Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame
Enshrined 2012
Arthur Van Haren, Jr. was born into a pioneer Arizona family of Mexican American descent in Superior, Arizona on April 9, 1920. He attended the University of Arizona where he played both football and baseball. In June 1941, during his third year of college, he entered the United States Navy for training as a Naval Aviator.
After graduating from pilot training in early 1942 he spent a year as a flight instructor at Jacksonville before being assigned to Fighter Squadron 2 for combat duty in the Pacific. This squadron flew combat missions off the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise beginning in November 1943.
