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Col. C.B."Burt" Cosgrove, a member of a pioneer New Mexico family and one of the state's first aviators, died Saturday, August 7, 1999. He was 93. Cosgrove attended NMMI and graduated from the University of Arizona in 1925 with a degree in archaeology. He supervised excavations and restorations at Casa Grande National Monument and the Petrified Forest in Arizona before giving up a notable career in archaeology to pursue his love of flying. After beginning active duty with the U.S. Army Air Corps in the mid-1930s, Cosgrove piloted the experimental B-17 bomber and worked with Gen."Gene" Eubank to organize the famed 19th Bombardment Group which trained at Kirtland Field in the early years of WW II. In 1941 he set up a bomber squadron to protect the American Philippine Islands and was at Clark Field when it was bombed on Pearl Harbor Day. Later in WWII Colonel Cosgrove was stationed at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., where he helped recruit many of the scientists and military officers who worked on the atomic bomb project. In recognition of leadership in combat, Cosgrove was awarded the Silver Star, one of the nation's highest military commendations. He retired from the USAF in 1956 ending a distinguished military career. In retirement, the Cosgroves settled in Albuquerque, in part because New Mexico had been a family home since the 1860s. Cosgrove continued to travel throughout his retirement years, returning twice to China and traveling to Tibet in 1983, where he had not been allowed access in 1931-32 when he lived in Peking. He is survived by his son, retired Judge Burt Cosgrove. A memorial service will be held Tuesday, August 17, at 10:00 a.m., at the Kirtland Air Base Chapel, located on the base at 1950 Second Street. Civilians attending the service should enter the base at the Gibson Avenue gate.
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