Integrated Learning-Living Communities

Unlike the Wright Company, which ceased production and was never a major employer in the region, WACO (pronounced ‘wok-oh’) — the Weaver Aircraft Company — made gliders and airplanes well into the 1940s in Troy, Ohio, losing ground when the federal government awarded the military contracts for airplanes to the ancestor of Boeing. But WACO provided gliders to the D-Day forces, and morphed into a more versatile firm, producing log-splitters and heat/sun lamps as well as gliders.

At its height, WACO employed over 1,200  and was sought after by other cities, notably Springfield. Its employment history is also worthy of note. Married (men) were paid more than single (men), rationalized by the argument (used later again against women) that the latter were not ‘supporting families.’