Collection is open for research.
Daniel Dionysius Grecco was born in San Jose, California, in 1896. In 1905, he moved with his family to Portland, Oregon, where, in 1912, he won first place in a model airplane competition held by the Meier & Frank department store. His first flight as a passenger was in 1913, and he piloted an airplane for the first time in 1915. During World War I, he worked as an airplane mechanic at Mathers Field in California. His made his first solo flight in 1918, and spent the next several years performing as a wing walker with Portland aviator Tex Rankin. He earned an aviation mechanic license in 1927, and worked for several aircraft companies and schools in the Pacific Northwest, including the Adcox Schools Incorporated. He also spent seven years in Alaska working with the U.S. Geological Survey. In 1968, the Federal Aviation Administration named Grecco "best aviation mechanic in the West," and in 1972, he was inducted into the aviation hall of fame.
Grecco married Genevieve A. Coffey in 1928, and they had one child. Grecco died in 1983.
Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by Grecco in his interview; "Danny Grecco to Boss Repair Work at Adcox School," Oregon Daily Janunary, February 7, 1932, Section 3, Page 6; "Air Mechanic Earns Title," Oregonian, March 12, 1968, Page 18; "Pioneer Portland Aviator Now in 'Hall of Fame,' " by Carla Cohen, Oregon Journal, October 5, 1972, Page 12; Grecco's obituary in the (Salem) Statesman Journal, October 17, 1983, Page 3B.
An incomplete transcript (19 pages) and summary (1 page) are available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Oral history interview with Daniel D. Grecco, by Lew Cook and Grace Montgomery, SR 9126, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
This oral history interview with Daniel D. Grecco was conducted by Lew Cook and Grace Montgomery on December 7, 1976, at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, as part of the oral history program at the society's research library. Charles Digregorio and an unidentified person were also present and occasionally contributed to the interview questions.
In this interview, Grecco watches films of early aviation held by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library, and discusses them. He tries to identify people, places, and airplanes that appear in the films. He also talks about repairing the Spirit of St. Louis during Charles Lindbergh's visit to Portland in 1927.
Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and the estate of Daniel D. Grecco. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted,