History
- For the World War II use, see: Alachua Army Airfield
Construction of the airport began in April 1940 as a Works Project Administration project. In 1941 initial construction was completed. Upon conclusion of the construction by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the facility was known as the Alachua Army Airfield and was used by the Army Air Corps and the Army Air Forces.
At the end of the war, the airfield was declared surplus in September 1945 and turned over to the Army Corps of Engineers on October 1, 1946. The War Assets Administration deeded the facility to the city of Gainesville in 1948 as a civil airport. At that time, the field was known as the John R. Alison Airport and also as the Gainesville Municipal Airport. The city operated, maintained, and improved the airport over the years as the Gainesville Municipal Airport.
In order to recognize the role the airport carries in meeting the regional demands for aviation services, the airport was renamed the Gainesville Regional Airport in October 1977. The airline passenger terminal was dedicated to John R. Alison in 1979.
In 1986, the State Legislature passed a bill that established the Airport as the Gainesville-Alachua County Regional Airport Authority. The Airport Authority, which consists of nine board members, five selected by the City of Gainesville, three by the Governor and one by Alachua County, continues to oversee the Airport to date.
On October 31, 2004, Gainesville Regional Airport hosted Air Force One during George W. Bush's re-election campaign. 17,000 people attended the event.
Read more about this topic: Gainesville Regional Airport
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—Adrienne Rich (b. 1929)