Neil Lyon King & Joan Sunderland King Collection

Neil Lyon King (1910-1983) was born in Greeley, Colorado, on September 1, 1910, but was raised in and became a life-long resident of Denver. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces on February 11, 1942, at Lowry Field in Denver. In February 1943, he was assigned to the 93rd AAF CTD as Adjutant and Personnel Officer. He assumed command of the 93rd in March 1944 and served in that role until June 1944. During that time, he compiled a written history of the 93rd CTD along with numerous photographs. Following overseas service in the Pacific, he was discharged on April 22, 1946, at the rank of Captain and served as a Reserve Officer until May 1955. He worked for more than 50 years in the banking industry in Denver, retiring in 1975. He married Joan Sunderland while stationed in Spearfish. They had two children and one grandchild

Homer Irwin "Pete" Lewis (1919-2015) was born in Asheville, North Carolina, on February 1, 1919. He attended Culver Military Academy in Indiana, graduating in 1938. After a year at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, he resigned and entered the University of Texas. In December 1940, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Reserve Infantry. In July 1941 he entered active military duty and in February 1943 he was assigned as Commanding Officer of the 93rd AAF CTD. His service in Spearfish continued until he was transferred in March 1944. Following overseas service in Europe, he remained in the Air Force until 1975, retiring as a Major General.

Joan Sunderland King (1923-1996) was born on April 18, 1923, and raised in Spearfish, South Dakota. Her parents were John and Edith Sunderland, who had emigrated to America from their native Yorkshire, England, prior to her birth. Her father owned Sunderland Meats on Main Street in Spearfish. She graduated from Spearfish High School in 1941 and on July 2, 1944, she married Neil Lyon King in All Angels Church in Spearfish. Upon his return from overseas service in 1946, they returned to Denver. They had two children and one grandchild. She was active in numerous civic and social organizations and activities.

Terry Neil King, son of Neil Lyon King and Joan Sunderland King, was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. As a student of history and genealogy, while learning more about his about his Spearfish roots, he became interested in his late father's military records and photographs. While researching the 93rd AAF CTD, he was able to locate Homer Lewis in 2012 who indicated he still had the flag of the 93rd. In 2015, following Lewis’s death, King was able to obtain the flag and, along with his father’s records and photographs, these historical items were donated to Black Hills State University’s Case Library in 2019.