 Rhonie did the research for the mural herself and she worked on it between 1934 and 1938.When Rhonie found out that the hangar at Roosevelt Field was going to be destroyed in 1960, she obtained the rights to the mural and convinced Italian fresco expert, Leonetto Tintori, to come to the U.S. to help relocate the mural.After the mural was taken down, she helped restore the panels and then added 25 more portraits.