he owned it before Saturday June 14, 1941, because on that date it crashed on landing and was damaged beyond repair.

Teel also landed once at Peterson Field, Colorado Springs, CO in June 1937. He flew a Beechcraft C17B he identified as NC15848.

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Dossier: 2.1.32

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