The life of Albert Ulysses Rupel came to an abrupt end five shorts days after a rusty nail penetrated his foot. Because of this unfortunate event, today, Albert’s name is little more than a footnote in the annals of aviation history.
In 1903, news of the Wright brother’s successful flight at Kitty Hawk reached rural Jay County, Indiana where Albert lived and worked. A year later, inspired by the success of the Wright brothers, Albert had built and tested his own version of a glider. Pulled behind both a car and a team of horses, Albert’s glider successfully cleared the treetops and landed safely in October of 1904. His brother, Ernest, wrote of the event in 1958.
At some point, Albert must have realized that a glider tethered to a car or horses was impractical. A proper glider needed its own source of power. Having successfully built engines that powered mechanical devices such as a washing machine and a churn, Albert set out the next year to add a gasoline-powered engine and propellers to his glider.
Fate, however, was unkind to Albert. Lockjaw, caused by the rusty nail, robbed him of the opportunity of ever seeing his new and improved glider take flight. His promising career ended August 21, 1905 when he died at the young age of 25.
It’s worth noting that Albert’s formal education ended at grade school as the small town where he grew up didn’t have enough students to justify the cost of a high school.
I’d like to think that somewhere hiding in my DNA rests a smidgeon of the same ingenuity trait that enabled Albert to achieve as much as he did at such a young age and without the benefit of an advanced education – even if it did only land him in the footnotes. I can say with certainty, however, that I’ll never step foot on a airplane again without thinking about my cousin Albert and what might have been.
Kenfolk: Utlauts
Relation: 5th cousin, 2x removed
Common ancestors: Albert’s 5th great grandparents, John and Ann (Jones) Chamness, are my 7th great grandparents
References:
Death Comes When Success Appears Near. (1905, August 21). The Indianapolis News, p. 1.
Henson, Z. (ed.) (1922). History and Genealogy of the American Descendants of John and Ann Chamness of London, England. n. p., pp. 40-41.
Rupel, E. (1958) Recollections of Albert Rupel’s “Flying Machine”. Indiana Magazine of History, 54 (4), pp. 391-394.
http://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/imh/article/view/8650
I just found this in a Google search. I am a descendand of Albert. My grabdfathrr, Isaac C. Rupel was his brother! I have always loved this facet of our history & totally excited to read this article.
lived just a few hundred yards south of the Rupel farm in Jay County, Indiana in 1944/1945. Our big barn was almost directly west of the Steed field airport. As a small boy off six I used to climb into the hayloft and sit on the open door sill to watch the airplanes. It may have only been 30 feet off the ground, but since it was lined up with runway 09/27, I could see how the crosswind could affect their ground track and landing. Now and then the instructors would simulate an engine failure and if that happened after takeoff on runway 27 the student often glided down to a hayfield just a few hundred feet north of my seat. This would have been less that 1/4 mile from the Rupert farm. By 1957 I was taking flying lessons and in 1958 I joined the USAF and was selected for Flight training as an Aviation Cadet! My parent were amazed that the USAF let me fly a T-33 Jet, when they were reluctant to let me drive their Buick! During the Cuban Missile Crisis I was on Nuclear alert in the Big B-47. In later years I was in Instructor in at least 4 Jet aircraft. I flew the F-100 in Viet Nam, but my best assignment was in the U-2 airplane. If one drew a 100 mile circle around the Rice farm on the map, It would include the home of the Wright Brothers, Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Gus Grissom and Wright/Patterson AFB!
Hi, Richard. Thank you for sharing your amazing story. Perhaps your parents were concerned you’d have made their Buick take flight! I am sure they were very proud of your accomplishments.
Ken