WJlSP

NEWSLETTER
VOL. XII

Editor

**BEYOND FAR HORIZONS**

June 19, 1976 a floral arrangement was sent to
Jacqueline Cochran on the death of her husband,
Floyd Odium, with this message: "Our thoughts
and deepest sympathies are with you at this sad
time. The WASPs mourn the passing of one of their
their staunchest friends. Signed: All Your WASPs."
FINANCIER

ODLUM DIES

INDIO (UPI) - Financier Floyd Odium, whose

talent for reviving moribund businesses made him
a multimillionaire in the depression when other
rich men were going broke, died Thursday at his
ranch at age 84.
OdIum was the husband of Jacqueline Cochran,
famous woman flier of the 1930s and head of the
WASPS, the women pilots who flew noncombat
planes in World War II.
He was best
the giant Atlas
bracing scores
movie studios,
public utilities,

known as the driving force behind

Corporation, a conglomerate emof investment companies, Hollywood
railroad and aviation companies,
manufacturing and real esta teo

His special talent, which came to the fore in the

economic collapse of the 1930s, was the ability to
detect firms which had "bottomed out," their
value sunk to its low point, but could be revived.
(Article above printed in The Modesto Bee,
Modesto, Calif. on Friday, June 18, 1976)
"THE PREZ SEZ"
My thanks go to all members of the Executive
Board, all the Committees, Class Secretaries and
many others who have been hard at work during
the last year. It looks as if the large majority
really do want to see our organization remain
active. Many fault the fact that our reunions are
too short for the amount of money each girl has
to spend for this function. If we could combine a
vacation with the reunion. with a low key on busiiness meetings, this might be ideal. Some have sug-

- Betty Cross

AUGUST

1976

gested a week or so abroad since there are many inexpensive all-inclusive tours being offered. Sara
Hayden, 22 Stadium Road, Methuen, Ma. 01844
will be assembling information for future reunions
so please send her your suggestions and
comments. See all of you in Hot Springs!
MARTY WYALL, Historian
Prior to 1943, Marty Wyall had been in an airplane only twice. She had already decided to join
the WASP military program, but had to wait until
she graduated from DePauw University in the
spring of '43. She worked at the Eli Lily Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory in Indianapolis, and
learned to fly in her spare time. When she had logged 50 hours she applied and was accepted into the
the WASP Class of 44-1 O. Since then, flying has
been one of her main interests.
She is married to Gene Wyall, and is mother
of four boys and Martha. Her second oldest
son, Sandy is now rated in Boeing 727's and
is making aviation his career. Gene is a construction engineer and they live on a 120 acre
. farm near to Baer Field, Ft. Wayne, Ind. On
the IFR chart it is at Robin Intersection on the
Rwy. 9 approach.
When the Order of Fifinella became a forgotten organization after the first years of its
inception, Marty wrote to several 99's to see
if a WASP Banq uet could be arranged before
the official opening of the Internation Convention of the Ninety-Nines at Cincinnati,
Ohio in 1964. Eighty-one WASPs and guests
attended. Jacqueline Cochran and Dora Dougherty were the main speakers. Another reunion
was planned to be held in 1969 and Marty was
appointed secretary. Since 1969, Order of
Fifinella has gained momentum and is again
a lively organization with the WASP Reunions
becoming wonderful opportunities to see and
reminisce with "the greatest women pilots"
of World War II.

PROFILES
on
NEW
OFFICERS
VICEPRES.* SARA
PAYNE
HAYDEN
22 Stadium Road
Methuen, Mass. 01844
Sara was working in Charlotte, N.C.
when she saw a newsreel on the WASP,
and decided that was what she wanted to
be - a pilot and a WASP. So off to the
first flying lesson, and a year to get
in enough flying time and gain 10 Ibs.
to make it into last class.
After deactivation she obtained her Flt. Instructor I s rating and did instructing
and commercial flying, charter and
ferrying for several years.
Continued
this part time while working as secty.
and cotton records keeper for a cotton
company. Received her commissionin
the USAFR
in 1949 and was involuntarily
called to active duty in 1951. Served
two years as WAC/WAF
recruiting officer
in Shreveport, Charlotte and Nashville,
finding some station commandersnot sure
their officers should be flying parachute jumpers in air shows on Sundays,
or aerial photographers old style in
cubs with the door off. While in Nashville met and married husband Frank.
Weownedthree different planes, but
sold the Cessna 172 whenwe built our
ownMedical Center in 1963. Being
office manager and bookkeeper for busy
doctor-husband makes renting a plane
more practical,
and had to bid a sad
farewell to hard earned Flt. Instructor's
rating several years ago. Is a Life
Memberof MethuenWomen'sPost 417, The
American Legion, and presently Post Adj.
Served as Class 44-10 Secty. fram Cincinnati to Reno. Still flying.
MILITARIZATION
Wm.Bruce Arnold
1625 Eye St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006
SENATE
mIJ, S1345: In spite of the
special mailing we sent out and the
resulting letters that 11m sure all of
the WASP
s and their friends wrote,
there still has been no congressional.

action on militarization
of the WASPs.
OnMarch 11th, Col. WIn. Bruce Arnold
informs that as time gets closer to adjournment, chances of a hearing on this
bill becameless.
I would like to
stress that we are asking for a hearing
on this bill rather than to have the
Committeevote on the recommendations
of the Veterans' Administration because
the V.A. strongly oppose any action
favorable to us. As a last chance action on this bill, Senator Goldwater
attempted to make a deal with Senator
Hartke by having the WASP
bill appear
as an admendmentto one of Hartke's
special and private bills in which he
had great interest.
This ploy failed
in that Hartke refused, but Hartke's
bill was voted downin Conmrl.tteeanyway. This is the last action we got
out of the 94th Congress, but we will
commenceagain in the 95th Congress
with a new bill number. If we are
lucky, Vance Hartke may not return in
January. There is more at stake here
than a handful of benefits for a few of
the WASPs. Weare going unrecognized;
statements by the Air Force are intimating that the womenofficers who are
eligible to apply for active flight
training this fall are the "first" women to fly for the Air Force. I, for
one would like to see thi s point clarifi~d and passage of Senate Bill S1345
would do this.
Vance Hartke is chairman of the Committee on Veterans I Affairs and committee membersare:
HermanE. Talmadge,~.
Jennings Randolph, W.Va. Alan Cranston, Calif.
Richard (Dick) Stone, Fla. John A.
Durld.n N.H. Clifford P. Hansen, Wyo.
Strom ThUrmond,s.c. Robert T. Stafford, Vt.
Whatwould be helpful from you would
be a written plea to any of these men
in a ca.1JD., civilized tone pointing out
any of these items:
(1) we served o~
country in time of need; (2) the maJority of us were from a "working class"
who gave up good paYing jobs to enter
WASP
training;
(3) we had expected to
be militarized;
(4) we wanted to be
militarized to serve our country in
time of war; (5) the Air Corps wanted
us to be militarized and tried to get

~
I

the militarization
bill. of 1944 through
Congrees; (6) we now seek somepublic
recognition for what we did in WWII;
(7) mention the type of flying you did
after graduation during WASP
days.
Please do not write demandingor angry
notes since this works against us.
(Personal note: From my correspondences with Vance Hartke, Chairman, he
seems to have already made up his mind
to vote against this bill.
Those in
Indiana rememberthat a vote against
Vance Hartke is a vote for the WASPs.
By the sametoken, Strom Thurmond
seems to be all for us.)
AWARDS
COMMITTEE

AnnAtkei son, Cha:1.rman

3848 W. Biddison
Fort Worth, Texas 76109
Guidelines for proposing a recipient of
the Order of Fifinella.
1. The Awardis given in recognition
of a significant contribution made
to the WASP
program, the Order of
Fifinella or to the world of aviation and aerospace.
2. The recipient may or may not be a
memberof the Order or have been a
WASP.
3. A single Awardis madeto a person
meritorious of the Awardat an
O.O.F. reunion. This does not imply that an Awardis gi van at every
reunion, but that it is given only
whenmerited and only at a reunion.
4. The Award.shall be presented by the
incumbent Pre sident of the Order or
her next in office present in case
of her absence.
5. The Awardpresentation shall be made
at the main reunion banquet of the
Order. The banquet shall be known
as the "Order of Fifinella Award
Banquet".
6. The recipient of the Awardshall be
kept secret by the AwardCommittee
and the presenter, and shall not
becomeknownto the recipient or
others until the momentof pre sentation.
Anyonedesiring to propose a person for
the Order of Fifinella Award, please
send a biographical sketch and reason

for proposing to Ann Atkeison. Deadline

for Oct., 1976 reunion candidates, Sept.

15, 1976.
MEMBERSHIP
by

REPORT

Ziggy Hunter, Chairman

Operation Search has added some200plus newmembersto the ooF since it
began a few months ago. The membership committee has 62 WASPs
representatives in the various states working
on list of loet WASPs
who once had a
local address.
If you want to see that classmate
you haven't seen for 30 years, this
year's bi-centennial reunion will be
the place. Out of hundreds of personal
contacts, there have been less than a
dozen whomow they cannot makeit.
The rest are making their plans to attend with enthusiasm. Andmanywill be
comingto their first reunion.
Wecan't let downnow, however. Our
goal is to lacate ALLthe 1830 women
pilots who entered WASP
training or
learn what happened to them. You, too,
can help.
Class secretaries can help by making
a quick check on current status of addresses by calling Long Distance Operators to confirm an address. To get
their cooperation (1) ask for the number, then (2) ask the LDOp "Is that
address 123 Zed St. (or whatever)? The
LDOp mayrefuse to give an address in
the first place, but they are obligated
to confirm if you give them some sort
of address, and if it is wrong, they
will usually give you the correct one.
(If this be subterfuge, let's makethe
most of it.)
If you'll pass the results
along, the membershipcommittee can then
help in the search.
One of our committee membershas taken
the local directory and her lost WASP
list and called every subscriber in the
directory with the samelast nameas
the WASP
I s maiden name, as well as her
married name, until she found a relative.
I t paid off in more than one case. Another has written the postmasters at
each old address, explaining our purpose, and begged the forwarding address.

She got it, more than oncel

. where. Just for ticklers-does
anybody
We're proud of our more than 200 'finds
knowthe whereabouts of Claire Callaghan,
but we couldn't have done it without the
43-1, Lillian M. Connor, 43-3; AnnBrenhelp of those 62 hard-working committee
nan of 43-4; Suzanne Bane Armstrong of
members.
44-10; Sarah G Rewey44-9; Shirley Chase
Andwe couldn't have done it without
Egler 44-6; Dorothea B. Rexroad Parmenter,
the wonderful cooperation of Dallas in44-6; Julia Egan Jordan, 44-7; Eileen B.
dustrie s who have helped us with our
Evans, 44-3 AnnUfer, 44-4; Mary B. Beesearch. Our special thanks go to E
cham, 44-1; Mildred GrossmanPalmer,
Systems, a Dallas-based high technology
44-2; Rose L. Puett, 44-2; Kathryn Stamps
electronics systems canpany which perof 43-8; Doris M. Marland,Martin, 43-8;
formlSmajor maintenance and modificaEugenie Garvin St. Martin, 43-5; Mary A.
tion on government and commercial airGresham, 43-7. Please pronto any inforcraft.
They made available their longmation on these gals as soon as you have
distance facilities
two nights a week
it.
for Jewel Estes and Ziggy Hunter to
HISTORIAN
makenation-wide contacts.
Wewish we
could just pipe into their electronic
Marty Wyall
receptors the expressed joy of those
P.O. Box 9212
who have been located.
Their generosity
Ft. Wayne,Ind. 46809
has meant so muchto so many. Andwe
Weare looking for group pictures taken
are again in debt to that constant WASP
in December,1944 at bases where WASP"
supporter, George Haddaway,who put us
were stationed.
Please send me a coW
in touch with these wonderful people.
of
yours
(you
can
easily have a black
Thanks also go to Southwest Bell for
and
white
copy
made)
with the names of
the use of their area code book--invalthe
WASP's
identified,
the base where
uable as a time saver in locating phone
stationed and type of. aircraft being.
numbers; our gratitude goes to Xerox to
flown, jobs the WASP'swere doing, etc.
for their help in reproducing the many
lists needed for nationwide distribution.
Please see that I get a coW of any
AndI guess we should pay tribute to
Newspaperor magazine article s on the
a couple of calloused forefingers which
WASP'scurrently' being printed.
I need
somehowhaven't quite worn downto the
these for the scrap-book. If you eould
wrist bones yet, in spite of the 10,000
send 2 copies, it would be helpful.
plus circuits around the phone's dial
rotor which they have traveled in the
***R.O.N. HOTSPIUNGS***
search-not to mention the gratitude we
Oct. 22, 23, 24
feel for the performance of Estes' Bucr,v
Buick and Hunter's MazyMazdain carryIn '75, we went to Reno
ing us the 100 miles each of the past
Renewedold friendships fran years
30 weeks to E Systems to make the calls.
ago
But most of all thanks to the spirit
WASPshusbands, children & friends
of adventure and excitement which spurrAll c~nverged at The Kings Inn.
ed the searchers into new corners of the
There were tours, sightseeing, gamcountry each day. The gratitude and debling, business & run
light of the newly found WASPs
at being
But nowthat I s all over and done.
rediscovered made it all well worth the
Once again, the time draws near,
effort.
During this great Bicentennial Year;
Let's don't let downat this stage.
For all WASPs
to get on the wing
The gals keep moving out of reach. As
WeR.O.N. at Velda Rose Tower, Hot
44-4' s class sect l'., Millie Dalrymple,
Springs
put it, how can there be so manyrestStart saving now for car, bus, train
less people at age 55-plus? Wewouldn't
or plane fare
for the world have I em sit still.
It's
Smitty, our Chairman, will meet us
just that, while they keep moving, would
there.
they please just let us knowwhen and

THEWASP
CO!Q(EMORATIVE
C~TTEE
The cOIllllittee attempted to determine
it a real interest exists on the part
of the membershipto select and to support a work of art (statue or plaque)
to ccmnemoratethe WASP
program.
The membershipwas surveyed by means
of a request in the last Newsletter.
Only six. replie s were received.
Half
of these wanted neither a plaque nor a
statue.
The camnittee has taken this
as a vote of no interest on the part of
the general membership. It has recommendedthat the Order not try to sponsor a work of art, but rather urge individuals or small groups to do so.
For example, the Womens'Forumof the
Sweetwater Chamberof Camnercerecently
conmissioned AnnAtkeison (44-10) and
Franoes Withers to sculpt a 3 ft. bronze
statue of Fifi to adorn the Wishing Well
at the airport and to commemoratethe
WASPs. This work was not sanctioned by
the Order but it is a lovely and legitimate tribute.
The committee has, at the suggestion
of Betty Gillies WAFS, recommended
that the Postal Department be approached with the idea of issuing a connemorati VB stamp to the WASP. This would cost
us nothing, require little
effort, would
reach untold numbers of people, worldwide, and would ccmnamorateand publicize the WASP
in a way nothing else
could.
Following

submittal

of the Commemora-

tive CCIDDlittee'spreliminary final report, Pres. Haydu sought the advice of

the Executive Board tor their ideas on
a memorial. They haVB reccmnendedthe
following:
1. Anyonewishing to subnit a work
of art or model to be on view at
Hot Springs reunion should contact t.he Reunion Committee, c/o
Mr. J. R. Smith, Drawer FF, Hot
Springs, Ark. 71901 before Oct.
1st.
All responsibility
for the
art work will rest with the indi vidual supplying it.
The Reunion Camnittee and the Order
will assume no responsibility.
2. The attending membershipmay vote

on the displayed art works for

their artistic
desirability.
Any work of art should represent
all the WASP
s and not just the
38 who died in service.
4. There should be 2 categories for
items that could either be donated by the Order or by individuals (with sanction by the
Order).
Category I - An item such as a
plaque to be used
in airports, universities,
cities,
libraries,
etc.
Category 11- A.large statue
that could be used
in a large nmseum.
(There would probably not be more
than 1 or 2 places
that would accept
this).
5. If works of art are selected by
the membershipthen a fund raising committee would be appointed.
This would not be done until after a tax exempt status had been
achieved. After this the artist
would be commissioned.
6. If works of art are selected, the
membershipshould search all over
the country for places that would
accept an item. selected by the
Order.
NOMINATING
COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATIONS
The nominating committee's request
for candidates for office received an
overwhelmingvote to continue with the
present officers.
Bea Haydu
President
Sara Hayden
Vice-Pres.
Betty Pettitt Nicholas SectY.-Treas.
Betty Cross
Editor
Naturally we are open to any additions
prior to the convention. The ballot
should be sent with the newsletter so
that everyone whether attending or not
will have a chance to vote. Last time
these were mailed to the chairman but
they could just as easily be mailed to
the secretary since we do not have a

constitution set up at this point to

cover this issue.
Everyone agreed that the present
slate of officers have done a marvelous job and should certainly be given
the honor to continue in office following the October convention.
Submitted by: FAITHRICHARDS
* Chairman
M. FERGESON Member
R. Wheeler
Member
NEW
AEROSPACE
EXHIBIT
For the many aviation and space enthusiasts for whomJuly 4th is just
too long to wait, and for traYel~rs
who cometo Washington only to fJ.nd
they must peek through windowsfor a
glimpse of the "Spirit of Sto Louis,"
the SInithsonian I s new National Air and
Space Museumopened the Independence
AvenueLobby beginning Mconday.Feb. 2.
The lobby, at 6th and Independence
Avenues S.W., will be open from 10 a.m.
to 5:30 p.m. daily, except as construction constraints may dictate.
The
building is completed, but the exhibit
galleries are still in various stages
of construction.
While the Museumitself will not open
until the scheduled July date, the
lobby will permit "sidewalk superintendents" who have faithfully followed
progress from the outside to view the
Milestones of Flight Gallery, where
exhibit installation
is still underway.
This central, glass-enclosed bay will
house the most significant artifacts
in the national collection, including
the Wright brothersl Kitty HawkFlyer,
Lindberghs "Spirit of St. Louis," the
Bell X-l first aircraft to break the
,

sound barrier,
and the North Arne rJ.can
X-15, which is half aircraft and half
spacecraft.
Recopied from an article sent by Cappy
Whitaker Johnson 43-6. Ed.
*BI-CENTENNIAL
EXHIBITION*
AIRFORCE
Former WASPs
who have not yet.~s~ted
the Air Force Bi-Centennial ExhibJ.tJ.on
touring the United States should do so;
Your editor became curious when the ex-

hibition visited Modesto and asked the

Sergeant in charge if the WASPs
were
shownor mentioned in the display.
He,
Sgt. BUl Haines, replied they were
and he would showme where to watch for
it (the pictures are shownquite fast)
on the screen. Sure enough, saw some
of the girls (looked like either my
former class 44-6 or 44-7) toting parachutes as they returned fram flight.
Sgt. Haines mentioned some of our girls
in the Northern end of the state had
asked the same questions as myself.
The whole program is projected very
fast so you have to be on your toes but
it was nice to knowwe werenlt forgotten.
This exhibition will be shownall over
the United States untU Dec. 1976, when
the Bi-centennial year will be over.
"HOTSPRINGS"
All Aboardl
Elaine Harmonsent the following fare
information for those intending to fly
to the Reunion from D.C. Rates quoted
are those of American Airlines as she
says these are approximately the same
for all Airlines.
Little Rock is the
closest to Hot Springs and Elaine suggested the best way to go in a group
would be to fly only to Little Rock and
perhaps the convention comnittee could
have a bus meet everyone to take them
on to Hot Springs. The fare is $150.73.
Coach fare to Hot Springs/indiv $185.47
Group fare to Hot Sprgs. via
Little Rock (4 hr. layover 193.46
in Little Rock)
Grp. fare to Hot Sprgs. via
Memphis(lhr. 15 min. layover
in Memphis)

175.46
Coach fare/indiv.
to Little Rock 170.73
Group fare to Little Rock
150.73
Bicent. fare/indiv.
(must stay
7 days) to Little Rock (This
is not available all the way
to Hot Springs)

119.73
Anyoneplanning on rema~
seven
days would be wise to buy theJ.r own
ticket at $119.73 to Little Rock only
and schedule her flt. with ours so she
could ride the bus fran Little
[HotSprings.

Rock to

Assuming a group of 15 can be gotten

together, Elaine will be glad to handle
the reservations for anyone planning to
leave from D.C. To allow time for scheduling in accordance with airline regulations, she would want to know by Sept.
1, the name, address & phone number of
anyone wanting a reservation.
The
checks for ~150.73 would have to reach
her by Oct. 15th. She has been told
the price will be the same in October
but has nothing in writing so it could
possibly change by then.
MISC. Nl:.VJS
Governor Mike O'Callaghan of Nevada has
appointed Frances Dias Gustavson to the
Veterans' Advisory Committee.
It is hie
hope that her appointment will help promote Veterans status for the women in
our organization.
We still have bona fide collectors requesting wings. There are museums and
uni ver sitie s who would like to have a
WASP uniform for display. If we could
have information about the WASP's in as
many places as possible, then we would
not be lost to history.
At the same
time, it is understandable that many
would like to keep their uniforms and
wings. It has been suggested that each
WASP de siring to keep her things during
her life time, make provisions in her
will to have her uniform, wings and memorabilia donated upon her death. If she
has not made arrangments for them to be
donated to a specific place, they could
be given to our Historian, Marty Wyall.
There will be a meeting of all Committee
Chairman, Class Secretaries and Officers
Sunday morning, October 24th, Hot
Springs. Time and place will be posted
on the Bulletin Board in Hot Springs.
**ADVERTl Sll1ENT'lHlSHIRTS - - - $30 + cost of shirt, choice
of wings or Stearman on front. Sears
men's shirts and either cut tail off or
leave it on. Sizes - small, medium, &
large or on y~~ own shirt --- mailed to
me, Bev Beesernyer, Rte. #3, Grove, Okla.
71+31J~.

cotton.

:~hirt must be drip

dry, not 100>;

WANTEDll !1 !
KAY (GOTT) CHAFFEY 43-2 needs a pair
of W-2 wings. Her mother wishes her
WASP memorablia to go into her hametown
museum and she doe s not have her W-2
wings. Also, she had her WASP uniform
stolen in 1969 but fortunately had stored
all the hardware.
If anyone want 8 to
donate a uniform, the Nampa Idaho Historical Society will put a display in
the old Union Pacific Railroad Depotwhich they are now restoring in Nampa.
Kay urges WASPs to join the American
Aviation Historical Society -- she finds
the reading very interesting.
*ABOUT DUES*
Approximately half of the Order of Fifi
nella members have paid their dues. We
are econcmizing wherever possible (use
WATTS lines where available to us, write
instead of phoning, did not print a
roster, hold only one Board meeting a
year staying at other WASP's homes
rather than motels, etc.). Also the
officers, committees and class secretaries are functioning by not turning in
every expense item. Girls and boys,
this should not have to be. If everyone paid their annual dues, we would
have enough funds to operate properly.
There may be confusion about when the
dues should be paid. To clarify, it is
from October to October, at present $10
per year, to be mailed to Betty Nicholas
125 W. 82nd St., Indianapolis, Ind.
46260. Starting at the reunion, we
will issue membership cards. Also,
please be prepared to pay your dues for
the fiscal year Oct., 1976 to Oct. 1977
in order to attend the business meeting
Sat. a.~ Oct. 23 at the reunion.
AT THE REUNION
Many of the members make items for sale
at the reunion with some or all of the
profits to go to the Order of Fifinella.
Sara Hayden, 22 Stadium Road, Methuen,
Ma. 01844 will be in charge of all items
to be displayed.
If you plan to bring
anything, please contact her prior to
the reunion in order that she can plan
the display. Also, let Sara know if you

wouJ.dbe willing to devote sane of your

time at the reunion to man this display.
WAFHONORED
FIDRENE
MILLER
WATSON
has been chosen
to appear in. the 1.'1l6 Directory of
NOTABLE
.AMERICANS
OF THEBICENTENNIAL
ERA. Same of her friends. learned of
this honor by coincidence and. felt that
all. WASPs
would want to share. our pride
in this special tribute to her. OUtstanding personalities
fran each of the
fifty states framall professions and
walks oLlile,
have been selected for
this honor. A fitting tribute to America' 6 birth,. this Directory will honor
those. people 'Whoseachievements and
traditional. values represent the essence
of those American.ideals which were inspired by our great forefathers.
In addition to the printed account of
Florene' s achievements will be the presentation of. an .AwardPlaque. This
edition, . a hallma.rk of biographical research, represents a weaLth of history
for. future researchers and archivists.
We, as WASPs,congratulate one of our
own, Florene, a welL chosen example of
American womanhood.
"NEWS
OF NOTE"
Airforce Musemn.
Dayton, Ohio
August 11 - 2:00 P.M. - Dedication of
"WomensAir Service Pilots" (WASP)
exhibit and a talk by Col. Dora Strother, U.S. Air Force Reserve, helicopter pilot and former WASP
member.
The August 11 program will feature
Colonel Dora Strother, USAFReserve,
who was a WASPpilot in World War II.
Dr. Strother will dedicate the lDllseum's
WASP
exhibit and present a talk on WASP
activities
in WW
II.
AIRPORl'
Vb.--r'ERAN
Mildred Christiansen, administrative
assistant at MuskegonCounty Airport,
has seen air travel change from a luxury to a necessity in her past 25 years
of service at the airport.
Airport
. officials and the Michigan Aeronautics

Commissiondecided to honor her for her

long years of service.
A pilot herself,
Millie has served as assistant to a succession of airport managers. Her husband Ted was on hand for a surprise
party at the airport.
(Millie was in 43-6 and the above article was printed in the Sunday Chronicle
in Muskegon, Mich., May1.6, 1976, with
Millie and.her husband pictured seated
behind a beautiful cake with the words
"Congratulations Millie - 25 years of
Aviation Service."
PUBUCITY
Betty Williams, Chairman
5935 McDoniaAve.
WoodlandHills, Cal 91364
Twentywomenin the Air Force are being
selected to enter Undergraduate Pilot
Training this. September at Williams Air
Force Base, Arizona. They will be taking their training in the same aircraft
as the men and will.tollow the same curriculum.with the exception of formation
flying and techniques pertinent to combat missions.
Upongraduation they will
be given assigmunts in as ma.n;yas 20
different types of aircraft.
This information is important to you as
a WASP,because our program was the
forerunner to this current program, and
it generates "news interest"
(helpful
publicity for our October Reunion).
The news media is sure to see several
appropriate tie-ins for good publicity
and let's all make sure the WASP'sare
mentioned along with these 20 womenby
contacting our local press, radio-TV,
etc. to make them aware we existed.
To
assist you with general information, I
am giving information below. The news
media appreciate a report that is double
spaced and, of course, give your personal story along with the general information.
Please contact me if you can help
with publicity and/or have contacts in
the media of have experience in publicity or public relations.
FORIMMEDIATE
RELEASE
As the U.S. Air Force prepares today for
womenentering Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT)this September at Williams Air

Force Base, Arizona, thoughts are being

directed toward the 1074 graduated wanen
pilots who new military aircraft during World War II and paved the wq for
today's actions.
That pioneer group
!mownas WASP's,Womens
Airforce Service
Pilots, flew noncombatmissions in every
type of aircraft the ArmyAirforce had
in the 1944 inventory.
They were fir st
pilots and co-pilots on transport and
bombermulti- and twin-engined aircraft
and pilot on pursuits.
The list included B-25, B26, B-17, B-24 and even the
Superfortress ~29j pursuits included
P-38, P-39, P-40, P-47, P-51j trainers
included all the Primary, Basic and Advanced manufactured during this period.
The jet fighter, which was just being
introduced into the military at the end
of WWIl, was also flown by a WASP.
WHERE
are these veterans of hundreds
of searchlight and tracking missions,
60 million miles of ferrying aircraft
from factory to points of embarkation
for the battlefront,
while ferrying
other training or war-weary fighters
back to maintenance or repair stations?
Whereare these womenpilot pioneers
who towed target sleeves behind their
planes so Jrighter pilots in combat
practice or anti-aircraft
batteries
could learn howto aim live amrmmi
tion
at a movingtarget?
A nation-wide
search is underwayto locate sane of
the llmissing or lost" WASP's(including the trainee s who did not graduate)
-- that unique group of military women pilots whotaught instrument flying
to male pilots; flew engineering test
flights,
same relatively dangerous; engaged in radio-controlled flying, airline operation for military transport .
or underwent simulated strafing assignments.
Today, somethree decades after the
WASP
program deactivated, those whoparticipated have naturally scattered to
the four points of the compass, but
hopefully before this Fall, manyof
those with unlmownaddresses will be
located and will join all former WASP's
at a national reunion, scheduled for
October 22, 23, 24th at Hot Springs,
Arkansas with Reunion Headquarters

at Velda Rose Tower. Current addresses

numberabout 600 from the 1074 graduated
WASP's. Anyonehaving any knowledgeof
former WASP'swhomayhave been out of
contact with the Order of Fifinella,
contact MembershipChairmanZiggy Hunter
838 Havenwood,Dallas, Texas 75232.
The Order Of Fifinella,
sponsors of the
reunion, is the continuing organization
of these womenpilots - having adopted
the name of the lady gremlin, imaginary
good luck insignia designed for the
WASP'sby Walt Disney Studios during
World War II. Memorials have been sponsored to the 38 womenwhowere killed
in service to their country such
service not protected by any government
insurance or other benefits.
TwoBills
nowbefore COllgI"eSS.,
hopefully, will
correct this inequity.

* FIFI

GOES HOME

AnnAtkeison feels a little

as she did
in World War II. She' 8 making a contribution to the cause she loves-the
Women
Air Force Service Pilots, also
knownas the WASPs.
Miss Atkeison, lead technical writer
at the Jefferson Avenuefacility,
is
getting a little
gremlin namedIIFifinellall ready for her big day.
Fifinella is a petite creature with
wings, flight goggles and fairy boots.
She was created by Walt Disney in honor
of the WASPs.
Since menwere used in overseas flying positions during the war, the WASPs
were formed to take over someof the
state side flight training dutie s as well
as to ferry all manner of aircraft to
embarkation points.
Miss Atkeison remembersher WASP
days
vi vidly.
She was an instrument flying
instructor at Perrin Field at Sherman,
Tex.

"I heard about the program, but could

not join because I didn't have my pilot's
license," she recalled.
"It took me a
month to get mylicense.
Then I joined the program."
She said there were more than 25,000
applications fran womenall over the
U.S. Only 1800 were accepted into the
WASPs,and even fewer than that were
graduated.
"Wedidn't have any of the military
benefits, since we weren't part of the
military,"
Miss Atkeison continued.
"There is a bill before Congress nowto
give WASPs
GI benefits.
It would be
recognition that we served our country
during the war."
Miss Atkeison did rememberone close
call while she was an instructor.
"This young pilot had been sent back
to us from the Pacific," she said. "He
was going to be an instructor for the
men.
"I took him up to check him out on
hi 5 instruments and every time he would
get under the hood (blind flying), he
would freeze on the stick.
"He was suffering from flight fatigue
she said.
"One time he froze and I
couldn't get him off the stick.
I had
to pop the hood and let the sunlight
hit him to bring him around so we would
not crash."
But Miss Atkeison really didn't have
anything to worry about. Not with a
good luck charm like Fifinella around.
Another companyemployee, Frankie
Warms,was a memberof the elite group.
Whenthe war broke out, she got in her
car in California

and drove straight

to

Texas and joined the WASPs.

"You had to be 5 feet 2 and I wasn't
quite that tall,"
she said.
"But they
let me in anyway. It was one fantastic
adventure after another."
She has been an electrical buyer for
the companyfor the past 17 years.
The WASPs
were disbanded in 1945 just
before the surrender of Japan. But the
group's tradition lived on. In 1972
the group held a 30 year reunion in
Sweetwater, Tex. where the womentrained.
Miss Atkeison played an active role in
the reunion, too. She sculpted six
small bronze "Filill statues for the oc-

casion. The Fifis were given as awards

to persons whomade outstanding contributions to the world of aerospace.
Four years later, the Sweetwater Chamber of Commerceand the Women'sForum
decided to honor the WASPs
as part of
their Bicentennial effort.
The old good luck fountain at Avenger
Field in Sweetwater is being restored.
Miss Atkeison is sculpting a greml.insize version of Filinella to be placed
on a pedestal in the center of the fountain.
She worked on the sculpture for about
six months. Once the bronze cast is
finished, Miss Atkeison will take the
mascot to Sweetwater for the June ceremony.
WASPs
from across the country will return to Sweetwater to see their old
friend Fifinella.
They will be proud
that Fifi is homeagain.
But none will be as proud as AnnAtkeison.

DEDICATION
CEREMONIES
The elaborate ceremonies honoring the
WASP
at Sweetwater on Flag Day, June 14,
were focused on the unveiling of "Fili"
at the site, following a coffee and
hospitality hour at the Holiday Inn,
hosted by Mrs. Poe and membersof the
Woman'sForum.. Order of Fifinella
member
s, their guests and member
s of
the TSTI system Board of Regents were
guests of the Rotary Club and the First
National Bank at a "finale" luncheon,
also attended by membersof the organizations and others involved in this
project.
HomerTaylor, TSTIManager of Instruction gave the invocation to open
the lIunveilingil, Dyess Air Force Base
Color Guard preaented the colors (the
wind was blowing so hard the airman

flag-bearer was almost airborne!) and

Rigdon Edwards led the Pledge of Allegiance and the Star Spangled Banner.
(Wediscovered that Rig, in addition
to having been a favorite flight instructor and always one of the most devoted friends and supporters of the
Order of Fifinella,
has a voice that
could grace any concert halll)
Guest speaker was Dr. Carolyn Sue
Huntoon, Special Assistant to the Director of NASA,~don B. Johnson Space
Center,' Houston, Texas, who stated that
she had been requested, by her Washington office, to participate
on this occasion "because it is the only official
Bicentennial celebration focused on
womenwho answered the call and made
personal sacrifices to make our nation
strong and keep it free".
Dr. Huntoon
gave insights into the space program
and its legacy to the future, paid tribute to the WASP
and even brought
"Fifi's"
spirit into the achievements
in space.
Highlight of the program was the eloquent and moving tribute to the WASP
by
Rig Edwards - to which I had the honor
of responding.
Mrs. Reeves made the presentation of
the statue to the Order of Fifinella
and TSTI. President Bee Hayduaccepted
most graciously for the OOFand the
chairman of the TSTI system (there are
four branChes) Board of Regents, the
president and Lance Sears, memberof the
board and a special Sweetwater friend
of the WASP,responded for TSTI.
In addition to the Texas "delegation",
some came fram "far off places" - four
other states were represented: Louisiana,
Maryland, NewJersey and Washington.
Membersof the OOFand their guests were
!nn Atkeison - 44-10 and her mother and
sister,
Charlene Creger and Mike Dixon,
(Lillian "Dixie" Kelley's son from
Seattle, Wash.) 44-9 & 10 (fram La.),
Dedie Deaton - All classes, Rigdon Edwards - Instr.,
Irene Fremd De Gray 43-5, Ruth UnderwoodFlorey - 43-4,
Lavina Lippincott Green - 44-6, Lela
Lowder Harding - 43-7, Elaine Harmon44-9 and her mother (from Maryland),
President Bee Falk Haydu- 44-7 (fran
NewJersey), Ziggy Hunter - Instr.,

Dorothy Smith Lucas - 44-7, Viola Thompson Mason - 43-4, VelmaM. Saunders 43-6,
Dora Dougherty Strother - 43-3 and her
husband, Frankie McInerney Warms- 43-8
and her daughter, our much appreciated
adopted artist,
Frances Withers.
Weall agreed that this was a grand
and glorious occasion and were unanimous
in our gratitude to Ann and Frances and
our admiration of the Fifinella
statue.
It is a something we can be proud of
foreverl
EXCERPl'
FROM
SPEECH

of
DR. CAllDLYN
SUEHUNTOON
"I am here today with a special message. Just as Fifinella was along on
your flights in the early '40' s, she
has been along on our space flight
missions.
It is true that we have enjoyed tremendous success in t~e 15 ~s.
that we have been a space-farlng natlon.
But that is, perhaps, because the success of each flight was enhanced with
her female touch. I can enumerate
specific examples as when Fifi helped
the Apollo 13 crew to return their
crippled spacecraft to earth.
Again
Fifi was there to help that first Skylab crew release the solar panel which
saved the Skylab program from complete
disaster and it was Fifi who helped
downthe oxygen mask and brought our
crewmenout of their contaminated
cabin to safety."
AVENGER
FIELD
'WISHING
WELL
TRANSFORMED'
Our Wishing well is no longer a concrete-walled mucthole, as it has been
since the mysterious diSappearance of
the fountain and chiseled stone tributes to the Waspinstalled by Generals
H. H. Arnold and Barton K. Yount. It
is now a strikingly beautiful pennanent memorial to the WASP,thanks to
the Sweetwater Woman'sForum, Horizons
'76 Bicentennial Commissionand the
Texas State Technical Institute unit
which now occupies much of the site of
old Avenger Field.
Centered by a three f~ot bronze statue of Fifinella which will stand some

five feet high on a pylon (not completed at the time of the dedication),
"flyingll from a mass of flowers, the
Wishing Well will be surrounded by a
landscaped viewing area (surrounding
buildings will be torn down), and is
nowwithin the fenced (and guarded)
campusof TSTI. Various factors made
it impractical and unwise to restore
the fountain, but the IIFifill statue is
an ideal and dramatic replacement.
The artists,
Frances Withers and AIm
Atkeison and the castor, Jim Pugh, have
created a true work of art.
The Wanan's
Forum, with Mrs. George Poe as chairman of the Fifinella project, underwrote funds to get a matching grant
for the Sweetwater commissionfrom the
Texas Bicentennial Commission,and
raised the moneylocally.
Mrs. Poe
and Mrs. Wilson Guest, general chairman of the Sweetwater Bicentennial Commission headed the committee in charge,
assisted by Mrs. SamReeves, president
of the Woman'sForum. The artists contributed their time and talents, receiving only the cost of materials.
*TRIBUTE
TOTHEWASP*
by

Rigdon Edwards
HonoredGuests, ladies & gentlemen:
It is certainly a very high honor
and a great Privelege to offer a tribute or salute to the Woman'sAirforce
Service Pilots.
The four letter nameof WASP
has a
lot of symbolism-.
I feel that the IIWII
could stand for
all those 1830 WonderfulWomen
that
had the desire, dedication, determination and courage to be the first women
to be trained for all flying jobs short
of combat - in order to relieve men
pilots for combat duty.
The "Allexpresses the tremendous
right attitude of these womenwhen
faced with a grueling training program,
zoot suits, cattle trucks for transportation, impatient instructors and
the close confinement during 210 hours
of flight training in all kinds of
planes & weather. The "A" could also
symbolize "Avenger" - ~
of these
womenwere-training to avenge the loss

of a loved one in the service of their

country.
The Big "s" might have a double
meaning - Service & Sarety - Service
to one's country. The WASPs
flew over
60 million miles towing targets, flying taxi, ferrying airplanes of all
types and manyother assignments short
of combat service with a very rare
ability and accomplishment. In all,
they delivered 12,652 planes under all
kinds of conditions with only three
fatal accidents - a safety record unequalled anywhere, anytime - by a:rry
Group.
The "P" stands for unusually great
pride the lCJ7
4 graduate s took in showing that little
gremlin "Fifi" that
they were the best - They have every
right to be proud of the superb service they performed. The "P" could
also be equated that these gals were
patient- while manythought they
couldn't "cut itll - they patiently
worked, sweated and prayed while they
were proving that they coUld do a masterful job for the Good 'ole U.S.A.
Wordsare 50 inadequate to express
our full appreciation to the WASPs
for
their out standing and dedicated contribution to our war effort, for their
tremendous accomplishments, their desire, courage, attitude and eagerness
to serve.
Will all of you here today join me
in congratulating ~
WASPs
for a "job
well done" and more especially to those
Ii great womenthat paid the supreme
sacrifice while in the service of their
country.
Maythe power of this little
gremlin
"Fifi" working through the super power
of our heavenly Father continue to
bless you and guide you to sare landings in all your endeavors.
Note: As Dedie mentioned when she enclosed the above speech (she also sent
all the other copy on the dedication
ceremonies) Rig was the spearhead of
everything in Sweetwater pertaining to
the ceremonies though he reru-sed to be
namedchairman, raising money (contributing a large amounthimself) invol ving people, organizations, etc. and he,

and his Wife Mary hla" have always

(through the years) been devoted friends
and pur staunchest supporters.
Weowe
him our gratitude and a vote of thanks
from our whole organization.
Thank you
Rig from the bottom of our hearts!
SWEETWATER
BICENTENNIAL
CELEBRATION
Although o~rlSha.dowedby the June 14
events" Sweetwater demonstrated its loyalty and affection for the WASPs
by requesting that the WASP
be officially
represented at their county Bicentennial
celebration on April 17 IIsince the WASP
played such an important role in the
history of Sweetwater". Ruth Florey"
Rig Edwards" my husband Cliff and I were
greatly honored to be the representatives
in the parade. Rig drove a "fancy" jeep
(decorated by Peggy Poe, chairman of the
Fifinella project and her committee) with
Cliff at his side and Ruth and I" in uniform, waved from the back seat.
Weall got a thrill
of a lifetime because when our WASP
vehicle first came
into view, the several hundred spectators seated on the courthouse lawn
jumped to their feet, cheering and
whistling and calling out to us as
long as we were in sight!
Sweetwater
does love us!
GUEST
EDITORIAL
WhenI grow up I want to be a pilot
because it's a fun job and easy to do.
That's why there are so many pilots
flying around these days. Pilots don't
need much school; they can read their
instruments.
I guess they should be
able to read road maps, too, so they
can find their way if they get lost.
Pilots should be brave so they won't
get scared if it's foggy and they can't
see, or if a wing or a motor falls off
they should stay calm so they'll know
what to do. Pilots have to have good
eyes to see through clouds, and they
can I t be afraid of thunder or lightning
because they are so much closer to them
than we are. The salary pilots make is
another thing I like.
They makemore
moneythan they knowwhat to do with.
This is because most people think that
plane flying is dangerous, except pilots

don't because they knowhow easy it is.

I hope I don't get air-sick, because I
get car-sick, and if I get air-sick I
couldn't be a pilot, and then I would
have to go to work.
-written by TOIIIIDY
Tyler,
5th Grade Student,
Jefferson School"
Beaufort, South CarolinaArticle above published AIAA(American
Institute
of Aeronautics & Aerospace)
Kansas City Newsletter.
"MIRACLE"
OFMEDICINE

Char1yn

44-10 and patient

On Feb. 5, 1976, Shreveport, La. medical

school doctors successfully corrected
a bowel obstruction on a 1 lb., 3 oz.
baby girl who is believed to be the
smallest baby ever to survive an intraabdominal operation.
Mid-April, at the time of the enclosed
picture, she weighed 3 1bs., 14 ozs. at
112 days of age. Char1yne Creger,
44-10, was the Anesthetist, and the
surgeon, Dr. John Henry, pediatric cardiac surgeon of the L.S.U. teaching
staff. He is the brother of Annie J.
Henry, 44W-7. The two work together frequently on the emergency team at the medical center. lIe was quite proud of Annie
Jean's flying.

*ATTHETWIUGHT'S
LAST*"
GLEAMING
Cornelia Fort
Here is one of the most remarkable articles ever pub1ished--a personal story
by the first womanpilot to die on war
duty in American history.
Shortly after
she sent it to us, Miss Fort, twentyfour, of Nashville, Tennessee, was
killed when the banber she was piloting
crashed in Taxas. But her words here
will 1i ve--as a moving account of why
one womanjoined the WAFS
and as a te stament to all Americanwomenwho are
helping keep America free.
I knew1 was going to Join the Women
Is
Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron before the
organization was a reality, before it
had a name, before it was anything but
a radical idea in the minds of a few
menwho believed that womencould fly
airplanes.
But 1 never knewit so
surely as 1 did in Honolulu on December
7, 1941. A.t dawnthat morning 1 drove
from Waikiki to the John Rodgers civilian airport right next to Pearl Harbor,
where 1 was a civilian pilot instructor.
Shortly after six-thirty 1 began landing
and take-off practice with my regular
student.
Comingin just before the last
landing, I looked casually around and
saw a military plane cQJDing
directly
toward me. 1 jerked the controls away
frem.my student and jammedthe throttle
wide open to pull above the oncoming
plane. He passed so close under us
that our celluloid windowsrattled violently and 1 looked downto see what
tind of plane it was.
The painted red balls on the tops of
the wings shone brightly in the sun.
I looked again with complete and utter
disbelief.
Honolulu was familiar with
the emblemof the Rising Sun on passenger ships but not on airplanes.
1 looked quickly at Pearl Harbor and
my spine tingled when1 saw billowing
black BIIloke. Still 1 thought hollowly
it might be somekind of coincidence or
maneuvers, it might be, it must be. For
surely, dear God

Then I looked way up and saw the formations of silver bombers riding in.
Something detached itself from an airplane and cameglistening down. My
eyes followed it down, downand even
with knowledgepounding in mymind, my
heart turned convulsively when the bomb
exploded in the middle of the harbor.
1 knewthe air was not the place for my
little
baby airplane and I set about
landing as quickly as ever I could. A
few seconds later a shadowpassed over
me and simultaneously bullets spattered
all around me.
Suddenly that little
wedge of sky
above HickamField and Pearl Harbor was
the busiest fullest piece of sky I ever
saw.
Wecounted anxiously as our little
civilian planes cameflying hometo
roost.
Twonever cameback. They were
washed ashore weeks later on the windward side of the island, bullet-riddled.
Not a pretty way for the brave little
yellow Cubs and their pilots to go down
to death.
The rest of Decemberseventh has been
described by too many in too muchdetail
for me to reiterate.
1 remained on the
island until three months later when1
returned by convoy to the United States.
Noneof the pilots wanted to leave but
there was no civilian flying in the islands after the attacko Andeach of us
had someindividual score to settle with
the Japs whohad brought murder and destruction to our islands.
When1 returned, the only way I could
fly at all was to instruct Civilian
Pilot Training programs. Weekspassed.
Then, out of the blue, came a telegram
from the WarDepartment announcing the
organization of the WAFS(Women'sAuxiliary Ferrying Squadron) and the order
to report within twenty-four hours if
interested. 1 left at once
Mrs. NancyLove was appointed Senior
Squadron Leader of the WAFS
by the Secretary of War. No better choice could
have been made. First and most important she is a good pilot, has tremendous enthusiasm and belief in womenpilots and did a wonderful job in helping
us to be accepted on an equal status
with men.

Because there were and are so many

disbelievers in womenpilots, especially
in their place in the arJIJy",
officials
wanted the best possible qualifications
to go with the fir st experimental group.
All of us realized what a spot we were
on. Wehad to deliver the goods or
else.
Or else there wouldn't ever be
another chance for womenpilots in any
part of the service.
Wehave no hopes of replacing men
pilots.
But we can each release a man
to combat, to faster ships, to overseas
work. Delivering a trainer to Texas
may be as important as delivering a
bomberto Africa if you take the long
view. Weare beginning to prove that
womencan be trusted to deliver airplanes safely and in the doing serve
the country which is our country too.
I have yet to have a feeling which
approaches in satisfaction that of having signed, sealed and delivered an airplane for the United States Army. The
attitude that most nonflyers have about
pilots is distressing and often acutely
embarrassing. They chatter about the
glamour of flying.
Well, any pilot can
tell you howglamorous it is. Weget
up in the cold dark in order to get to
the airport by daylight.
Wewear heavy
cumbersomeflying clothes and a thirtypound parachute. Youare either cold
or hot. If you are female your lipstick wears off and your hair gets
straighter and straighter.
Youlook
forward all afternoon to the bath you
will have and the steak. Well, we get
the bath but seldomthe steak. Sometimes we are too tired to eat and fall
wearily into bed.
Noneof us can put into words whywe
fly.
It is something different for
each of us. I can't say exactly why
I fly but I knowwhyas I've never
knownanything in mylife.
I knewit whenI sawmyplane silhouetted against the cJ,oudsframed by
a circular rainbow. I knewit whenI
flew up into the extinct volcano Haleakala on the island of Maui and saw
the gray-green pineapple fields slope
downto the cloud-dappled blueness of
the Pacific.
But I knowit otherwise
than in beauty. I knowit in dignity
and selr-sufficiency and in the pride

of skill.
I knowit in the satisfaction of usefulness.
For all the girls in the WAFS,
I
think the most concrete momentof happiness cameat our first review. Suddenly and for the first time we felt a
part of sanething larger.
Because of
our uniforms which we had earned, we
were marching with the men, marching
with all the freedom-loving people in
the world.
Andthen while we were standing at
attention a bombertook off followed
by four fighters.
Weknewthe bomber
was headed across the ocean and that
the fighters were going to escort it
part way. As they circled over us I
could hardly see them for the tears in
myeyes. It was striking symboli8111.
and
I think all of us felt it.
As long as
our planes ny overhead the skies of
Americaare free and that' 5 what all of
us everywhereare fighting for. And
that we, in a very small way, are being
allowed to help keep that sky free is
the most beautiful thing I have ever
known.
I, for one, amprofoundly grateful
that my one talent, my only knowledge,
flying, happens to be of use to J1I1
country whenit is needed. That's
all the luck I ever hope to have.
Editor's note: The article you have
just read appeared in the Wanan's Home
CompanionJuly, 1942, and also in Scholastic October 11, 1943. Cornelia Fort
was the first casualty of the womenwho
flew for the United States ArmyAir
Corps. The original copy of this article is in the Historian Files and was
madeavailable for me to copy by our
Historian, Marty Wyall.

'LAST FLIGHT'

I t has been suggested that in the

event a memberof the Order of Fifinella passe s away, those in the area
be reaponsible for sending a noral
piece from the Order of Fifinella and
also notify Betty Nicholas, Secret8.I7
and Betty Cross, Newsletter Editor.

WAFS.
Secretary:

Delphine Bohn

655 Stockton St. #201

San Francisco, Ca. 94108
NANCY
HARKNESS
LOVE
has manyattractions--one is a mack of penning
letters that make one feel she is
seated al.o~ side talklng, emphasizing a point with the wave of a. descriptive hand~ She relates the marriage this past summerof their daughter Hannah: one 'sweats' with her in
resolving "logistical. problems" engendered by having the wedding at
Martha's Vineyard at this particular
II8D18nt
..in time. Natural..ly, every
little
thing turns out well, with
Hannahnowincorporating into her
lif'e pattern husband, domesticity-a kitchen garden yet-along with job
and schooling a newly purchased horse.
Daughter Marky still lives in one of
So. California's choice canyons developing her own concept of a life
pattern.
Anthropologist Alice f~r
the caning months has evolved a
world-wide program and itinerar,y 8uch
as to make all covetous. After time
in Maine with Nancy and Bob, she
traveJ,.s Scotland and Eng]and seeld.ng
ancestral. gravestones; moves on to a
dig in South Africa; then, its on to
NewZeal.andfor six months' of teaching at the University.
Wowl,as Bob
would say. The Loves no longer fly,
rather they sail-that's
a lot of
love (both concepts, noun and surname)
to transfer fully fr.omone mediumto
another. She canunents: 1I you can't
go off living on a Bonanzafor weeks
at a time. II So, late in May, they,
carrying as nonexceS5baggage a "pre_
cocious" poodle, in a cruising sailboat depart Fla. for Maine, with stopover at the Vineyard.
BETTY
H. GIlLIES' letters always so
thoroughly reflect her and her beautiful, individual wa:yof life.
Occasionally her "wa:y"nmst put her in
a small quandary: she keeps it so
brimmingwith happenings. For instance" not manymonths ago she, with
friend" flew the Baron to Alaska for
.weeks of fun and knowledge; they returned via Coeur d'Alene and the 99' s

Convention. Betweenthen and now,

there has been flying, family, polotics and her considerable work with
her radio station and patching for
myriad people (thereafter her friends)
over the globe. For "now," she prognosticate s joining in the ATWAR
terminous ceremonies, then, with husband
Bud, vi siting old friends up and down
the east coast; next, she will stop
by Atchison, Kansas, July 24, for the
dedication of The Ninety-Nines Int'l.
Forest of Friendship. This isn't
nearly all! In August she will at-

tend the 99's Convention, in October

the WASP
He.unionand "then, of course,
Bud and I will try to work in a visit
to see Pat and family in Italy in
September." Addto the foregoing the
fact she is Pres. of the RanchoSanto
Fe Republican Women
and its election
year. AREYOUBELTED
IN? "Pete is
still flying for Western Helicopters.
His last job was to pick up 45 telephone poles for Pac. Tel. and drop
them into previously hand-dug holes
in the mountains and valleys north of
Escondido. The holes were only 3
inches bigger than the poles.
He had
to do it all by himself."
Can you
believe it? He aimed a 50 ft. pole
at a hole 70 ft. below him and HIT it,
all the while flYing the 'copterl
Like to try it?
NANCY
BATSON
ClID'lSapparently mailed at
the airport a letter to your reporter
as she departed for Lock Havento pick
up yet another Super Cub. She uses
their several aircraft to tow gliders,
instruct in, rent, etc. Lest you need
a reminder, Nancyhas, along with other
abilities,
acquired an Instructor's
rating--of gliders, too-an ATPrating
and a Gliders' Gold Badge. Don't
overlook her duties five days a week
as receptionist for Northropl Last
summershe not only taught son Radford, a senior at ChapmanCollege, to
fly, she imbued him:with her love of
it.
This summer,flaunting a camnercial rating, he will spot swordfish
for a fishing boat. Nancywrites 17
year old daughter Janey, a June high
school graduate, will, after a Caribbean trip, expand, under a leading

Hollywoodagent, her career as a

model. Janey will, at the sametime,
take classes at a Junior College.
DELSHARR
philosophizes: IIFinaJ.ly, my
Future is Now. In the Past, my owa
Nowwas alw~s in the Future
Finally, I'm free.
Well, almost.

be a nsit, I hope more than one, with

one of my twins, Paul, who 18 with the
State Dept. in Frankfurt, Gel"llallY. n
It's a traveling f~1
The other of
the pair of twins, David, short~, for
five weeks will be in ThaiJand, Hong
Kongand Bangkok.
TIlcre's a stray male cat depopulating
BARBARA
ERICKSON
LONOON
sends a short
the rabbits, m01es and mice in the
epistle, but a definitely '1oaded.'
fields.
And, after my ham.ewas ranone. The news is terrific I ** "Terry,
sacked and burglarized in Dec., a
my oldest dauAAter~just becamethe
nephewgave me a four year old black
FIRSTwomanpilot for Western Airlines
Germanshepherd dog as protection.
I
and ls stationed in San Francisco and
must care for them." Primarily, Del
ls 2nd officer on Boeing 737s at the
says, she would like to use her IIown
present time. I'm very proud of her
Nowllaltogether to get on with her
and she likes it wry IDI1Ch.She has
history of the WASP(You've her addjust finished her first montht II nyress, so send to her lots or little
ing the line and says that eve17body
of that WASP
lore you possess.), yet
has been great to her.1I And aren't
opines she IIbackslides." These soall of us EXCEEDINGLY
PROUD
OFHER.
called "backslides" have been speeches
B.J., too, continues active in the
she's made for the Ninety-Nines; two
aviation world as a partner in the
or three trips-one
a tour with the
Barney Frazier Aircraft.
She nies
Missouri Historical Society of same of
them, ahe sells them..and business is
Louisiana's old plantations.
Too
good. Plus, a few months ago, Bar(Jesus Maria!), she has planted nut
bara experienced a brand-new statustrees, fruit tree s "and a tremendous
that of Imother-in-law'--whieh daughgarden of usual and unusual vegetables. II
ter Kria bestewed upon her. B.J. reIn addition, our nominee of the year
lates that Kria lives in San Gl..emente
for "Woman
of Unbelievable Stamina, II
with her new husband, two horses and
has withstood depredations to bodyfour dogs.
an a.ttack of toxic labrynthitis,
which
KATHERINE
RAWLSJ
letter arrived, bringhas to do with internal ear and causes
ing
only
good
neW8.
She ls yet at the
Del to label herself "falUnl wam.anllGreenbrier teaching sw1mmj ng but reand to property by (1) pious-acting
marks, "Wish I could get to reunion
scoundrels and (2) some additional
but it always comesduring rq busiest
desecrating scoundrels.
season. I'm serioualy considering
GERTRUDE
MESERVE
TUBBS
certainly isn't
retirement.
After 20 years here at
lolling in the Florida sunshinel Her
the Greenbrier, I'm getting a little
communicationimparts a schedule which
homesick to return to Ft. Lauderdale.
can be murderous, as your "secretary"
Each yaar for several years now, I've
well lmows. Gertie is world..ngf'ul.l
been saying - t just one more season.'
time in an office ANDattending school:
One time I III mean it and then I'll
liThelast 3 weeks of night school I
do a lot of things I havenIt had the
had 5 exams. That's with 2 subjects."
time to do for a long while.1I KathRegardLess, there is always vacation
erine sent along clippings-one frau
time: IlLast, but not least, I amleav1975 depicts IIPortraitist Margaret
ing Saturday, May8, to stay overnight
Davis AikenI s oil. painting of Broward
with my married son in hw Jersey.
super-athlete s Chris Evert and KathThen, on Sunday, he and family are
erine Rawls will be exhibited in Brataking me to KennedyAirport where I
wardI B Bicentennial traveling exshall join a two-weektour of 5 Europosition. 11 The other is also frcm
pean countries: Belgium, Luxembourg,
the Ft. Lauderdale Nawsin 1973 tmd
Switzerland, Germanyand The Netherbears the headline IISwimmer
Packs
lands. The highlight of the trip will
OlympicMemories.1I Wish it could be

quoted verbatim: it covers her swimming and flying career s and contains
several lively anecdotes. There's
morel Twoyears ago, Ft. Lauderdale
declared a KATHERINE
RAWLS
Day, gave
a very large (200) cocktail party for
her and "a first dq cachet was designed and 100 of them given out.
Mine was g:lven to me as the center of
a framed 8 x 10 poster with a beautiful piece of watercolor art called
'Sport s in Stamps'--about 15 valuable
sports and aviation stamps were placed
around the poster, including the
Amelia Earhart stamp on the cachet.
Needless to say, I was overwhelmed."
Well, so are we.
DELPHINE
BORN
believes in breald.ng reporters' rules, so: I, also, firmly
believe that all WASP
NEWSLETTER
"Secretaries" who preceded me should have
PLATINUM
KIOOS. With this column to
attempt to put together, I, of course,
re-read the prenCN.s ones: they are so
very, very good and here as I, trying
to emulate my betters. As to what else
I I ve been doing, well: Days ago, I
rang BARBARA
TOWNE
FASKEN
only to be
informed by her housemanthat she was
on "vacation."
I III make book she is
enjoying herself for one reason, if no
other: husband Dave is delightful.
Too, I :telephoned another WAFS. Apropos her, some fortunate people have
voices of such magnificence as to
make identification
a real plea sore
and immediate, regardless heard on
Jupiter or requesting landing instructions at Ramulus. If its been too
many years since one has heard that
voice, there is a skipped heartbeat
and an unrolling on one' 5 mental
screen of unique scene after fun
scene. Across a continent and too
many years, I talked with BARBARA
OONAHUE
ROSStoo few minutes. As I
say, her "hello" is truly beautiful.
She said she is wonderfully well;
that Acorn Farm is lovely and becoming more so wi.th each passing year;
and why don't we converge for hours
of reminiscing.
She remarked of how,
just atter WW
II, we had had our personal era of "make-moneymonth" and
spend-moneymonth." Of course it was

and what funl BARBARA

TOWNE
FASKEN
just now called She1 s been skin di ving, using Grand CaymanIsland for
base and fun.
TERESA
JAMES
writes she's been studying behavioral science and U.F.Os.;
painting (house) and planting (J.awn
and shrubs); and maldng pure-pleasure trips.
One such was to the
Bahamas: "and one thing I did for
the first time which I loved was deep
sea diving in the coral beds - walking around on the ocean floor is just
another world." Teresa' 5 last trip-early May-was to San Juan for "The
P47 Jug Pilot Reunion -It was
greatl great! greatl The seven
WASPS(ex-P 47 jocks) joined the 150
or more combat pilots extoling the
greatness of that big hunk of (whatever it was made Of).11

*****

The last long flight is overl

WAFS
Esther Manning Westervelt
December18, 1975
requiescat in pace
43-1 Secretary:

*****

G. C. BROWNIE
KINDIG
17205 North 14th St.
Phoenix, Ariz. 85022

LaVELLE
RICHARDS
BENESH
has been foundl
She and her husband Ken are li'ring in
Singapore. I understand that in the
early 19701 s she was flying a Learstar
out of the Philippines.
MAGDA
TACKE
and George are delighted
they made the move to Florida.
She
plays golf and bridge several times
a week and won a trophy in a golf
tournament, which she said was sheer
luck. I wonder if it was luck!
JANESTRAUGHAN
is working for Social
Security and does public information
work with retirement seminars, sane
radio work, takes claims at Walter
Reed Hospital and National Institute
of Health, as well as investigates
frauds.
Sounds like a heavy schedule,
Jane - what do you do wi.th your spare
time"l
DOTTIEYOUNG
telephoned me from Okl. to
say she is as busy as ever, working
for Catlan Aviation, amongher other

years ago, the Lore Intormation Center

activities.
Nowthat hockey season
at the Univ. of Arizona. She also
is over, she states it is very quiet
plans to spend some time in. Spain and
at home. She and Pete came to Ariz.
Greece to expand her basic article OD
with the team, but unfortunately their
traditional
medicine. She plans to go
schedule was so tight, we were unable
deep sea fishing. f.or a couple of wee~8
to get together for a visit.
in the Bahamas. An accident kept Byrd.
MARJORIE
GRAY
flew to Greece last year
confined to a wheelchair for several
to attend a CIORconference (NATO).
months,. but af.ter a ~
of operaShe has been working for GrummanAerotions" she. is now able to get around
space Corp. the past few years as
with a cane.
Technical Editor.
Marge hasn't flown
MARION
FLORSHEIM
is confined to the BeTfor sometime, but plans to obtain her
erly
Manor
CanT.
Hospital...a.t Canoga
cOllUIlercialsoon. She is also still
Park"
Calif.,
a.a.the
resul.~ of a cancactive in ROA.
er
operation.l.ast
September.
I have
MARION
MACKEY
DeGREItORIO
plans. to visit
tried several.. time s to cont.aet her by
San Francisco in ~.
She and her
telephone without success. However"
husband still. have the restaurant in
her nurse inrormadme .thatshe CaIJ.get
NewYork, but states that business is
around in a. wheelchair and a. :walker.
slow, primarily due to the mess "Fun
Our very best withe.s.to yau." Marion,
City" is in, which of course affects
for your canplete recovery. I'm BUr.
everyone.
ahe would.enjoy hearingfrOlll her
ELEANOR
BOYSEN
MORGAN
is presently going
friends.
.
.
to school, taking an advanced secreBETTY
TACKABERRY
BLAKE
continues working
tarial course and hopes to obtain a
seven days a week in real.. 8state and
position with travel.
She also has a
recently received her broker' a lie.nee.
real estate license in the event secShe is special1.zin& in .house set ups
retarial work becomes a bore. Eleanor
and mini farms.. She is ala.o.having
has informed me that TEDDY
DeBERNARD
her li'ring. roClllenlar&9d,. chaDging the
passed away after a long illness.
slope of her roof ..and. pr~
it. doesTeddy started out in our class, left
n',t rain until the job is completed.
because of illness,
then returned to
Betty is planning to visit her mother
graduate with the 43-2 gals.
in Honolulu sane..time. in June. All her
GERRY
NYMAN
and Van took a three weeks
son.s.are participating
in hangg1.iding
snorkling trip. to Mexico. They drove
competition.
3,000 miles staying in small. coastal
towns, tiny hotels, and seeking small
HARY LOU COLBERT NEALE intorms me that
roc~ caves, and had a fantastic time.
her volunteer job as Medical LibrarGerry doesnlt suggest this type of
ian has developed into a fi va day
trip for anyone who is not adventurweek which. she finds extremely interous or who is fussy about food or
esting.
Although Mary Lou said that
hotels.
nothing exciting. haa happened this
BYRD
HOWELL
GRANGER
is about to depart
past year, I'm. aure that with four
on a year's sabbatical which.includes
children &he n.ever has a dulLmanent.
plans for writing books and articles,
BROWNIE
KINDIG.
-parted companywith her
a revision of Arizona Place Namesand
gall bladder last Fall and can now
entering the final pre-publication
eat everything from Pizza to Bar-Bstages for the Arizona volumes of the
Q ribs.
In April she drove to Colo.
Dictionary of American Beliefs and
and :while in Denver had dinner with
Customs. The Folklore Fellows will
Grace Berge Mayfiel.d, whowas too exshortly publish a volume which repreci ted. to talk of much else but the
sents the culmination of ten years
birth of her first grandchild.. Fran
work for Byrd. She also has a chapter
there Brownie drove to Meeker, stoppappearing in a work published by UCLA
ing enroute at Rifle whe're she spent
on traditional
medicine which attempts
a most enjoyable afternoonwith.Betty
to trace pre-Hispanic influences still
Clark and Pat Sullivan. at Mile Hi
at work. Byrd also founded, about four
Aviation.

43-2 Secretary:
MARION
S. BROWN
2715 So. Broadway, Apt. 228
Tyler, Texas 75701
Oh HAPPY
HAPPYDAYSIMany of you
answered JIr3' plea for news; from as near
as Big "D" to as far awq as Tchad, Mr.
Thanks a bunchl
From Dallas, Texas canes news tran
BE'rrY BACHMAN
BUEHNER
and MARIE
MUCCI
GENABO.B. J. keeps busy producing
metal sculpture with an ~-acetylen8
torch, and a aide line of making apple
heads tor dolls.
She and husband, Paul,
have a daughter in Austin, Texas and a
son in OklahomaCity. Both children
are marri.ed and have produced three
grandsons between them.. Marie sold her
health tood store in Lake.Park, Fla. and
hopes to get into another business in
Dallas.
Both are planning to be in Hot
Springs in October.
~January,
we were saddened by a
letter trom Capt. B. M. Fillmore, Jr.
who wrote, ItI am sorry to report that
Jsr:f sister CAROL
FIUMORErecently passed away after a short illness.
She was
always proud of her service during WW
II
and subsequent association with the
'Order ot Fitinella'."
We shall miss
her. Those who attended the Reno reunion are grateful for those few happy
days with Carol.
From NewYork, RUTH
TREEStells of her
great time. at the reunion.
It was the
first time she had seen old friends
MARY
TROTMAN
0 I BIUENand GINNY
.AI..LFMAN
DISNEYsince Newcastle days. Ruth says
that all ot 43-2s should be proud of the
tremendous job done by our ownFRAH
DIASGUSTAVSON.
Wehear that Gus Gustavson, Franl s husband, is recoTer~
nicely after his illness.
Weall 'WJ.sh
him the best of healtho
Another letter from NewYork was not
a happy one. RITAMOYNAHAM
McARDLE
has
obtained a divorce after Z7 years ot
marriage and. i6 having to work at part
time jobs until she can find something
more permanent, to support herself and
her two youngest children.
Rita has a
MAin business administration,. a real
estate license and a most impressive
work record in advertising and selling,
managementand senior. executive super-

vision, airline work and with travel

bureaus. If you have any .leads . in the
Long Island area, please get in touch
with her. Her correct zip code is
11746. Rita was in Sweetwater for the
reunion and is as pretty as ever.
NewYork State brings greetings from
RUTH
FRANCKLING
REYNOLDS.
f1Sorry not to
have made even one of the reunions yet,
but I got a welcome round robin response
to my greetings to the 43-28 at Reno,
plus a detailed account by mail from
MARTHA
WAGENSEIL
RUPLEY,
plus momentos
(love the .Fifi placque) when I met Martha
tor an Oct. weekend in Chicago. Am
proud to have the Fifi decal on my very
own first car, used partly for my job.
Ward and I still have two bachelor sons
and one daughter at home. Older daughter is married and a draftsperson for
N. Y. Telephone Co. Ward was promoted
to Undersheriff in 1'175, hectic life
with long mileage, general increase in
crime and responsibilities.
There is
always plenty of house, yard and garden
work in 6UDDD.er
spare time. Winter weekends, snow permitting, I take care of
the snowmobile rentals and checkouts.
Enjoy sewing and knitting as relaxation.
One year, I III surpri se you all and be
with you at a reunion.
In Erie, Pa., LEWISECOLEMAN
ADIEcontinues to work as controller for two
local businese men. She hopes to move
to a warmer climate some day and to start
flying again.
Lewwas happy that she
and Carol decided to go to Reno last ye~.
From the Rep. du Tchad, Africa canes
word from PATLAWLER
ROBINSON."We'll
have two years here in July.
Can't say
itl s the garden spot of. the world but I
am sure there are worse places.
Like
lots of other places the political
situation is a bit tou~.
Sorta the same
feeling as taxiing out in a P-39 on a
hot _day - like. things might boil over
in a minute. But viva the tringe benefitsl
Weget two local leaves a year
besides our annual leave, and get to see
a bit of the world that way. Dick's
seen it all, but I haven't.
In Dec. we
went to Kenya, (Nairobi and Tsavo Game
Park) and the first Part of this month
we went to Rome. Got to attend Palm
Sunday mass at St. Peterls.
Then we

took a short trip to Naples and around

the coast to Sorrento.
It was lovely.
I wish I could get to Hot Springs, but
our annual leave. is in July.
Give
everyone my very best and have fun.
Would sure love to hear fran .a.nyonewho
has writing time. Conoco' B aviation
dept. is in Houston, _so we' 11 probably
go there for awhile. Wehave two daughters on the east coast and one in Ca."
Pat' 5 address is: Boite Postale 694,
N'Djamena, Rep. du Tchad, Africa.
MARY
TROTMAN
O'BRIENspends her winters
in Fla. and her summersin.CT. On
April 30, she left for the P-47 reunion in San Juan.nth.Theresa
James
and Mariana Beard Nutt.
AVANELL
PINKLEY
is living in Yellville,
Ark. She had no aviation.news; not
ev~n hanger flying..
She did keep up
her license until. a few years ago,
and. since. thereisa
good .little
airport nearby, she might start. again.
"I retired a couple of years ago, but
decided I wouldcanpraDise and do a
little
relief. work. I am a registered
nurse and will be working two or three
days a week.II
RUTHTOMMY
THOMPSON
HAWKINS
sent copies
of two lengthy article a on..the WASP.
One was from. the Los Angeles HeraldExam; ner, dated Sept. 14, 1975, and
the other from the Air Force Timea,
.dated April 26, 1976. T~
has been
working for the Fed-Mart Corp. in San
Diego for the past 20 years, and the
last ten as automotive buyer for the
chain of 46 stores.
The stores are
located in So. Cal., Arizona. and Texas.
Shs used to travel via camnercial. airline s, however, the companyhas bought
a Cessna Citation and she now goes in
style.
"1 will. attend the auto parts
show in Las Vegas and hopefully the
reuniQn in Hot Springs.
I had a delightful telephone visit with B. J.
BUEHNER
on my last trip to Dallas.
I
have been divorced for many years, have one son, a grand daughter--in-law,
and two grandsons.
I'm very proud of
them all - a wonderful. little
family."
Lots of news fran Eureka, Cal. KAY
GOTTCHAFFEY
write s, "I am teaching
. Humboldt State Univ. folk and ballroom
dance classes, mainly; some teacher
preparation classes.
Aminvolved with

dance production. and it is. very rewarding work and .very time. consuming.aince
my students number.in the thousands ,
(3 quarters).
It's nice to see men in
dance, finally..
I was brief~
in. Reno
but could not stay. since we had planned
a South American trip with the Sierra
Club. Met and eorreepond withGBETCHEN
GOHMAN
GRABA
43-3. She had problems in
Reno and upon.returning heme.to North
Dakota, found. she had cancer in both
lungs and esophagus. Weworked together on the night line in Dallas, after
WASP
were disbanded, under her. husband
Ray. Gretchen .was in chemotherapy in
September.
AlMAJERMAN
HINDSflew in the 1976
Powder Puff Derb7. She was to join .
an Afr1.can Safari, .photographing animals. WilL see GINNYHILLWOOD
in
Alaska this summer.. She and Cecelia
Hunter sold CampDenali., however,
Ginny has a.place adjoining.
We are
going. to Alaska in August.1I
MARION
SCHORR
BROWN
is flight instructing at Pounds Airport in Tyler, TX.
In April she new, via A-36 Bonanza,
to Baton Rouge, La. for. the caDbined
South East - South. Central Sections
meeting of. the. Ninety-Nines.
At the
take-off breakfast on Sunday morning,
the weather briefing was given by
GLORIA
DeVORE
SCHWAGER,
44-3. She is
the weather girl for. TV station WRBT;
her husband is resident manager of the
Prince Murat Inn in BatOBe Mayfound
Marion flying. the AlL Women's.Int' 1.
Air Race from Quebec City, Quebec to
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
The Brownewere
pleased to have GERALDINE
UIMER
MICKELSENvisit with them after she attended the dedication of the NinetyNinea headquarter building. in Oklahana
City.. Gerry has had a buayyear hosting the start of. the Powder'Putt. Derby
and flying. in ..it as well as the Angel
Derby.
General. and KARGARET
ANNHAMILTON
TUNNER
were in the midst of the earthquake
that shook Guatemala in February.
Their home.in Antiqua suffered e.xtensi ve damage; however, they. were grateful to have escaped injury as JII8J'lY' of
their neighbors died in .the disaster.
Their new home6 juat completed but. not
yet moved into, is on a mountainside.

It was so heavily damagedthat set

aside, for the. tiBe being, their plans
to move in.
In an interview with a
reporter fram the Newport News, Va.
Daily .Press, Gen. Tunner. tells. of the
mass destruction .and heroic actions
of rescue teams and medica. The
Turmers are now back in. their hane in
Virginia.
CAPPY
VAILBRIOOE: It1Artand I have
been traveJ.ling in .Europe for a month
- a long time dream. I t has been a
marvelous experience - until I met
"IIIY
downfall. I slipped on the Matterhorn and broke my. hipl Doesn't
that BOundlike an. adunturous mountaineering experience? Unfortunately the actual event was very foolish-I
was on a perfectly safe platform meant for tourists,
stepped off
on ice& and that did it.
But I have
been fortunate in being under the
care of an excellent Swiss orthopedic surgeon and hospital.
However,
I have had time to recall the experience I had during flying training with the WASP
when I hurt rrr:r leg,
hobbled on crutches for a month (good practice for thisl).
But, it
was entirely due to "IIIY dear classmates who helped out, pacldng rrr:r
chute out to the plane. tor me; then
meeting me with the crutches and
shouldering my chute again, that I
was able to keep on the flying schedule with my class).
What great
friends they were and are. Give
them my love as I wonI t be able to
make the reunion in '76 unless you
hold it in Alta Lamal"
MARION
BRCMN
sent a late note advising
she placed 4th in the Angel Derby Quebec City to Ft. Lauderdale.
Congratulations Marionl Editor.

is thinking of moving to Calif.. Let

us knowyour new address.
BETTY
ARCHIBALD
FERNANDES
is happy and
busy enjoying and repairing. her dream
home on a lake.
Her son is in nearby
Memphiswith his own T.V. Commercial
bus:iiness.
She and Dick will see you
all in Hot Springs.
LOISBROOKS
HAlLEY
was out of school for
seven weeks for surgery and is well
now except for use of her left ar.m.
While out she took an airline trip to
visit her step-brothers in Dallas and
Miami. Lois reports that Betty Dueser
Budde is gqing. to Europe soon for her
son's wedding.in Germany.
ELAINEJONESwrites that she is to transfer and is packing and moving back to
Honolulu but her.address is still Honolulu???'???
RENENIELSEN'Smain interest is gardening - roses, dahlias, glads, and a
dozen assorted fruit trees.
Elsie
DJer Monacovisited her two years ago
and is thinld ng of. retiring. in. Southern
Oregon. .Rene back-packs in the Cascades with Hank Richmondof 43-4
each 5UIIIIIler.Sounds greatl
ELINORE
OWEN
PYLEand husband movedto
their present addre88 in 1957 and. have
an archery bow business.
They have
bows all over the wor~d, have taken
some national championships.,. and. have
a bow competing in. ~the 01mpi.cs.. They
are very involved in. church work as
are their two daughters and families.
the bows are "Staghorn" for anyone
interested in Archery. Nothing dull
there.
FREDDIE
McAFEE
RICHARDSON
is married to
a landscape architect,
has. five children, all grown, and has been teaching psychology in a suburban. high
school. She believes being. a housewife the most diversified,
creative,
fascinating
job
in
the
world.
Because
43-3 Secretary: BETTY
ARCHIBALD
FERNANDES
of
her
teaching.
schedule
she
won't
be
Rte. 1, Box L2lC
able
to
attend
the
reunion.
Maybe
WoodlandLake
next .time.
Hernando, MS38632
OORA
OOUGHERTY
STROTHER
is still at Bell
Heliocopter
in
charge
of the Human
KAY
MENGES
BRICKis trying to sell BricFactors
Eng'g.
Group
designing
heliokaero as it is too large without Frank.
copter
cockpits.
She
has
been
enjoyShe is still Ex.O.1'ficio-Aciv.iserof the
ing
her
OOFaward
and
displaying
it
Powder Puf'f Derby and doean' t know
with
pride.
This
year
she
gave
two
where she will be come race time. She
technical

papers.

one to the Human

Factors Society of North Texas and the

other to the Mid-East Region of the
American Heliocopter Society.
She is
still in the Air Force Reserve and
just completed the National Security
Management(;ourse offered by the Industrial College of the ArmedForces.
She has also given a few non-technical
talks.
She was keynote speaker of the
the Bicentennial.Festival
of the Am.
Assoc. of Women'sCoordination Committee at Carswell Air For.ce Base, Ft.
Worth, Tx. This Aug. 11, she is planning to participate in the Air Force
Museumdedication of the WASP
exhibit.
She will deliver a talk at the ~e5t
Lecture Series.
Dora has been active
on the 99's Amelia Earhart Memorial
Scholarship Board of Trustee s and is
happy to report that they are now
offering a grant for an Amelia Earhart
Scholarship for a womanpilot to do
research on womenin aviation or aerospace.
LOIS HOu.INGSWORTH
ZILERand her husband
are learning to play golf as well as
tennis in between her teaching high
school and his Judgeship. She plans
on doing enough.flying this. year to
pass her biannual check ride.
Good
luck!
Manythanks to those who did reply
this year and apologies to those who
didn't have sufficient notice.
Let's
all meet again in. Hot Springs.
43-4 Secretary:

FAITHB. RICHARDS
3411 Goldendale Drive
Dallas, Texas 75234

The class secretary claims immunity

from members Have been very delinquent in my job This has been another one of those years Big decision making The time in life
when one should be surrounded with
security, I've decided to throw everything to the winds and retire early
start a new business and end up on
the county poor farm if not successful.
Spent the month of Mayon a tour of
Europe and so did not get my class
letter out this time With as big a
class as we have, certainly we can
all get together with Smitty and Hot

Springs and catch up on what's happened in the last year.

Heard from Alaska both from NancyBaker
who says she's paid dues but doesn't
get the news cameNancy and we'll
get three copies to you. Also, Ginny
Hill Woodand Celia Hunter 43-5 wrote
to say they have sold CampDelani and
are retiring to the big city of Fairbanks. Gosh, they'll never make it
with indoor plumbing all year and no
one but themselves to feed.
Sorry no other class news since the
rest of you haven't found your way
to myMail box See you in October.
43-5 Secretary:
JILL McCORMICK
4920 N. State Rd. 43
W. Lafayette, Ind. 47906
BOYEA,
RUTH(ANDERSON)
- 5~ ~ars ago
Ruth and her husband (Earl) decided
that they had had enough of the "New
York Rat Race". So they took early
retirement, sold their house and
worldly possessions and took to the
road to see the wonders of the good
old U.S.A., Canada, and Hexlco. In
other words they joined the "trailerites".
They are now doing their
bit in a 30 ft. Cobra 5th wheeler and
love every minute of it.
Andthey do
not have enough time to do all they
wish to do. This past winter they
did most of Yucatan, )lex. - beautiful!.
But most of their winters are confined
to what they call their winter home
on Falcon Lake, Tex. Whenit starts
getting too hot they head north. They
find they are slowing downa little
and are content to stay in one spot
for longer periods.
CLAYTON,
SYLVIA
(DAHMES)
- quote: for
21 year s, after marrying in 1946, I
was a mother, housewife, volunteer
service worker, etc.
In 1968, my
husband started a research & development eng' g. firm, IOTAEngineering.
I went to work full time and am still
doing that.
The work includes purchasing, shipping, accounting, secretarial work and running errands.
(Howmuch does he pay you, Sylvia?)
As a result of same research two products have been developed; one is a

fluid level alarm system used in mining trucks.

The second product is a
portable, high frequency fluorescent
l~ght (including autanoti ve emergency
lights).
lIm not doing any flying
these days. The Tucson Air Museum
opened last week and eventually lfill
be v:ery good. Our son, a mechanical
engmeer, and his wife live in Tucson
and our daughter aild her husband are
both 1st Lts. in the Armyin finance
and are stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Last Thanksgiving we went to San Carlos, Mexico and had a wonderful week
there in my friend I s beautiful heme
(which included a full time maid the best part of all).
CUTLER,
VIRGINIA(STREETER)
- Virginia
reports that her sister Paula visited
for 2 months and then her sister Dorothy for 3 weeks. Nowthey both have
returned to their respective homesin
Fla. So, perhaps now she can catch
up on her chores? She retired Jan.
19'74, after 25 years with the Long
Beach, Ca. school system. She taught
about 8 years and the rest of the time
was a counselor at the High School
level.
Since she retired,
she reports
that she is busier than ever. She
plays a lot of golf and works as a
volunteer at L. B. ComrmmityHospital.
Both of which she enjoys very much.
She is also taking classes in subjects
she likes such as: painting, gourmet
cooking and etc.
DAyrS,EDNA(MODISETTE)
- quote: Being
J.Il the travel business has its moments, have just returned from a trip
to SRI (Ceylon) which is truly an incredible land. Beaches, mountains
jewels, antiquity and temples and tea,
not to mention the wild life.
Saw
wild elephants and rode work elephants
with freckle faces.
Before the convention in Oct., I have been invited
to visit the capitols of eastern Europe and Russia. Inbetween, it is life
as usual;
one son attending USC,one
lawyer husband in a challenging new
job and I like to garden, in the pot
variety.
Looking forward to seeing
everyone at the festivities
in Oct.l1
DIDRAY,
IRENE(FREMD)
- quote: Wehave
licensed our product line at San Pax,

:nc. so we are trYing to ease gently

~to a new tack on this life by buylllg a house on the water, at Port Isabel, TX. It is across the causeway
from South Padre I sland. Wehope to
movethere in the Fall and Bill wants
t? take a crack at mald.ngsane money
'WJ.tha gallery of his paintings and
metal art things.
I can harcily wait
to get on with surfing, shelling, and
fishing.
I'll
send along our address
as soon as we make the move. It will
take until Fall to finish. our current
contracts and figure on the move.
EBERSBACH, DOROTHY - Dorothy reports
that she is enjoying her retirement
from Public Health Nursing with the
County Health Dept. She does a few
licks in the garden, watches quiz
shows on TV, and travels a lot.
She
doesn't drive muchbut goes in for
conducted tours.
Her latest trip l"faS
to Honduras and Mexico on the ship
Stella Solaris.
It was an interesting
tour especially of the MayanIndian
ruins.
She gave up piloting years
ago, and her ear s are glad (she can't
stand pressure changes).
EGAN,JOSEPHINE
(PITZ) - Jo's report is
short and to the point - No change
from last year J just returned from my
9th year skiing at Vail to being a
II tennis
bumll Mygame seems to improve
with age and premerin. See you at
reunionl
EVANS,
ElLEN(CROXTON)
- quote: lIm a
housewife, my husband is retired,
and
I have two children.
One daughter,
25, married, and I have two lovely
grandchildren.
Myson is 17 and li ving with us. After disbandment, I
worked for a while in radio coomunications in an Air Tower, Florence, S.C.
Then, I went into business for myself
operating a small airport for about
3 years. I am working in the field of
Alcoholism in an outpatient clinic.
I've just finished a 6-month training
program for Alcoholism Counselors at
Johns Hopkins Univ. in Baltimore, Md.
I enjoy mywork and it is very rel.,arding.
HUNTER,
CELIAM. - The following is an
article taken from liTheTundra Telegramll a newsletter put out by Camp.

Denali, McKinleyPark, Alaska "SwanSong" - This is our 24th - and

last - edition of the Tundra Telegram.
Next season will find CampDenali
under newmanagement. Gi.nnyWoodand
Celia Hunter, the founding mothers,
are turning the helm over to Wally and
Jerri Cole of Denen Lakes. Last Sept.,
whenwe finished putting campin mothballs for the winter, eased our heavily-loaded vehicle s downour switchbacks, and closed the gate at the bottan of the hill behind us on the summer of 1975, a quarter of a century,
almost to the day, had passed since we
had stacked and filed on our 70 acres
along the ridge above MooseCreek.
There had been four of us that day in
1951 when, out exploring the Kantishna,
we had paused to re st by the small pond
around which campnow.cluster s. Until
that manent, there had been no prior
concept of a CampDenali. Wehad not
been out searching for land to stake
or a business to start.
The idea
evolved as we sat looking out over the
tundra expanse to the mountains beyond.
Denali, The Great One, \-{asnot even
visible that day. Weweren't to find
until later that its full eminence reflected in that pond. Howcould we
arrange our li vas so we could spend
our summersin these surroundings?
Not working for the National Park
Service as Woodyand Les were at that
time, involved in the bureaucracy of
administration, subject to transfer at
any time. Not in the travel business
herding tourists on packaged tours
out of Fairbanks as Celia did. Not
just as a weekendcamper and hiker as
Gi.nnywas doing. One had to earn a
living somehow. Wasthere a way we
could continue the Park Service ethic,
our craving for wilderness living, our
experience in travel and outdoor recreation with the creation of a retreat rlhere people would pay to come
to enjoy this wilderness .nth us?
Could we provide comfortable accomodations without destroying the beauty
we nowbeheld? Perhaps "if l'fe had a'
mo.led then what we mow now, we'd of
did what we done", but given again
our youth and the times, we most like-

ly would do it again. In those early

days we adopted a slogan "the difficult we can do right away; the impossible takes a little
longerl" There
was elation in meeting the challenges
of weather & road washouts, bureaucracy and bears, limited funds and
long lines of supplies, mosquitoes
and maintenance. There was the satisfaction of improvising our o,~ solutions to problems, instead of being
at the mercy of others to do it for
us; of creating and running our own
private little
world where our mistake s were our ownand so were our
rewards; of figuring out our ownsystem of heat, water, and garbage disposal in keeping with our personal
philosophy of minimumimpact on land
and resources.
But the greatest reward of all has comefrom the personal
associati~ns we have had Vlith guests
and staff, manyof \"Ihichdeveloped
into deep and lasting friendships.
The CampDenali Extended Family
crosses allover the world. There
have been frustrations and failures;
doubts and disappointments; lots of
laughs and tears; plenty of hard \"TOrk
and manymomentsof sheer joyl \'/e
hfve experienced a park before any
road connected it to the rest of
Alaska's road system; \'Ie rememberwhen
the visitor car count hit 100 for the
season. Then, traffic becameso heavy,
cars had to be limited to only those
going to previously-reserved camp
sites or to CampDenali. Free buses
provide transportation over the park
road for the public, and nOHthere are
more buses than there used to be cars.
Wepioneered b~ded hiking and backcountry trips a\'layfrom the road.
Now,overnight back-country use in the
park is rationed with a small quota of
hikers allowed into each of the 30
areas into Vlhichit has been divided.
This is done in order to protect the
fragile tundra ecosystem and to preserve a wilderness experience for the
backpacker. The realization had been
grOl'lingfor sometilne that \"lecould
not forever put out the physical
energy that operating CampDenali demands. Challenges were becomingirritating hassles.
The linpact of the oil

pipeline construction has affected us

vuth shortages, inflated prices and
transportation and supply problems.
Burgeoning Big Business and Big Gon.
are making it increasingly harder to
operate a small, unsubsidized familystyle enterprise.
Celia's position on
the Land Use Planning Commissionhas
caused her to be absent from campa
good bit over the past few summers.
That and being president of the Alaskan Conservation Society absorbed her
time in the winter. Both of us want
to hike, paddle and ski other fastdisappearing wilderness areas of
Alaska while we still have the stamina
and desire to do it.
Weknew someday
someoneelse would be operating Camp
Denali, and that someone had to be
special.
Someonevlho had the same
feeling about being caretakers, not
exploiters of the land. Someonel-lith
no ambitions or delusions about making
it big at the expense of the clients
or the envirorunent. Someonewith manual skills and mechanical resourcefulness. Someonewho liked people, \'lho
was practical and frugal, who could
tailor a life to a two and a half
months' seasonal income. CampDenali
l"laSnever put up for sale. Wally Cole
had had a love affair with the place
ever since he spent his days off there
in 1959 when he worked at the McKinley
Park Hotel while still an undergraduate.
He had long wanted to imitate,
lease, or ownit.
So, now, he is the
new owner. Weclosed early this year
in order to go about the process of
sorting, cleaning, packing, and moving out all the things we had accumulated over the years -- books, camping gear, tools, and keepsakes. There
were more than a few heart tugs, moments of nostalgia, reminiscing -- and
decisions as to whether and whenceto
keep so much stuff,
Early September
had been full of overcast skies and
rain showers. Then, late in the afternoon of our last day at camp, the sun
burst through, spreading an orange
glow over the Fall-tinted tundra.
The clouds parted, and Denali made a
final curtain call for the season.
Full rainbow arced over campfrom

WalkaboutRidge to Cranberry Ridge as

if to wish both CampDenali and us
good luckl
JOROON,
GERALDINE
(HARIJ.1AN)
-- Quote:
Myoldest daughter, Kathy, was here
with her 8 yr. old daughter, Stacy,
and son Robbie age 2 -- Stacy is a
darling (very neat, unlike her Grandmother) but Rob is IIsom.e.thingelse".
I knowmy two sons were just like him,
but I was 20 years younger then,
stronger and especialLY fasterll
After
a week of catching him leaping gaily
into space (off of anything climable),
I collapsed into the close st chair
and stayed there for days. Mike was
here from Germanylast month. He's
a frustrated handyman.. As usual, he
decided this house needed repairs.
Wespent most of his leave without
electricity,
water or both. He even
convinced my reluctant dishwasbtr,:to
run again, but I've had to bail the
water out of it too manytimes -- my
trusting nature has gone. Rather,
dishpan hands than "bail-out knees".
Next, Barbara & her husband & daughter Heather age 5 will be here along
with EdwardGeorge who is moving out
here and going back to school. Our
Mary has a newbaby son, born Easter.
She'll be flying out here in June.
So you can see, 1'm kept pretty busy.
Eddie is still traveling -- th:imkhe's
giving a speech today in Denver or
S.F. (better know, Jerry, they're a
far piece apart).
He had the right
idea, give them a kiss and leave town.
Melissa discovered baseball so I don't
expect to see her too muchfor a
while. Betsy will be going to Summer
School -- only needs one credit to
graduate early from High School and
wants to start College this Fall.
IIUnquote". Gerry has lost both her
Parents this last year. Andher Stepmother lives in Arkansas, the location,
Hot Springs. A good reason for you
to go to the convention, Gerry.
LINDNER,
IRENE(GREGORY)
-- Quote:
Notice howI missed the deadline (1975)
and the reunion. Have hopes of getting to the Arkansas bash in 1176. Have
quit working full time. MyDad is in
ill health and I need to care for him
more and more. I'm wondering if you

have learned any details of the death

of Eugenia Garvin St. Martin. Last I
knew she was living in South America.
(Do you knowany more about this,
Roberta -- we've been trying to locate her -- TAKEA LOOK
ATTHISZIGGY).
Heyl You can add me to the list of
Military retired -- Major Roberta E.
Mundt (USAFR-Ret.)
NUTT,MARIANNE
(BEARD)
-- Marianne reports that for the past year she has
been working at the beautiful WITHAM
FIELDAirport in Stuart, Fla. At
present there are 4 controllers in
the Tour and there will. be 2 more
shortly, she hopesl They then will
be operating 7 days a week (7:30 A.M.
to 6 P.M.). She loves it there -there is plenty of ~
and fishing. She also attends a ceramic class
and is enjoying learning about ceramics.
Her Mother visited her at Thanksgiving time and they drove to Georgia
to visit her son and family which include s 2 grandchildren who are growing like weeds. The end of April she
drove to W. Palm Beach, met Teresa
James and together they took a flight
out of Miami for San Juan, Puerto
Rico. They were attending the P-47
Pilots Assoc. wing-ding there.
Dorothy Hopkins Henesy joined them in
their room when she arrived later that
week. She reports that they had same
blast - Tours - one to St. Thomas.
Other WASPsattending were Katie
Strehle, Liz (Pearce) Lundy, Evelyn
Trammell, Mary Troutman 0' Brien, Dotty
Hennesy and Teresa James. Quote:" so
we had a couple or a few W.A.S.P.s".
There was a P-47N fly by -- 3 passes
over the field lowl It looked beau..
tiful!
Ruthmary (Buckley) Cole visited Harianne recently along with her
championAirdale, Tess and 2 of her
beautiful pups. They had a real good
visit!
PATEMAN,
YVONNE
(PAT), Lt~ Col. USAF
Ret. -- Pat enclosed an article that
was in the Westmoreland News, Hontrose, Va. as her report for this year
even though it happened last year.
AndI shall just quote it.
Yvonne
"Pat" Pateman and Martha "Harty"
Stanton have just returned from an
"around the USA"crosscountry flight

in a Cherokee Warrior 151. "Sldnming

over the peaks of the High Sierra in
California and the wilderness of the
far Southwest, with closeup views of
the Grand Canyon, Marble Canyon, Lake
Powell, and MonumentValley areas is
a thrilling
experience", according to
Marty Stanton, a retired Major of the
U.S.A.F. During the trip, covering
over 7000 miles in 70 hour.s of flight,
they attended a reunion of Women
Air
Force Service Pilots (WASPs),held in
Reno, Nevada. Pat, a retired Air
Force Lt. Col., served in WWIIas a
WASP
in capacity of transport and engineer test pilot.
Along the way they
touched downto visit friends and relatives at various locations.
End of
newspaper article.
Pat, herself, reports that she is back on flight schedule and is taking 22 hours or instrwnent training out of Richmond.
(Goodluck, gall)
Also she is running a Virginia City night (blackjack,
craps and etc.) for their Property
Association.
And she is glad to say
that she is getting back to her normal "research".
RINGENBERGER,
MARGARET
(RAY)-- Maggie
reports that she is a wife, Mother
and Grandmother (she forgot to include
and Flight Instructor to manyIndiana
young people - might even include some
older people?). Marsha, her 29 year
old daughter had a boy born May17,
1975. She also includes that she has
a son Michael, 22, and a husband,
Morris age? Last year she took 1st
place speed in the Illi-nines,
5th
place in the Powder Puff with 1st
place on fuel.
In Indiana' s FAIRrace,
I had a 1st in tine but off a little
in
fuel.
Also 1st in time in the Mich.
SHALL
race.
As stated above, she is a
flight instructor and does Charter
work and seems to keep very busy. If
anyone is passing liiear Ft. Wayneor
stopping in just ask for Maggie, she's
been around. a long time!
ROTBART,
ANNABELLE
(KEKIC)-- Annabelle
reports that she lost her 49~er at
age 62. Nowshe owns an Oriental Import shop on Clifton Blvd. in Lakewood, Ohio. She wants to sell her
hame on Kirkland Lane -- it t s too
large for just my son and me. She's

an li.N. and is presently a student.

She loves animals - dogs and horses.
So our family includes two horses and
four dogs. I have continued to work
at Social Security off and on over the
years and am looking forward to retirement this coming June 15. Charles is
off from work after having had a heart
attack in March. So am hoping I can
get him to retire also. Noticed last
year that Dora BochanekFocht, 43-5
was listed as missing. Her address'is
Columbia, N. J. 078~2.
TEER,SHIRlJ!,"y
( SLADE- Shirley reports that she and her husband took a
weeks cruise from Galveston to Jamaica
and Grand Caymanand loved every minute of it.
Shirley went snorkling in
that beauti"ful water - a new adventure for her. She still enjoys tennis
at her local club and has made several new friends.
THOMPSON,
MARJORIE
(SANFORD)
-- quote:
The trip that we made to South America in 1974 was in a converted twinengine, called a Geronimo. Tammydecided that he wanted to go back to
owning a Beechcraft so we bought a
Travelaire.
It is turbo-charged and
we get more speed and it is also quieter and more comfortable flying.
We
fly to Calif. to visit my sister and
married daughter (whose husband is in
the Air Force----Navigational School
at Mather). Wethen flew to Salt Lake
City where we spent our honeymoon31
years ago and then to Minneapolis to
attend the Bonanza convention. It was
a great trip and we really do a lot of
flYing-including
hunting trips when
we take our two bird dogs along. We
have temporarily abandoned our plans
for a trip around the world for sev~~al reasons. Tommy
is so busy "lith
his ownbusiness-ranch
realty-and I'm on the Staff of the Museumof
Fine Arts, Houston, as Docent Coordinator.
I train the girls who take the
tours of children through the Museum
in a general art history course in the
his wife live in llm.,aii where he is
spring and then on the Museum'sCollstationed with the Air Force. He is
ection
in the Fall.
I also accompany
also studYing at the University of
memberson
trips
abroad
sponsored by
Hawaii. Wife, Nancy is an R.N. at
the
Museum
so
I
am
really
off on vacQueens Hospital.
Weenjoyed visiting
ation
only
during
July
and
August.
them last year.
Susan hopes to become

looking for a large apartment because

for the time being, Medical School
'
hasn't accepted her son so he's teaching piano as well as playing organ
for Church. So they have both of
those to fit into the apartment.
SCHAFFER,
ELLENOR
BELL(KURTEN)
quote: George and I are up to our ears
with the Masons & Eastern Star and
throw in a little
fishing when time
permits.
Strangers notice Fiti on the
camper. Went to a wedding in N. Calif.
(Auburn). Met folks from Sacramento
who had lost track of a W.A.S.P. met
in Big Springs. Camehomeand looked
her nameup, by now they are in touch.
(Whowas she Calie?).
SHEFFER,
HELEN
(PORTER)
- quote: My
husband just retired from being an
Elec. Engineer with Bethlehem Steel
for 35 yrs. Webought a beautiful old
T:i-Pace: which we are working on putt~
it 111 class A condition.
Then we
plan to jog around the country a little. We still have the farm - although
we lease out most of the land - and
only raise sweet corn as a commercial
product, along with boarding horses.
So it's even hard to get away for an
h?urs flight.
I still instruct part
tJ.Jlle. F~lt so bad I had to miss the
reunicm in Reno - but made the 99 convention in Idaho. It was great! Daughter Sue is married and I'm a grandmother. Son Steve is stil.1. in college.
So I'm trying to cut back and just fly
~ut it's hard when I'm up to my ears
lon sweet corn and garden produce to
freeze for winter, plus the selling
side.
I'm entered in both the Angel
Derby and Powder Puff this year in a
Cherokee Archer II.
STEGAIJ..,
MARGARET
(COX)- quote: After
leaving the WASPs,I_returned to work
at the BirminghamSocial Security District Office. In 1950 married Charles
A. Stegall.
Wehave two wonderful
children, Allen, age 25, and Susan,
age 20. Alan is married and he and

The best time to cross the Pacific

weather-wise is Mayand that's when I
teach the general art history course
each Spring. Also the fuel shortage
has put a crimp in our plans but we
haven't given up the idea entirely so
it's still in the planning stages.
WEIGEL,
IRMA(CLEVELAND)
- Quote: I
saw you all at the 30-year reunion in
Sweetwater, and wasn't it greatl
I
would have seen you in Reno but during the three days in which I would
have been traveling there was a huge
dust stonn on the Hi desert, very disappointing. Several years ago, I
attended the chuck wagonbarbeque and
golfing weekend at the Cochran Date
ranch in Indio, sang songs until the
wee hours. I have had Sun Hill Ranch
Airport, about 56 miles north of San
Bernardino since 1949, 10 mile s north
on State Hwy. 395 from Adelanto, Ca.
and now7 mile s west of Silver Lakes
Resort. All WASPshave been invited
to fly in many, manytimes, and a few
have. Hopeto see more of you? There
are, I understand, about 60-75 WASPs
living in California.
This airport
has been a pioneering project in a
very far out area but is no more.
Population has really movedout here.
However,in the meantime, I have continued Civil Service employmentand
have nowtwo years and 5 more months
to go to canplete 20 and retire.
I
have also been developing a mobile
homepark in conjunction with my airport so people who fly can live there
and keep their airplane close by. It
should be open by end of 76 or early
77. I'm presently living in my park
in the "model hornell. It is a 24 x 60,
3-bedroom.,2 baths, fling sunshine
yellow shag carpeting and all pecan
floor to oeiling wall paneling. In
Civil Service, I am a mediCal-surgical
secretary for the George AFBHospital,
eleven years in the sameposition.
Have enjoyed it.
WHEELER,
RUTH(HAGE1w1ANN)
- At the writing of this report, Ruth had just
returned from a trip and she reports:
Travelwise, we had a nice time although we missed the kids. They both
announcedwell ahead of time they
would not go with us again. I suppose

we should count our b.iessings that

they would go as long as they did.
Seemsmost kids donIt and we've seen
them ruin a whole tour because their
parents made them come. Honestly, I
would think teen ager s would be more
eager to learn about the World than
that.
But they want to be with their
friends which is important too, and
our kids missed a lot of that, but we
also think we kept them out of a lot
of things ldds fall into these days
by having ~hemwith us. Highlight of
the trip was cool Scandanavia, boating
around North Cape and watching the midnight sun. Wewere barred from Helsinki because the President was there
at the sametime we were to be, so we
went to Turku, a very nice snaller
Finland city on the west coast. We
had a two day bus trip from Leningrad
to Moscowand we loved that.
The
countryside is beautiful and lie enjoyed that plus seeing the log f~houses, some of: them painted green or
yellow or something else bright and
always a note of interest around the
windows, like white simulated shutters. Pretty yards with lote of flowers. One thing we definitely noted
since we had been there about six
years ago is that the womenno longer dress in drab dark colors.
Young
and old nowwear colorful clothes
like the rest of the world. Of course,
the womenstill do the work. Wefigure this was our last "fun" year in
Rome. Kay 1G..einecke(44-9) is coming homeafter twenty years and we
won't have her to guide us through
the back streets and unfrequented
places seeking out places to eat that
are not knownto most tourists.
Inflation in Europe is something else
again. Wethought it was bad here,
but it is even worse there.
It is
not as bad in the east, but things
are up everywhere. Tehran is one
continual traffic jam. If it hadnIt
been so hot there that we were content to stay inside I believe I would
have been ready to climb the wall.
Walking was preferable to riding, even
in the heat. That city really has
growing pains. Wewere in Bangkok
during the disturbances.
Wedidn't

think much about it, except we were

surprised it happened there.
But,
apparently the city was upset.
Several businesses closed the third day
and things were pretty quiet.
Sorry
I missed the Reno reunion. Did attend the dedication in Austin in April
and it was a nice affair.
It was good
to be with the IIgirls" again.
WHITE,HARRIET
(URBAN)-- quote:
This last year has been a bit of a
bust, .boarders and son Tomgetting
through his first year at the University in the freshman band-percussion,
umpteen instruments, an A in sophomore
Spanish and an award for most progress
in music. (Congratulations, Toml)
I took off the last semester to see
about getting and l~iting a dissertation proposal on research into Indian
English, which ended up being a monstrous project, not yet finished.
I've been trying to get downto northern Mexico to visit somefriends,
Jane and Dick, who have been talking
this purchase for years and finally
made it a couple or l~ years ago.
Wasexpected to get there last year,
but didn't and this year is even
vaguer. Unquote. With all the vagueness going on Harriet you'll be a cot
case. Better put Hot Springs, Ark.
on your must listl
WILLIAMS,
VIRGINIA
(ARCHER)
- quote:
I just returned from a ten day trip
to Indiana visiting friends, and relatives.
(Why didnlt you include
your reporter, I live in Indiana?).
Mymost exciting news is that my
youngest son, Stephen, will be married June 5th, this time in MassI My
other two sons were married in Ohio
and South Carolina respectively.
GREENE,
ELIZABEl'H
-- quote: Have just
returned from a trip through Africa.
Madeit at the request of my organization (Mission Aviation Foundation).
My acti vi tie s continue as per mylast
report.
McCORMICK,
JILL S. - quote:: The first
thing that I want to write is an apology to all the WASPs
whomI usually
send Christmas cards. Had one hectic
Fall season--in the Hospital three
different times and just got out

after the third visit on the 22nd of

December. Needless to say, I didn't
send any Christmas greetings.
However, I sure did enjoy those I receivedl Have done two things since
Jan. 1976. First, movedinto a different Mobile Home-on the sameproperty, so my address remains the same
but my phone is. changed to Area Code
317-463-1773. My original Mobile
Homewas 10 x 48, this one is 12 x
54 with attached roam and a screened
in patio& I nowhave a real nice
room for .guests-so comevisit me.
The 2nd thing I did was to have both
my knees replaced on Feb. 23. And
now11m having one h--of-a-time
get ting them to bend. My brother
stayed with me for two months until
I could be independent again. God
willing, I hope these legs will take
me to Arkansas?:l Didn't hear from
Scarlet (Marion Stegeman Hodgson),
but did phone her when I visited my
nephewin Dallas, on myway homefrom
Reno. At the time, she was preparing
to go to her daughter-in-law to help
with the birth of her 1st Grandchild.
Later, I heard that she has a Grandson. If any of you can get the magazine called "The Living Wilderness"
October/November1975 i3sue-there
is
a thriller
in it about Cece Hunter
and 2 friends who crashed in the wilderness in a Beaver and due to good
survival equipnent survived in canfort for 4 days before being rescued
by the U.S. Air Force.
43-6 Secretary: CAPPY
WHITTAKER
JOHNSON
4:175Kenneth Ave.
Fair Oaks, Calif. 95628
MILDRED
(DUKE)
CALDWELL
is still teaching at Bradley University at Peoria,
Ill.
They have a brand-new gymand
have just started teaching co-ed
classes.
She had excellent training
in working with men at Laredo AAFBso
had no difficulty in making the
change. She spends her spare time
away from the campusgardening and
working with saddle-bred horses.
Together with a friend, she has started a breeding business and is looldng

forward to retirement when she can

spend more time with the horses.
MILDRED
MCCLELLAND
CHRISTIANSEN
was
asked by her boss, the Mgr. of Muskegon County Airport, Mich. to write
a history of the airport.
She did,
and the 70 pages all printed and
bound, were ready for the May15
meeting of the American Assn. of Airport Executives at San Diego where it
was displayed.~, She and her husband
both plan to retire sonetime during
the coming year, and maybe then l'd1l
have time for all their various activities.
In April she was Co-hostess
of the Altrusa Wanan's Service Club
Anniver sary dinner and lias asked to
be on the program dressed as Amelia
Earhart-helmet,
goggles and the whole
bit.
One of her many hobbies is creating word-search puzzles, and she
was happy to see one of hers in the
Jan.-Feb. issue of the National Retired Teachers Assn. Journal.
Last
December she took a class in "wire
wrapping", learning to make gold
rings, and said she had never had so
much fun in a learning situation.
(Not even at Sweetwater, Mildred?)
ADDIEWOLAK
ELLISON
wrote that she had
no news-then went on to say they
were going on vacation with her Dad
and his wife to Paris and London,
where her father lived for twelva
years.
That should be a super guided tour.
She is still working and
in her spare time she enjoys her
grandaughter, gardens and does a lot
of sewing.
JOANN
GA.llIlliTI
retired from U.S. Public
Health Service Hospital in 1970 after
21 years.
She bought an Airstream
travel trailer
and enjoys tooling
around the country. She has friends
that own shO\'Idogs so she's been making a lot of dog shows. In April she
left for a six-week jaunt to Europe.
By staying in European hotels and
traveling by Eurailpass she hoped to
meet the local people and share their
customs. She saw CARYL
STORTZ
JONES
and WINWOODS
in San Diego in 1975.
She sees ANNSHIELDS
when Ann attends
'99 Scholarship meetings in OKCity.
She also sees RUTH
CRAIGJONES,IDA

CARTER,
DORA
DOUGHERTY
and ANNATCHINSON. She plans to attend the Hot
Springs Reunion and has the welcome
mat out for rmy girls enroute.
Says
to please call and get your name in
the pot.
GRACE
PUTNAM
JONESwrites that she has
been getting wonderful publicity for
her fashion shop" which is in an old
bank building in Salado, Texas. They
had three pages in the Dec. 1975
issue of PEOPLE
WEEKLY
magazine, a 30
minute television interview with
WF
AA, channel 8, Dallas, a story on
the front page of "TREND"
in the
Dallas News, a story on the front page
of II Tempo
" in the Chicago Tribune and
another. television interview on the
"Eyes of Texasll program of Channel 2
in Houston. She goes to the NewYork
and Paris markets every year and invites all WASPS
to visit her shop and
buy from an old pilot.
PEGGY
HELBURN
KOCHER
ran for State Committee last year-and lost.
Is now
working hard for a Federal funded NY
area-wide water cleanup program. She
had a great bike trip in England last
sunnner. Her daughter, who is finishing her third year at Taft, is cocaptain of basketball for next year.
ELEANOR
FEELYLAWRY
::Jaysthings are
quiet in her corner of Conn. She
takes a few classes at the local college and says competition for grades
and applications of Clairol keep the
middle-age "muddles" at bay. She
visited her oldest son in Pa. in April
and had fun spoiling her three grandchildren.
In Kay they went to Durham,
N. H. for their daughter's graduation.
ANNCRISWELL
MADDEN
has just returned
from a trip to Vienna and Budapest
which she enjoyed very much. In the
spring she put together a slide-illustrated lecture on the public sculpture
of Philadelphia which she gives several times monthly to schools or womens
clubs. She has six of her ten children still living at home.
MARG1~~
McANALLY
writes that she is
content with her life as a desert rat,
teaching 4th grade. She is still putting her children through college and
says she spends her spare moments
saving money.

ANNA
FLYNN
MONKIEWICZ
headed her news
"Story of my life, Installment 24."
She is worldng with the State of Oregon, Administrative Asst. with Children's Services Division.
Before that
she worked for Public Welfare Division. Also did a stint in private
industry as a legal secty. with a
local law firm. In her spare time she
is an instructor and vessel examiner
with the U. S. Coast Guard Aux. She
is presently directing a dinner theater group in a production of "The
Sunahine Boys", and is also a reserve
patrolman with the Dalles City Police.
The last time she flew was in 1972 in
Juneau, Alaska when she flew a small
Cessna around the field to see whether
she could still get a plane up and
downin one piece.
She could and did.
This is her year to travel having been
to Maui,. Hawaii, Prince EdwardIsland,
Canada, to Reno in the early swmner
with her son, and to Germanyin Aug.
She can't make it to Hot Springs,
having used up all her leave by then,
but hopes to make the next reunion.
LOLAPERKINS
RICCI spent a pleasant
evening with Howardand VIVEDDY
in
Seattle, enroute to Hay River and
Yellowknife, NWT. HubbyEd added a
Lear Jet Rating to his Air Transport
License but they can't find their
way to trading the Travelair for a
Lear. To celebrate they flew down
eastern Mexico to Cancun and visited
Mayanruins on the Yucatan, back
through Mexico City and the west
coast.
She noted wonderful flying
courtesies, but was dismayed by the
$60 to $80 (EP) "average price" for
hotel rooms. She recently spent an
evening with MARY
LOUNEALE
(43-1)
and her husband, Ray. She hasn't
seen LANA
CUSACK
BOXBERGER
since
Jerry took off in Jan. to fly a 720
for an .&nir in Dubai, but she reports
he's being treated "princely".
LOLA
is eagerly awaiting a preview showing of LAURETTA
FOY'S (43-4) new
solar energy house in the nearby
Malibu mountains.
pm w1.SSLER
ROBERTS
sent a brief note
to say that she and Jay were leaving
in Mayto take a ship through the

PanamaCanal, then to England, returning homethe end of August.

MARGE
LOGAN
ROLLE
wrote that her husband, Ken, resigned from his Airport
Manager's job in Missoula in Nov.
They moveddownto Bi" i ngs, !IT. in
Decemberand Marge tranaterred to the
Social Security Office in Billings.
After working 2 months with much work
pressure she decided lito h~ck with
it" and retired after working 33 yrs.
for the govt. They have property in
Bi Jl ings they are looking after.
They have movedback on the ranch by
the airport with. her mother and are
helping take care of the ranch. She
invites anyone in the neighborhood of
Billings to give them a call.
Call
Mrs. Dick Logan at Logan Int'l.
Airport for Marge's whereabouts.
\~
SAUNDERS
wrote a brief note to
say that she had been. ill.
S~ce
she retired from Fore~gnSe~ce,
Dept. of State, she has been living
in her old hometown--Cisco, Texas.
IRMASTORY
enclosed a clipping from a
Guamnewspaper with a story on CAROL
WEBB
COOK.BABEis still with the
construction business and loves every
minute of it.
She travels every
month, usually to Colorado Springs,
Kansas, Seattle or Oklahoma. Spent
several days in Washington, D.C. last
Novemberand had dinner with Pat
Paterman.
FRANSNYDER
TANASSY
and her husband
spent two months in the s~r~
in
San Diego playing golf, ns~t~ng
friends and their children.
MARION
TIBBETTS
writes that except for
short business trips she has stayed
in Bryan, Texas, greeting northern
neighbors and friends to the sunny
south for the winter.
However, she
left in Mayto tour the southeast,
visiting friends along the. way. She
is meeting her sister and brother-inlaw in St. Petersburg and the length
of her visit depends on whether or
not they find a place they might like
to settle.
She.was in Hot Springs
last September-the leaves were just
changing color and it was beautiful.
DOROTHY
WEBB'S
mother passed away last
Decemberand DOROTHY
has stayed on
in the house in Bakersfi.eld to get

it in order but says it is a slow

process.
She plans to eventually
movenear Vacaville or Fairfield.
RITADAVOLY
WEBSTER
has been in the
throes of moving from Texas back to
Seattle.
Her husband suffered a
heart attack so they sold the busine ss and are now remodeling and redecorating like crazy, with things
shaping up quite well.
Anyonecoming
through Seattle would be welcome.
MAURINE
BRUNSVOLD
WILSON
has been working on the instrument written to renew her instrument rating.
Hasn't
been doing much flying as this is
the bus,y season in their boat business. She and her husband Glen plan
to fly to Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands in October. (no stop in Hot
Springs, Maurine?).
VIRGINIA
YATESsays her only change
since last year is a new office phone
(due to a move) a/c 202-961-8151.
She sent a clipping on the NewAerospace exhibit at the Smithsonian. It
will open on July 4.
CAPPY
\iliITTAKER
JOHNSON
would like to
relinquish her job as sect~. for class
43-6. After five years she feels it
is time for someoneelse to take over.
If you would like to volunteer yourself or someoneelse, let CAPPY
know
about it.
If no volunteer can be
found, YOUmay find yourself elected
at the Hot Springs Reunion.
43-7 Secretary:
MARY
HELEN
BURKE
1700 Seaspray Court 1IlJ.43
Houston, Texas 77008
C

Did not receive any news for class of

43-7 so guess we can expect to see all
of this class at Hot Springs to catch
up on everything that has happened since
Reno. (Editor)
43-8 Secretary:

BELEN
TRIGGLUTS
P.O. Box 178
El Dorado, Cal. 95623

MARGE
SELFRIDGE
DRESBACH
has very kindly
consented to be class secretary.
Her
address is 1302 Walker Lane, La Habra,
Cal. 90631. Please send your news to
Marge in the future but don't forget

about me. I have really enjoyed hearing from all of you and would like to
keep in touch.
PEGMCNAMARA
SLAYMAKER:
"Wehaven't
been'doing anything too exciting but
seem to be unusually busy. In Dec.
a friend of mine opened a small dress
shop nearby and &lSkedme to help her
on a part time basis.
11m working
almost full time now as her business
has been good and am enjoying it, particularly when we go on buying sprees.
We h ave been to four market weeks so
far and another one is coming up in
S.F. in June. Our son is getting
married July 3rd, in Red Bluff, to a
darling California girl.
Our daughter
and son-in-law from Lincoln, Mass.
will be out for the wedding."
LOESMONK
MACKENZIE:
IIAfter husbands
retire,
life is supposed to have lots
of time. Well, something happened to
us--we have less time than before.
We seem to stay busy going back and
forth to our vacation homenear the
ocean at Ocean City, Md. Mac and I
are avid golfers--though our scores
don't seem to get much smaller. During nice weather we play 5 days out
of 7 over there.
Whenit gets hot we
switch and became beach bums. So I
stay very busy trying to be "retired"
and yet keeping up both homes. Our
son, Mac III, attended graduate school
at V.C.U. in Richmond, Va. this winter
and now seems to be getting involved
in the business

of making TV Commer-

cials with his photograph1'. He's

only 95 miles away, so we see him.
often.
Like many other parents, we
have inherited his dog-his plants-his off-season clothes, etc.
Years
ago I started designing my ownneedlework so have the walls of the vacation house decorated. with my ownhooked wall hangings. Suddenly, people
wanted them so now I make them in my
spare time on order. The reunion
sounds great.
HopeI can make it.
IRIS HEIu.MAN
SCHUPP:IIWeare still
sailing but racing. and pleasure cruises only. Wehaven't taken off for
anywhere yet.
That will comewhen
Bill retires and we acquire a larger
boat. Wenow have invested in our
present boat the equivalent of our

first homeand we still have a few

items to go to complete it.
It's
like a house-always something more
you can do or change. Weenjoy it
and it keeps us out of trouble. Sailors are the same kind of people as
flyers so we have acquired more wonderful friends Wehave our second
grandchild, born Mayll,--a
grandson.
Looks just like his mother did when she
was a few days old. Although I didn't
get to the reunion this last year, I
did get around more than usual.
I
spent a week with my daughter and husband in Cormecticut in Sept. and a
week with my mother-iJp.olawin Missouri
in October. I had the best fall weather in hoth

places

and I do miss

the

seasons and changing vegetation of the

northern states I spend a lot of
time in quilting a spread for the new
grandson, macramehangers for my
plants, etc, etc.
If any of the W-B
gals get downmy way" I hope they will
drop in or call.
Wehave two free
bedrooms.II
MARY
ESTILLFEAREY:Ill' m terribly excited over the prospect of leaving
May15th for Tunisia, North Africa
where my sister, brother-in-law and
nepheware on an archaeological dig
near Tunis. Besides seeing a real
live dig in progress, hope to see a
little
of the country. Just sorry
Pete will be too busy llmindingthe
store II to get away.II
JO SNOWRASS
FOSTER: IINothingfancy to
report for the Newsletter from this
end. I am feeling excellent-I don't
knowwhat the connection could be,
but the operation seems to have helped
the golf game-been in .the 80's twice
now. Wehave a busy sunnnerahead.
Must make up for all I missed last
year. Going places and people coming
here-such fun.1I
MAXINE
EDMONDSON
FLOURNOY:
"Wish I had
a lot of news, but I have only 2 items.
Our youngest daughter, Helen will be
married to John Burwell IIBill" Pope
III of Austin and Fort Worth on May
22. Needless to say-I'm busyl Our
married daughter, Boo, and her husband Byrn Fields, tell us they will
be making us Grandparents in Nov.l

~ee you in Hot Springsl P.S. am still

flying the Skymaster.1I
MARGOT
RECK: "I seem to have myself
split into a thousand pieces (mentally)
this time of year-getting
plans for
the State girl's golf off the ground,
the Senior Women'slikewise with advance plans for the National.
This
always seems to h~ppen when the golf
season overlaps the communityaffairs
in which I I m involved and the call of
the garden to be planted, acres to be
cut and fence to be painted-suddenly
there is no time. II
ELEANOR
OLSEN
WEEMS:IIEnjoyingMayin
Colorado Springs then to Londonfor
June and July. Semi-retirement is
great!
Hopeto make it to Hot Springs
reunion in Oct. The former Doris
Ellena (43-6) and her sister Gladys
Gerard and I have it all planned-so if
all goes well, see you there.
JANACRAWFORD
EBERLY:In response to
my request for information about Jana's
Toll House she writes, "Whatwas known
as the Alexandria~inchester
turnpike
in Va. had five bridges and toll
houses. All are gone but the Toll
House we bought in 1957 and its bridge.
As it was unique , it was nameda Va.
Historic Landmarkand nominated for
National category. Since then various
catastrophies.
Hurricane Agnes in
1972 left only a stone shell.
Just
8 weeks ago the muchweakenedbridge
just fell down. It was made of huge
stones and fill dirt, and a lovely
thing it was-two arches with huge
stone buttresses.1I Prior to the Eberly's acquiring the Toll House previous owners had made their contribution
to improving the original one room,
loft and basement stone cabin. This
included adding a couple of wings to
the cabin, a sw:i
rom;
ng pool, a 3 car
garage with apt. above, connected by
a rec room and two more bedrooms and
bath (total 5 baths).
Jana say's
liThewhole mess is 180 ft. long of one
room width and looks like a motel gone
wrong.II At the present time the Eberlys are living in a French Provincial house on a nearby hill-also
built
by a previous owner. Jana said, Luckily last summerwe ran into a young
couple whowanted to fix up and live

in the Toll House. He's a carpenter

and was able to button it up and make
it li vahle again."
FRANKIE
McINERNEY
WARMS:With such a
wonderful big family, Frankie never
runs out of news for us. "Sharon has
just comehomefrom England. Her
next assignment will be at Ft. Stewart, Ga. Mike and Doty will present
me with my 4th grand baby in June.
Pat has 2 and Mike will have two.
Frances will go into the clinicalin-hospital part of her nurses training this fall and Kelley is doing
well in his new job since graduating
in Dec. May16th I went to the air
show at Grand Prairie at the invitation of Col. John Becker who belongs
to the Confederate Air Force. Almost
got to fly in his beautifully refurbished AT-6 in the show, but someone
decided the rules regulations wouldn't
permit an extra passenger.
It was
fun listening to the flight briefing
and hangar flYing in the pilots
lounge and I met some super "old" and
not so old members of the Confederate
Air Force. They are a great group
and if you ever get a chance to see
them perform, don't miss it.
I climbed in the old T-6 and needless to
say it brought back many happy memories.
The show was put on to raise
funds for Carmichael, Hilliard,
Hoover and others to go to Russia for
the aerobatic show there.
This year
they will have one womanpilot, tho
I didn't get her name. Even the "Red
Baron" and his old Fokker was on display along with a P-5l, Wacos, Tcrafts and manymore beautifully restored WWIIvintage aircraft.
My
trip to England and Ireland last summer was a dream come true.
The people
are fantastic and the country is beautiful beyond compare." ~
HELEN
TRIGGLUTS: Wefinally started
building our house. As a matter of
fact, I am sitting in it as I write
this news. So far we have the basement, the framing, plumbing and the
roof goes on next week. This will be
a busy swmnersince Jack and I are
going to try to do a lot of the work
oursel ves. After five year s of hard

work and tender loving care, we're

getting our first crop of cherriesJ
pears and plums. We're still waiting
for the walnuts, almonds and apricots.
We've enjoyed the peaches and apples
for several years.
If I had any notion of the hard work and years of
\1aiting, I'm sure we wouldn't have an
orchard today. One thing is for sure,
we never have a moment.to get boredfrustrated yes-but never bored. As
you all know, Marge is the new class
secretary.
I want to thank everyone
for the nice letters you have sent to
me over the years.
I especially want
to thank Marge for accepting the job
of secretary.
44-1 Secretary:
JEANETTE
JENKINS
716 Second St. N.W.
NewPhiladelphia, Ohio 41+663
HARHIETT
KENYON
CALLis a memberof the
committee planning for the Reunion in
Hot Springs.
MARIE
MOUNTAIN
CLARK
and family spent
the holidays with her parents in Iowa.
Daughter Eloise is still at MSUand
son, David~ was planning a March wedding.

MARDO
CRANE
has retired as Editor of
the 99 DWS and now will do only special stories for the magazine. She
looks forward to finishing a few books.
FRANJOHNSON
CISTERNINO
met Earl Medlicott, an instructor at SweetwaterJ
while she was having lunch at the Air
Force Academylast fall.
GENESHAFFER
FITZPATRICK
enjoyed an 11
day Caribbean cruise with her sister
in March. On her return heme she was
met at the airport by Murph and Dolores.
She has a new address: 20455
Anza Ave., Torrance, CA. 90503. She
also reported that she and CATHERINE
"Murph" LORTZ
have been flying. foodJ
clothing etc. to Baja for the Christian Pilot's Assoc. DOLORES
MEURER
REEDwill join them soon in this
venture.
MARGARET
GERHARDT
sent a new hane address.
It is P.O. Box lOl~ Wellington,
Nevada 89444 - Phone (702) 465-2475.
DOTHENRY
is sti.llin
Germanyand enjoys
the location and job. She will be
thinking of us at Reunion time.

MADELON
BURCHAM
HIU. sent lat... of news.
Daughter Betsy married Lt. DrewSmith,
a graduate of the Air Force Academy
and they are now living in Zweibrucken,
Germany. Son, Tom, graduated from the
Naval Academyand married Karen Draper
and he is now in flight training in
Texas. Daughter Nancy is interested
in horses and is pursuing an agribusiness major at Portland State Univ.
Son, Marty, has completed his RF4flt.
training and is now stationed in Okenawa. NowJack and Madelon have time
for golf and flying.
RUTH
JONESand IDA "Skipll CARTER
retired in February after many years of
teaching.
Ruth spent Christmas in
San Francisco and then she and Skip
went to Dallas for NewYears.
LlAOOET
KOSTUK
says son, Ken, has married and moved out, but she is still
busy.
ALBERTA
HUNT
NICHOLSON
has: invested in
a Cessna 182 and is now working on an
instrument instructor rating.
She
flew it to Mexico.
ANNE
NOGGLE
has moved and sends a new
address:. 1204 Espanola N.E., Albuquerque, N. M. 87110. She reports that
her three years of work on Wcmenof
Photography; An Historical Survex, was
well received in San Francisco and the
exhibit is now traveling to: NewMexico, NYCat the Sidney Janis Gallery,
the Univ. of Wisconsin, Wellesley
College and Univ. of MiBJlli,and it
will close at the San Diego Museum.
of
Art in the fall.
Anne received a
National Endowmentof the Art s Grant
in Photography and has been traveling
about the country photographing.
She
was also invited to sit on the panel
in Wash., D.C. to choose next year's
grant recipients.
She sounds busy.
MARY
IIJershll 0' ROURKE
is working full
time now for the Navy. Their daughters are nearby and the granddaughter
is a delightful 7 years old.
MARJORIE
ELLFELDT
REEShas a new address:
2811 W. 66th Terrace, ShawneeMission,
Kansas 66208.
JANEROBBINS
is enjoying Boston and can
hardly believe her three year assignment is half over. She thinks New
England is surely one of the most

beautiful sections of our country.

JEANETTE
JENKINS- I am delighted to see
the list growing of those planning to
get together in Hot Springs Oct. 22,
23, 24th. So far: Carter and J ones,
Mardo, Dot & DougEby; Marge and
Elmer Harper; FitzPatrick,
Murph and
Dolores; Gadget and Jersh; Anne Noggle,
Betty Wall Roberts and Margaret Gerhardt, Kenyon, and me.
44-2 Secretary:
MARY
ELLENKEIL
56 S. Chesterfield Road
Columbus, Ohio 43209
Good Newsl Someof our lost classmates have been found, thanks to you
"Dear Readers"" Now, let's find sOlIle
morel Herels the list of 44-2 Grads
still nlost":. Anabelle Craft (Moss),
Kay Herman, Mary McCrea (McCallum),
Eleanor Patterson (Brady), Rose L. Puett,
Rose C. Reese, Jane Rutherford (Wiswell).
Send any and all clues to me. There are
also many Non~rads who are lost.
They,
too, could benefit from getting back in
touch.
More Good Newsl Times are getting
better - this time the post card roundup elicited eight replies and a long
distance phone calll
And one dear member sent $10 for postage so she could
get postcards for the next 30 yearsl
I
actually returned the $10, but I loved
the thoughtl Further, almost all the
replies said they were planning to go to
the Hot Springs Reunion. So, here's the
news from "the group".
LORRAINE
ZILLNER
ROWERS
writes:
It was
so good to hear from you but my iImnediate reaction (your request for "newsll)
was how does one condense 30 whole and
busy years into a paragraph or twol
At least 1111 try so here goes: I ignored all warnings in 1946 and married
a Naval Aviator who chose to make the
USNa career as he did for 32 yearsand now we are retired happily near
Mt. Vernon outside of Alexandria, Va.
Welook back on wonderful times in
many places and I confess that in spite
of 27 moves in our past, I am ready to
set sail at least once more before
calling it quits.
Wehave been stationed in Illinois,
Calif., Ohio, Wash.

(J times),

Italy and Hawaii. I left

part of myself in the latter two --ready to return anytime1 I must add
that our four children have enjoyed
all of this, too. Roberta, 28, is now
in business in Vermont, Buck, 26, is
prospering near us, while Patti, 22,
and Greg, 14, keep us on our toes at
home. All in all, we have nothing to
complain about and I'd do it all over
again anytime. Nowwith no more living out of suitcases allover
the
world, my energies are turned to
teaching and becoming a IISundayArtistll
Sorry I have nome of the 1I10stll addresses you mentioned on your card.
The October Reunion at Hot Springs
sounds terrific
and hope this time I
can attend and renew friendships from
IIThoseWonderful Yearsll
MARY
STROK
PETERwrites that she has
visited with Clarice Siddall Bergemann
recently and she gave us her address.
Further, she thinks IISidll will be visiting her while in Washington this
Summer.
KATELEEHARRIS
ADAMS:IIWeare still enjoying our Piper Arrow and have had
beautiful trips fran. NewEngland to
NewMexico.II She also had lIa fabulous"
fascinating experience II on her trip to
Russia in December. Her husband, Bob,
is in charge of Environmental Affairs
for his division of Continental Oil.
"SANDYII
SAUNDERS
WILLSON:Sandy is
Ass't. Vice-President of Helio Courier/
John Roberts Ltd. which handles worldwide marketing.
She enclosed some very
interesting
information about that airplane - an amazing craft.
Sandy's husband, Tommy,retired from corporate
flying 2! years ago and now operates
his own dairy farm.
JEANMOORE
SOARD
is having another grandchild in Sept. and is considering going
to Calif. then lito get it off on the
right wingll, and if so, will IIcame by"
Hot Springs on her way home.
ANNE
BERRY
LESNIKO\~SKI
is the librarian
in her high school, has two daughters
in college and a son in high school.
She wants to do oral history recordings of Carolyn Cullen, WASP,who runs
the Trade Winds Airport, and an Edgartown womanwho was a flight nurse.

MARGAREl'
TWITO
EHLERS
has just returned
from a trip to Honolulu with her husband, Wayne. She had a hysterectonw
in January. Her last child is graduating from high school this year, and
she is then going to re-qualify for
her flYing license.
Good for you,
Margaret 1
FRANSMITHTUCHBAND
is now living in
Monrovia, Calif., and working as a
dispatcher at the Lincoln~ercur.y
Sales there.
Fran's daughter was in
intensive care for a week, and in the
hospital for a total of five weeks
after a beating by an unknownassailant, but is now recovering very well.
We're glad the recovery is good, Fran,
and wish her well.
MARGE
GILBERT
STEWART
"foundll MILLY
GROSSMAN
PAlMER
for us, and says she's
still busy with her son, Mark, in college, daughter Ann graduating from.
high school, and daughter Karen starting to high school next fall.
MARY
ELLENKEILis finishing another yr.
in the sixth grade - teaching, that is,
and is looking forward to spending
llhappy timesll on her boat in Lake Erie
and at her cottage there.
She'd like
to go to the SummerOlympics in
real.
Thanks for writing, now or later.
Hope
to see you all at Hot Springsl

Mont:

44-3 Secretary:

DOROTHY
MOULTON
ROONEY
6977 Buohanan Ave.
San Bernardino, Ca. 92404

Several of our 1l10stll classmates have

been found. They are: Mary Loomis
(MacleOd), Protor St., Manchester, Ma.
01944; Hazel Sue Richter, 7701 Eastern
Apt. G, Dallas, Tex. and Starley Grona,
115 Shavana Dr., San Antonio, Tex. 78231.
Hope they and many more of you will reappear at our reunion in Hot Springs.
WANTED:
Dorothy Rooney would; like someone to volunteer for Class Secty. to
take her place.
She's not sure she'll
make the next reunion and thinks it's
time for another volunteer.
HAZEL
RICHTER
writes that she has been a.
licensed insurance agent since 1948 and
enjoys her work although it gets more
complicated each year. Her daughter

graduated from college, married and now

has two children,
a girl age 7 and a
boy age 5. Hazel is a proud grandmother.
VIVIANGILCHIUSTNEMHAUSER
has our sympathy

for the loss of her husband

last

December. She writes that her youngest

daughter is attending various colleges
in San Francisco and that her son and
other daughter are busy with their
health food stores in New York City.
Vivian expects to get inta her uniform
(thanks to Weight Watchers) and be at
the reunion.
JIMMIEPARKER
flEES of Monterey sent a nice
long letter.
Her life
seems to be full
what with three homes to care for and
two sons and a daughter not to mention
a husband.
Her No. 2 son Jimmy fell
two thousand feet with a double parachute failure
and luckily recovered.
No. 1 son is doing great in scientific
research and her daughter is a student
at San Diego State, where she recently
switched from studying law to being an
automobile mechanic.
Jimmy, herself I
when she has time, writes poetry and
sends it off to unappreciative
publishers.

44-4

Secretary:

MILLIE D. DALRYMPLE
Pear Drive
Austin, Texas 7fr/31

4211 Prickly

In spite of the diligent

work of Super
Sleuth Ziggy Hunter, we are still
missing the current addresses of some
of our classmates.
If you have any
information
on any of the following
please let Ziggy know at 838 Havenwood, Dallas, Texas 75232.
DOROTHY
ALLEN,DELLAM. GREMLING,
BETTY
HAYES,OOHISKLEIN, JO ANNPARRY,or
SUSIE WINSTON.
Let's make an extra special effort this
year to go to the Hot Springs Reunion.
Arkansas is beautiful
in the fall and
the Velda Rose Tower should be able
to accommodate us all quite comfortably.
Write your particular
friends
among the class and urge them to meet
you there,
or better
still,
call them.
ELOISE(HUFFY)BAILEYsays she doesn't
think she can make it to the Reunion
but I plan to try to change her mind
since it is a very few hours drive

from where she lives.

Huffy and I
were stationed
together at Maxwell
Field but we haven't visited
in person since then.
She ,~ites
that they
spend a great deal of their time
IIjust fooling around.
We went deep
sea fishing and spend a lot of time
at our lake place on Possum Kingdom.
We may decide to retire
altogether
up
there. II She is also trYing to sell
1450 acres of ranch land in Llano
County, Texas, which her father left,
so here's a free plug and if anyone
is interested

in buying

a ranch,

here's your opportunity.

JO BAKER'Sdaughter, Marnance, answered
for her mother and since I'm not sure
whethe;J:'or not she was being facetious
I'll'
quote verbatim: III'm answering
your letter
at my mother's request as
it seems that her affairs
are in a
similar array to yours.
She is in
the process of t draining the swamp'
and i s having quite a time with the
proverbial
alligators.1I
MARY
MARGAREl'
BRCMN DOURDEVILLE
said
she had been doing nothing of interest
but would like to say "Helloll and
verify the address.
She doesn't expect to get to Hot Springs and since
she lives in Massachusetts,
it is a
IIright fer piecell to come.
PEGGYPARKER
ECCLEShad a busy year.
She has run a camp for CampFire Girls
for about 500 girls the last t"l0 yrs.
I t is a busy but rewarding schedule
to feel that III have a small part in
shaping the future of those girls who
will be womentomorrow.
I have just
finished two years as president
of
IQ.amath Council of Camp Fire Girls
and four years on the National Council
and have just been accepted as a national volunteer staff member. This
should solve any problems arising
as
a result
of the empty nest syndrome
and keep me away from bridge tables.1I
She is also active in the hospital
guild, her church, and had three of
her children1s weddings in the last
year-and-a-half.
In addition
she has
taken up X-country skiing and I frankly don't believe she is in that nest
long enough to even know whether or
not it is empty.

HAZEL
STAMPER
HOHN
is still attending
college" being active in numerousaviation organizations" espe,cially ExperaentaJ. Aircrart Assoc." still
writing for publication" and keeping
up with the family" including the
young Vietnamese refugees for whom
they've been sponsors since last Sept.
The NevadaState Museumis having an
exhibit of aviation" featuring Nevadans who have played a part in the
history or aviation.
"S0,of course"
I called the Director to see what he
he was going to do about WASP's. He
W"clS delighted I'd
called as he wanted to do something about it, and I
called Fran Gustavson. We'll put
together an exhibit and will also
contact other NevadaWASP'sand WAF's
to see if they will help. II
DOROTHY
BlUTTMANN
is still recuperating from,the shock of getting a letter from me, but has pranised to attend the 'reunion" which is the incentive I needed to get KAY
D'AREZZO
to start thinking positively on the
subject too. Dorothy lost her husband two years ago and has been runningtheir
business" railroad contracting" ever since by herself.
She
also lost a son four years ago so it
has been good for her to be busy even
though it gets to be too muchat
times. She has another son in Colo."
a daughter in Miss. with two grandsons" and another daughter still
roaming - Wyaningat present.
Good
friend that she is, she promised to
vote for me to continue as W-4 secty.
I ought to nominate her, to get even.
ALYCE
STEVENS
ROHRER
wrote in a hurry
because they were getting ready to go
to Hawaii for Easter vacation.
She
had surgery last fall and was out of
school for two months, but said if
there wasn't a volunteer for class
secty." she'd take it over again for
next year. Thank you" Alyce, but
fortunately there is saneone else who
feels as we do that keeping up with
our class is worth a little
effort.
Read on and you'll find out who.
JEANMCCARl'
is the doll whowill hold
the class together for the next year.
She figures that if each of us took

it for just a year, we'd probabl7

cane out about even. Does that make
you feel like we're in a lllast survivorlt situation?
Actually, we are,
of course. Since there can never be
any new blood, one of us will fi nB] ] Y
be that last veteran WASP
and,unless
we keep track,. she might not even
knaw she was IT. Jean says ItWhat
have I been doing. I haven't been
doing anything startling or interesting. I'm always busy, but whenpinned downfor an answer, I can't saY'
what. I' ve been in the throe s of expansion of rq business and along with
my Business and Professional Women's
association's fund-raising activities
for scholarships, my time is pretty
well occupied. As to the Reunion"
I'd like to see W-4 came out en masse
and maybea special campaignletter
to our classmate s might help. I'd be
glad to help. II How's that for the
kind of letter you wish for but almost never get. And'she said she'd
take Secretary for a year.
FWRINEPHILLIPSSlAIFE offered her
help too when her life is ina less
confining situation.
Her husband is
termi.naJ.ly ill.
Whenshe wrote, she
was in the process of trying to figure
out their income tax. She said, III
may end-up in jail."
But I don't
think that is what she maant, by a
IIless donfining" situation."
She
plays golf year round" does herb gardening, and since her lmshand'e illness
is the sale skipper of a 281 twinscrewed Pacemakernamedthe IIFifinella".
While out on the Inter-coastal Waterway one day, a boat slowly passed
them with a couple on board. He saw
the name on the art of their boat and
shouted, liMywife was a WASP"
iQo.lI
But the wanan"with him didn't move.
Wrongwife?
MElU.EM
ROB!ANDERSON'S
letters always
intrigue me. She never seems to be
doing ordinary humdrumthings.
"Outside of flying to the '99' meetings
and feeding livestock, about the only
thing that has been happening around
here is every available person, sprayer, water truck and fire truck for
40 miles is helping everybody fight

pasture fires.
Fought one on us for
six and one-half hours with a 55 mile
per hour wind. Fires have really
been bad this year, but lucky, as not
too many houses, barns, or stock
have been lost.
Looking forward to
Hot SpringS.1I
JANEBAESSLER
OOYLE
can't figure out
why she was hard to locate since
they've been living in the same house
for 22 years.
Her youngest children,
twin girls, were born there right
after they moved in. She also has .
two more girls, a boy and two grandsons. Has lost contact with most of
the WASP'sbut will rearrange her
vacation to attend the Reunion with
a little
encouragement. She works
full time at the college in Grand
Rapids and take s or audit s one course
each semester.
FRANCES
STANDEFER
ACKER
finally received the third letter I sent her and
wants to be sure she hasn't been missing any other mailouts because of a
RRmail carrier who sometimes delivers mail but most times doesn't.
She
is boning up on Asian history in anticipation
of a trip to Amman,Jordan
where her son is a U.S. Air Force
Military Advisor attached to the U.S.
:Elnbassy. Then when time and money
permit she will visit her daughter
whose husband is stationed in Hawaii.
Twoother daughters are in the states.
MILDRED
DAVIDSON
DALRYMPLE
- I work for
the House of Representatives of the
Texas Legislature which is a feastor-famine job. Either too IIDlchor too
little
work. In the interim between
sessions there is nothing to do, then
whanmothe Legislature convenes and
suddenly there is no way to -get it
all done in the normal l6-hour day.
This is the off year, so I decided to
pamper myself and take the summeroff
(without pay) and play tennis every
day, all day. I keep having this hm'fIIDlch-longer-have-I-got feeling.
Since
I compete in the Over-40 bracket or
Over-50 when I can find one, the field
isn't very crowded. Thanks for your
encouragement and cooperation while I
have been class secretary, especially
this last year when I was in such a
dither about addresses.
Alyce Rohrer

bailed me out by sending her up-todate class list.

Next year you will
be hearing from Jean McCart and I know
she too will enjoy receiving your
answers. See ya' in Hot Springs.
LOSTCLASSMATE
FOUND
111
JANETEDESCHI
DUNBAR
prorated 30 years
of being IIlost" over six typewritten
pages of fascinating reading.
Wish
I could share all of it with you. She
is teaching high shcool science courses and has just been assigned a new
course in Aeronautics.
Had to take a
refresher course and \'fas happy to be
back at the controls of a plane.
She
is also sponsor of the high school
tennis club, does volunteer work for
Recording for the Blind, learned about
politics on-the-job as president of
the Bethany Republican Women'sClub
for four years and devoutly intended
never to be in charge of anything
again. But forgot her resolve and is
the current president of the local
chapter of Delta KappaGamma. Jane's
husband, a retired A.F. Lt. Col., is
now a professional.Chamber of Commerce
executive.
Their three sons are grown
and living a"",ayfrom homebut they
still have a mother-son Scottie duo
and a large Husky around. She says
the dogs mind better than the boys did
anyway.
44-5 Secretary:

LORRAINE
NELSON
BAIN
3161 Flowerdale Lane
Dallas, ~
75229

BECKY
MCSHEEHYplans
to attend the Reunion at Hot Springs. Becky is working part-time as a tour escort for
UNITOURS
(Club Universe).
Her last
trip was to Peru-liThe most exciting
parts were Cuzco-MachuPicchu,
Iquitos and a jWlg1e saf'ari camp on .
the Amazon,and flying in a Beechcraft Bonanza over the strange 'lines'
and animal-outlines on the Plains of
Nazca---these are written up in the
book (and movie) IICHARIOTS
OF THE
GODS?"
Maybedone in prehistoric
times by men from outer space".
MARGOT
HARVEY
VEALhad planned to attend the Reunion as their daughter
lives in Hot Springs, but their dau-

ghter is going to visit them.instead.

This year Margot and Bill new all
over Central and South America in an
Apache. Margot has a street address
change: Maj. Gen. & Mrs. William
Veal. 75 Seaview Drive. Montecito,
California 9.3108.
BEl'TERICHARDS
ANDERSON
hopes to attend
the Reunion if she can get time off
fran the hospital.
Bette is a nurse.
Bette's address is: 1220 29th St. H
St. Petersburg, Fla. .3.371.3.(Bette
had. her picture taken with MaxBaer
on our thousand mile cross-countryremember?).
DARLENE
CALKINS
ENOdoes not plan to
attend the Reunion. Darlene teaches
the fourth grade. The Eno's are selling their house in Great Falls. Va. in
order to retire at St. Clements Shores
in Southern Maryland. Darlene wants
to hear from Lucille Johnson CareyLucille, where are you?
BErTYSHUNN
can't make any promises now
about the Reunion. The Shunns are
planning a trip to Alaska this summer
(Shunn, Shutsy and Trix were Link
Trainer Instructors in Anchorage after
the WASPs
were disbanded).
Shunn saw
Shutsy in March. Shutsy and husband
are in the jewelry making business.
Betty talked with Mardo Crane. Mardo
is flying in the last PPDin an Air
Coupe as a good-will ambassador.
Shunn' 5 new address: 21.0Arata Lane,
Windsor, California 95492.
UZ WATSON
is looking forward to the Hot
Springs affair.
This year, Liz's
three-week ski vacation was: one week
each at Alta, Utah; Jackson, Wyoming;
and Taos, NewMexico.
GENEVIEVE
LANDMAN
RAUSCH
write s her
brother passed away in Reno October
1974 and her husband died in January
and the two were co-conspirators of
all the trails to Virginia. City and
Tahoe and the casinos in Reno and
Sparks and she just couldn't break
the ice for our reunion; another
factor at the time was settling an
estate.
She is State Representative
for Illinois
(United States Camnittee
for UNICEF). Weall hope to see you
in Hot Springs this year and talk over

old times. Sorry about the wrong

nameunder your picture Gen, they
were the ones listed in the newspapex
under our picture in Mission. Texas.
It was you however. and I had to go
by the names listed as couldn't remember everyone by name. Editor.
LORRAINE NELSONBAIN-Yup, I plan to be
at the Reunion and hope
see a lot
of you there.

'0

44-6 Secretary:

BEVERLY
BEESElfiER
Rte .3
Grove, Okla. 74.344

A happy time was had by all Ll'l Bano

last year. Let's make Hot Springs,
the greate st gathering of 44-6 classmates with lots of IlHiI You allll,
and IIwhereand what have you been
doing" greetings.
OOTTIE(HINES)MOSHER
remembers and
dwells on the memorable spot in her
life, the WASPs. She is busy as a
photographer of school kids and cant t
find. time to get to Hot Springs
though she would really love to come.
Dottie and hubby, a Winchester Field
Rep. have a 20 acre place with lots
of animals, nine being horses which
is their biggest interest;
five Arabians, a Registered Quarter horse. a
Registered Appaloosa and an old Mustang, a family pet. Their two oldest daughters married last summer,
two months apart and Dottie had huge
lawn receptions for both. The 17 yr.
old, Debbie. is graduating from High
School and plans to follow the field
of a veterinarian;
she is a local
horse show enthusiast and winning
blue's and red's, ribbons that is.
Sounds like heaps of fun. Rodely
McLeanand daughter visited with
Dottie last swmmerand had lots of
laughs.
MAlUE
PEDERSON
called to Bay she had no
news. A.fter a few minutes I found
out she has painted her house, the
outside, all alone. It took a week
for her to canplete it.
She, also,
has two groups of .30 and .31 children
to teach, is a church Elder in the
Presbytl.erian church and keeps busy
doing the outside chores in her spare

plays golf on week-ends and does Secretarial

work during the week. Says
she would love to keep in touch with
everyone, now that she has been found.
Her address: 3456 Chiswick Ct.,
Silver Springs, Md. 20906.
LAVINIA(UPPINCOTT)GREEN
is planning
to take some time. off to be at the
reunion.
She is in her third year of
teaching
Art
with the Galveston, Ind.
televised Family Circle Tennis
School
Dist.
at the guidance center
Tournament on May 2 & 3. She said
school
which
is
for behavioral prothe Island would be a great spot for
blem
students;
also,
the school houses
the next WASPNtiIiion. HMMM-mmm-mm.
the
pregnant
girls
that
are still in
Mary located Anita Paul who is now a
school
.
A
busy
time
with
grades, etc.
a Carmelite Nun. She has written her
so
will
save
more
news
for
Hot Springs.
a long letter but did not hear back
JEANHIXON
has
a
new
address;
2042 Beach
in time for the Newsletter.
She did
Tree
Dr.,
Uniontwon,
Ohio
44685.
She
find out that Anita still loves her
is
doing
a
history
of
the
WASP
that
flYing, has been to Korea, Africa &
live in Ohio for the 99' s and the
Guatemala. Great work on locating
Ohio Aviation history so please, anyAnita.
one reading this, send background inMARY
(RETICK)WELLS
is saving her news
formatiop to her. Her spare time is
for Hot Springs. Mary says llyup I'm
an Air Force assignment to C-l41 Mainplanning on coming to the reunio~lI.
tenanc.e in Research plus teaching
FRANKIE
(LOVVORN)
BRETHERICK
get s a
btronomy in. the NewPlanetarium.
Xmascard off to Mary McDarghbut they
She has received a 1976 Jennings
haven't gotten together yet.
They
Scholar Awardand now a Lt. Col. A.F.
live only 300 mile s apart but as franRes. Jean plans to see you all at
kie says "The faster I go the behindHot Springs.
er I g~tll; no time for golf, just busy
AVA(RAMM)
lUCHARDSON
says lIHiIlto
busy WJ.thgarden club. No specialty
everyone & ,plans to meet you all at
just pretties and everything that
'
reunion.
She has been tied downas
gr~s.
She is chairman of the up and
a baby 8itting grandmother and will
cOlllJ.Ilg
flower show in '76-' 77. She
tell all. at Hot Springs.
says it's unbelievable the number of
MARY
(BREIDENBACK)
HANSEN
writes that
Northerners moving to Florida.
She
last summershe drove through our
found lost Barbara (Leonard) Posey
National. Parks & up into Canada.
Irene (McCon1hay)Leahy, Charis (PitThis summershe plans a cruise thrcairn) Cole and others listed missing.
ough inland waters of Alaska and via
Good luck on more lost WASPs. In June
land,
into the interior area.
Has
they are taking a cruise from San Juan
been doing Lapidary work as a hobby
- Puerto Rico thru the Caribbean, flyand loves it.
Probably skip the reing to & from and then will see all
union for a Caribbean Cruise this
Xmas. Sounds like fun but we will
44-6 classmates at the reunion. She
miss you.
is working on getting Mary McDarghto
BARBARA
(LEONARD)
POSEY,a. lost one for
ComB,good Luck. P.S. Frankie's motto
a
while,
has
kept
up her flyi.ng licwhich we all should adopt, "I'd rather'
ense
as
she
&
husband
take frequent
wear out than rust outll, so, she gets
trips
in
their
Club's
Cessna 182. He
h~r parts repaired. and keeps on pluglikes
to
keep
up
on
his
instrument
gJ.Ilgaway. AMEN.
rating BO he does all the radio and
rRnm (McCONIliAY)
LEAHY
movedto Rossnavigating as though on instruments
more Leisure World in Silver Springs,
while Barbara flies the plane.
He
Md. and after 4 years finds the quiet
says he really appreciates the WASP
leisure atmosphere very agreeable;
training.
They bought and still own

time. Marie told me that she plans

to retire fran teaching in 5 years,
and can hardly wait. Will try to get
to Hot Springs but it is a busy time
of year for her.
MARY
(REINEBERG)McDABGH
writes her son
is at Harvard and her daughter is P.R.
director on Amilia Island, Fla. and
was in the thick of things for the

a Stearman, which their oldest boy,

then 15, (this being 15 years ago)
plus one other boy (teenage), and
six kids right behind them 1e~ed to
fly.
They figured they needed the
plane to help raise a flying family.
The two boys quickly becameprofficient and the year they graduated from
High School Barbara & hubby let them
fly to mm.o, then downthru the Smoky
Mountains and on to Ft. Lauderdale,
Fla., then back home. Ater a few
sleepless nights by parents, and upon
their return, we asked them howthey
got over the mountains. Reply: "Nothing to it Mom,we just followed the
river". Sounds like Sweetwater crosscountry flights.
The boys do acrobatics and have won a "slip to circle"
contest.
One of the boys wants to
fly Momto the reunion. Lets work on
that, sounds like a. real. happy flying
family.
PAULINE
(CANNEY)
BAlKER
ran into sane
golfing WASPsat the Tallahassee invitational,
Connie Reynolds & Liz
Bane. Said. she tried to stay in flying after WASPsbut could. not get a
single person to believe. her log book
so ended up in Navy Aviation in Map,
Chart, & Photo Interp.
Transferred
to AF& Mats at HickamAFBas aircraft Dispatcher.
Married Ed in '47,
then was recalled to service Feb. '51.
WonderhowmanyWASP
were recalled
then? Yours truly, Beverly, was one
of them. Polly then had two children
& they all stayed in the beloved
Hawaiian Islands for 20 years.
Ed
got transferred to Miami to the National Weather Service and Paul, her
son, is headed for Hawaii now to
spend 3 yrs. in the ArmyCorp. of
Engineers, so gaess where Polly is
going. Sorry we won't get to see
her in Oct.
SARABEL
(BOOTH)
WARDLE
after the Alaskan trip last year and a driving
trip through Ireland, staying in
farm houses, the excitement came in
Northern Ireland where they were
stopped by 5 military men and delayed for quite a spell.
Enroute home
they stopped at her husbands birth
place and saw the home, a high

light to the trip.

In Feb. they
were off on the '76 Golf Tour of
Southern Calif. and Ariz. where Sarabel saw H~
Stires for a short
visit, also Allair Bennett in Tucson.
San Diego 7, the Aerospace Museum,
was next and.they bumpedinto Madge
Menton and hubby from Indianapolis,
smal.l.worldS Returning homethey
stopped and spent a weekendwith
Mary & Vic Hansen. Then 2 wks. in
Europe; Amsterdam,Copenhagen, He1sinld. & Leningrad. With all this
travel we will see Beth at Hot Springs.
MARY
HELEN
(GOSNELL)CHAPPElJ..
plans to
get together in Denver nth Barbara
(Fleming) Foss & Justine (Fletcher)
Woodsreal soon and hash over good
old days. Mary was stationed in
Grand I aland, .Neb. as co-pilot for
Gen. Frank Armstrong and, when he
went overseas" Mary was sent to Wendover, Utah with Dr. Droa Dougherty
Strothers and got B-29 time. The
two made deliveries for the A-bomb
project.
Col. Tibbitt, then Commander, flew with the girls occasionally.
He was in on the dropping of the
first bombon Japan. Mary lives in
the quiet Colorado mts. and is Deputy
Treasurer for Cripple Creek County.
She plans to make the reunion this
time and only wished it were in Colo.
Maybenext time Maryl
NANETTE
(HAZELTINE)
FULLER
writes she's
hoping and praying like mad to make
the reunion. It's at a particularly
nice time for her as her birthday is
the 24th and her comment"what better
way to spend such a neat time as with
all the rest of the 'idiot's'
from
Sweetwaterl!!!l!.
She has had her
ups and downswhat with working 6 & 7
days a week,

then her folks bought

newmobile home, movedin and thru an

improperly installed furnaoe they
(ages 78 & 80) were almost asphy:xiated. All is over now and they are almost completely recovered. The 5
kids are in college.
The e1dest, a
girl, graduates from Stanford in June
then gets married. Nan says "Thank
Godthey are all on scholarships".
She sends her best & hopes to get to

the reunion.
BETTY
JANEwru.IAMS write 5 einee Reno
she has spent most of the time in
uniform at the Pentagon. A tour of
Special Duty with AF office of Info.,
Sec. of AFHdq., Washington, DC. She
was a guest of Lt. Col. Jo Olmsted
who resides in Alexandria, Va. and
Betty thinks, to her knowledge, is the
last WASPstill on full time duty.
Jo is Intelligence Officer with the
7602 Intelligence Group, Ft. Belvoir,
Va. The three special duty weeks
Betty worked on was a Dept. of Defense
Exhibit honoring .caen in the Federal
Govt., both civilian and military.
Then had extra duty on a continuing
project centering on Int'l.
Woman's
Year Activities within the A.F. The
3 wks. became7 and duty on into
Sept. and a motion picture plan
where Gen. "JiJIIDy"Doolittle will
interview the three top womenin the
Air Force. "That Gen. Doolittle is a
joy to meet. This then led for a
request by the newly promoted Brig.
Gen. Cris Mannfor me to serve 60
days in Nov. to help get the Info."
Activities started in her new Directorate at USAFHq. She heads up
the HumanResources Directorate, thus
I was able to enjoy staYing on with
J 0 Olmsted in D.C. during the Holi~s.
After returning to Calif. and
retirement, it appears Betty is toying with ideas of joining a company
in managementtraining programs that
deal with the new Equal Opportunity
Law. All I can say is hope to see or
get a minute to see you in Hot Springs
and more exciting info. Goodluck
and happy retirement.
Betty asks
anyone flYing to the reunion she
would like a hop. That's one way to
get her there.
-BEVERLY
BEESEliYER
had a great week in
Las Vegas spending most of her time
at the Black Jack table.
She'd practiced a month prior to going and read
every thing she could get her hands
on assuring her how to win at Black
Jack. She says; II dont t you believe
it, however, did a lot better than
not having a system. Also got brave
twice and sat in on poker. That is

a mighty rough go for a beginner but

somedayI'll bluff the best of them."
Bev has been busy with the Bi-Centennial as she's on the conunitte, also
with her art work and an Arts & Craft
showover the holiday.
She still
found time to get all the news of her
class and send it in.
44-7 Secretary: ELEANOR
GUNDERSON
6901 E. Second Street
Tucson, Arizona 85710
BEEFALKHAYDU
On March l5J 1976J Bee
and Joe Haydu hosted

some of the Fla.

WASPS
for drinks and supper at their
Palm Beach Gardens condominium.
Feasted and entertained were: Dorothy Henesy 43~, Teresa James WAF,
Eleanor Morgan (Boysen) 43-1, Marianne
Nutt 43-5, oMaryO'Brien 43-2, Katie
and Jack Strehle 43-4 (They flew in
from Key Biscayne, Fla.), in honor of
visiting Betty Nicholas.
NONA
HOLT
PICKERING
Back in a U. S.
Govt. school after all these years!
Nona working IRS, just graduated from
Tax LawSchool and is a bona fide Tax
Auditor---so watch those returns,
gang. Seriously, it was a lot of
work and study-and Nona should be
congratulated.
To celebrate and recover, she climbed aboard the Island
Princess and enjoyed a cruise through
the PanamaCanal and the Carribbean
to Puerto Rico then by air back to
Los Angeles. Also, she has reinstated
her commercial and will probably be
back in the air soon doiRg what we all
were born to do.
VELTA
HANEY
BENNvisitedher old bay-mate,
me (Gundy). Wespent somegrand hours
in Los Angeles with Nona.Holt Pickering--all
three talking at once-and
looking at an old album with pictures
of us whenwe were skinny and smooth.
Velta and Gundydrove to Tucson by
way of Tallmantz Co. in Orange County,
Ca. There we met the Great One, Frank
Tallman--it was great to hear real
hangar flying by those two old prosFrank and Velta. He invited us to
visit the Movieland Air Museum-and
there we found airplanes that are older than we. By the way ladies,

Velta's total flying time has now exceeded 26,000 hours 1

OPALHICKS(VIVliAN)
FAGEN
Jean Landa
visited Opal in Hawaii and within the
hour they were in night aroWld the
Island.
Opal wrote that she and Jean
started talking where they left off
the last time they visited (7 yrs. ago)
and didn't stop for 5 daysFun
She surprised Jean hy inviting Nancy
Conklin. to lWlch-their
first reunion with Nancy since Sweetwater.
She regrets she missed ULA MOORE
MANN,
when Lila was in Hawaii For
Lila and anyone else coming to Hawaii, Opal sends her new address

1550 Hoaaina. St., Honolulu 96821,

phone 373-2361.
She is listed in
the book as Vivian Fagen. Both
Hixie and her husband are with Earl
Thacker Co., real estate, and their
bus. phone is 923-7666.
Best news
from .Hixie-she
plans to try to get
to the Arkansas reunion
DOROTHY
SMITHWCAS
married to a Lt.
Col so they've been moving a bit.
They sold their large homeand have
movedinto a townhouse-hopefully
their last move so nowyou can
write to her: Dorothy (Mrs. Alfred
T.) Lucas, 8107 Club Court, Austin,
Texas 78759. Phone 512-345-0324.
Dorothy reports that only 2 of her
5 children are left at home, now, 50
she and the colonel plan to relax
more in the future and read all the
letters you 44-7 gals send.
JEANLANDA
was just recently made
manager and. a Vice Pres. of Pacific
First FederaL Savings and Loan Assoc.
(Pioneer WomenLibbers are still
carrying on.) Jean went to Hawaii
in April with her three daughters
and three grandsons-(a
grandmother
at 29?1)
She wrote about the visit
with Opal Hicks and howhappy she
was to see Nancy Conklin and as
previously reported, sheandHixie
went flying Jean reports that
Carlos is fine and she hopes to make
the Arkansas reunion.
GERRY
ASHWELL
(BETTY)LOTOWYCZ
wrote a
short note saying she was out of aviation and into the natural world.
Gerry is a field botanist working on

the flora of Long I sland. She has

two married children and three grandchildrenI- She sees Alice Gartland
Whitmore. She didn't menti.on the
Arkansas.reuni.on
perhaps a little
nagging would help! 11
ELEANOR
GUNDERSON
quote: "I retired
from Air Traffic Control 10 years
ago--in
terror (looked at all
those airplanes on the radar scope)
and went back to commercial art.
Started flying again last year-in
terror (rememberedall.those airplanes on the radar scope). I have
a grown son who.is Curator of exhibits/electrOnics
tecJm:ician/produetion
engineer/ and.whatever--at the new
Atmospherium/Planetarium at the Univ.
of Arizona... For those of you whom
I lured into the Atmospheriumin
Reno-this one is better It is run
by the same man who directed Reno and
he has received our complaints. So
lowe you a free showif you cometo
Tucson. Velta reports that this is
a big improvement over Reno. For
those of you wishing to write to me,
the Tucson address is always good.
I will be having my aPartment back
in Los Angeles this summerbut write
to me at 6901 East Second St.,
Tucson,. Ariz. 85710. It will be forwarded.11

44-8 Secretary:

ANNE
DAILEY
MARSHALL
2225 East Whitten
Phoenix, Ari7le 85016

WONDERFUL
CLASSTURNOUT
ATRENO
REUNION
Interesting and varied tours were arranged for us at Reno last June, but
the best part of all was just seeing
and ta.lking to old friends... Weall
managedto sneak out from time to time
to try our luck with the slot machines,
but always hurried back to the hotel so
that we wouldnt t miss anything. Bonnie
Dorsey Shinski new in fran San Diego,
Joanne Blair Martin fran Tucson, Ty
Hughes drove through desert dust.storms
and an unexpected mountain blizzard to
join us, Jeri Fulk Crook new in fran
Sumter, S.C., and Dorothy Johnson Burri
flew in fran Berkeley, Calif.
Jean
WardNeill came fl'an Calistoga, Calif.,

Beverly Dietrich Wilkinson from Cayucos,

Calif., Mary Jane I sham Ehrmanfrom Dos
Palos, Cali!., Doris Boothe Wanty and
husband Mike from Oakdale,. Cali!
Marie Jacobson Jones and husband (exflight instructor Jonsey) from Concord,
Calif. and Anne Dailey Marshall and
husband.Clarence drove up from Phoenix.
Peggy Daiger TX'egoleft her hideaway in
Unionville, Nev. and Charlyne Creger
from Shreveport, La. both joined us,
too.Three mor. WASPS
fran California:
Patricia Sherwood (Palo Alto), Margaret Standish (North Hollywood), and Pat
ThomasGladney (Los Altos) completed
our class group. A work of advice to
those who couldn't make it:
Start saving your moneynow for the next. reunion
scheduled for October 1'176 at Hot Springs, Ark. From the letters I've received, it promises to be the largest
turnout of our class ever. So don't
miss it.
I'm going to try to secure
reservations for our class members
rooms together 60 that we won't wear
out the elevators trying to find each
other.
Nowfor the News:
DORISANDERSON
DANIEL
is nowliving in
Rice Lake, Wisconsin. Last word had
her working in her sister's
book &
gift shop. She tired of life in the
big city of Dallas & is raising her
children "back in the woods of Wisc."
ARLINE
BAKER
movedto Hoodsport, Wash.
from Oregon. She has a bookstore
there and planned on a canoe trip
downthe Yukon.last sumner. Haven't
heard whether she .made it or not, but
knowing her, I'm sure she did.
JOANNE
BLAIRMARTIN,
looking lean and
tan, has been working for a Tucson
Elementary School - bus driving and
maintenance work. She has several
children & her husband is an engineer
in Tucson.
DORISBOOTHE
WANTY
and her husband Mike
have a cattle ranch in central Calif.
and several college age children.
Mike proved himself a gallant escort
for several of us who went nightclubbing in Reno. Doris hasn't changed
one bit over the years (not a line on
her face, either).
Wish I knew her
secret.
BEVERLY
DIETRICH
WILKINSON
brought her

daughter and mother (Lake Tahoe) to

the banquet, but this time left her
husband home so that he could work on
their sailboat & f'inish.it
up. They're
planning on.a year of sailing in the
Sea of Cortez, Caribbean & hopei'ully
the South Pacific in the near future.
Need a:ny deckhands, BeY?
GERTRUDE
DIEl'Zgot the .word to me that
she's all tied up running the Tocoloma
Girls Club in Hollywood, Ca., and summers find her in charge of a camp near
Flagstaff, Az. She's a f'avorite of'
girls &. narents alike.
KATHLEEN
OOOLEY
lives in Greenwich Village, runs the family electrical
contracting business in the heart of New
York City, owns a house on the coast
of Maine where she does a lot of sailing, ana loves her career.
BONNIE
OORSEY
SHINSKIhas been doing the
accounting for the same firm for the
last 18 years.
She & her husband have
one daughter who seems to be as talented as her mother-winning beauty contests & scholarships.
They live in
LemonGrove, Calif'., a suburb of San
Diego.
No news from KAYELUOTT,but she's li ving in Huntingt.on Beach with her husband. They're retired,
and their
children are all grown.
VIRGINIA
FISHERWISEand husband Warren
have a very successful real estate
firm in Tallahassee, Fla. They have
a married daughter & son who is the
only one in the family that flies
tl!ese days. Tot & Warren have made
some fantastic trips to the 80uth
Pacific and other exotic spots.
JERI FULKCROOK
live s happily with her
retired Armyofficer husband in S.C.
She's an avid golfer, but is still
working at the airbase there.
She
& Bonnie Dorsey Shinski flew to Las
Vegas from Reno and II saw every
place we've ever heard of 11 then
both flew to San Diego where Bonnie
showedJeri the town. They II spent
one whole day at the zoo, and I saw
the WASPdisplay they had fixed upo
It was next to the Flying Tigers'
displayll. WhenI first read those
last two lines in Jer's letter,
I was
a little
miffed that the WASPswere

being displayed in a zoo, but after

thinking it over, where else would
you put Tigers and WASPs? Jeri, are
we really displayed in a zoo?
JOANGOUGH
FROST had planned to come
to the reunion, but had to cancel
out when her son had to have an operation.
She has three children
(12, 14, & 16) & hopes to get back
into flYing again soon. Joan is
definitely coming to the Arkansas
reunion, so we'll find out what she's
been doing then.
CARLA
HOWARD
HOROWITZ
wrote from New
York. She and her husband have two
children (15 and 21), and Carla is a
consultant at the Churchill School
which specializes in learning problems in children.
She's also on
the faculty at Hofstra Univ., teaching graduate students howto teach
children with learning problems.
Carla's husband is a psychoanalyst
in private practice 'whodoes a lot
of teaching , too. Since many of us
had lost touch with Carla for years,
am including this from her letter:
"1 had a number of careers edited somemagazines (Dime Detective
which used to publish ErIe Stanley
Gardner, and Black Mask which used
to publish Dashiell Hammet,and Aviation Maintenance and Operations, a
trade magazine which went to plane
owners, airport operators, etc.).
Then I worked for Merrill ~ch
as a
financial reporter and in the public
relations department, editing their
publications.
Then I went back to
school, got a Master's degree at
Columbia and went into private practice working with children who have
learning disabilities " Your career sounds wonderful, Carla.
MARGUEIUTE
V. H. HUGHES
KILLEN
is not
amongthe missing as was wrongly reported, thanks to the
relentess
assault against the phone companyby
Cookie Jacobson Jones during the Reno
Reunion. Cookie kept on the phone
until "Ty" was finally located in
Lancaster & persuaded her to cometo
Reno. Ty has recently purchased a
homein Lancaster, Ca. where she
lives with her da.ughter and uncle.

She is a Remedial Reading Instructor

for Fifth Grade Students, and is
devoted to her work.
MISSING:Pearl Brummett, Ruth Clifford
Mimi Keir, Nel McInnis, Margaret
'
Moore, Eula Morton, MaryannPalmer,
Jamece Paxson, BobbySattler, Beulah
Smith, Helen Venskus, KayWillinger
Wilda Winfield. WHERE
ARETHESE '
GALS??????
MARY
JANEISHAM
EHRMAN,
married to Peter
a CPA" with his ownbusiness.
I
think he works 12 hours/day, 7 days/
week, 360 days/year.1I MJ is IIstill
involved in assorted hospital boards
and back doing a minor bit of work
in phasing out the regional Comprehensive Health Planning Agency, hoping that, it will.be a reasonable
vehicle to be designated THEregional
Health Service Agency which is the
newest dreamboat. 11for " our tax
moneyll. She's also busy with watercolor painting, garden club Chri stmas
bazaars and demonstrations.
Four
children: Terry in grad school at U.C.
B~rkeley, Bus. Ad., Scott at U.C. San
DJ.egoMed. School, Wendywho just
~pent a year at the Umv. in GottloDger, W. Germanyunder the U C
Education Abroad program. She;s.now
a~ Davis & will graduate this year
nth a double major-Spanish & German. Megis in her 3rd year at
~avis, .oUrrently majoring in biologJ.cal science s. So as you can see
HJ has her hands full with 4 in s~h()ol
MAR!JACKSON
KINNEY
was sorry to have

mssed Reno, but plans on the Hot

Springs Reunion. III love Chester
C0uz.ttywhere we live, itt s very hi storJ.c & beautiful.
Both children
~hru college, son Don being married
J..nDec., graduated fran Georgetown
D.C. dental school in May. Daughter
Beth finished U. Of Pa. All best
wishes. II
DOROTHY
JOHNSON
BURRIwhose luggage was
lo~t :bY the airlines en route to Reno
wrJ.tes: IIYes,.I did get my suitcase.
6 weeks later J.t turned up at the
Nevada U. 4-H Campat Lake Tahoe. It
had accumulated a half inch of dust
must have been hurriedly loaded on ~
truck bound for the campfrom Reno

Airport.
Having retrieved myuniforms
and photo album I can will them to
progeny or somemusewn. (Seriously,
Oakland Museumhas asked for them.)
And the disgust of spending three
days in the same dress has faded into
a conversation item. Reno Reunion was
for me a delight.
I didn't think it
would be that important to me to see
you all, to reminesce and to forget
the grey hair and wrinldes and intervening years that have sometimes been
stodgy. I very muchwant to go to
Hot Springs Briefly-I'm no longer
working so I'm toying with the idea
of returning to UCfor a course or
two in geography Mytwo boys are in
school - Eric at local Merritt College, Robert a senior at Berkely High.
Eric flies at AlamedaNaval Air Station club and Robert specializing in
vaulting & sidehourse on gymnastic
team."
MARIE
"COOKIE"
JACOBSON
JONEShas retired from.teaching & is now enjoying
someleisure for a change. Weenjoyed meeting her husband Les Jones or
"Jonesey" at Reno. He was an instructor at Sweetwater, you may remember,
and they both do same flying from time
to time. She and Dorothy Johnson
Burri recently spent a day together
exploring somelocal Calif. historical
sites being restored.
Cookie makes
an excellent guide, Californiana being
a longo:-standinghobby for her. And
we do thank her for finding Ty far us.
Incidently we welcomeyou back to our
class, Cookie.
Despite the fact that I mailed cards
to everyone in our class, Flight 2 did
not answer my cards, so I have no news
about them. Wedo have somemissing
gals & hope you will a.l.Ldo everything
in your power, as out-lined in the last
Fifi Newsletter to find them. Incidently, six weeks ago I sent in all the address changes for our class that I mew
about & corrected our class list (DOOley-Dorsey), but didn't knowwhen they
were sending out the Newsletter, so our
class news will go into the next one.
ANNE
DAILEY
MARSHALL
- still married to
Clarence, a retired & tirea FAAMaintenance Insp. Have 3 boys, 1 girl.

Oldest boy, Steve, married & in last

year at Ariz. State U., next one Pat,
works at ASUgoing to school & trying
to decide on a major. Daughter Sue is
married and teaching school, Son Tim
at homeand working (not too hard),
and having fun. I have been .teaching,
but retired and spend my time sewing,
crocheting & knitting.
Love to read
and sew.

44-9

Secretary:

BETTY
STAGG
TURNER
6161 Le Sourdsville
W. Chester Road
Hamilton, Ohio 45011

JOHNANDJEEPHARMAN
lost three of
their Parent s, and married off three
of their children last year, so this
year Jeep and John went on a tour of
Southeast Asia: Japan, Bali, & Hong
Kongto regain their balance.
That
taking up their vacation time, we
regret to hear, she will not be attending Hot Springs.
MICKEY
McLERON
BROWN
has a new address,
2201 N. Deleon, Victoria, Tx. 77901.
HusbandBob is a professor at the new
University of Huston, Victoria Center
and is Director of Field Experience
for Student Teachers there.
They are
delighted to be back homein Texas.
Their current family consists of Bob,
Mickey and girls Ellie & Ann. Ellie
is a freshman at Victoria College,
and Ann graduated from VHSthis May.
Son George, 21, is a junior at Oklahana State majoring in horticulture
& landscaping architecture,
and Robert is in pre-med at V. Cal at Santa
Barbara. Mickey is looking forward
to Hot Springs and hoping to get
there.
BETTY
STONE,after recovering from a
coronary heart attack in Dec. 1975,
is looking forward to making it to
the reunion in Hot Springs. She and
Ross boast of a new granddaughter,
Erwin Bryanne Foster, born Jan. 30,
1976. Altho a premie weighing 4 lb.
2 oz. she is nowup to 7~ lbs. and
going right on. Mary & Steve, Erwin's
parents, are back in Okla. near Betty
& Ross. Liz & Les are still in
school and Ross E. is still at home.

VIRGINIA
EARTHERTON
SPEAR
is getting
settled in trying to feel at home
living in the country for the first
time. In Feb. and March she went to
Spain, Andalusia, and to Moroccofor
a couple of daya. She says quote It A
wonderful ex:perien~e, my fir st trip
alone and first off this continent. II
She is looking forward to Hot Springs,
her first reunion with us.
ANNand TOM
GLESZER
took .a trip to
Switzerland in Feb. and saw many
friends there.
They plan to go again
in '77 when the Swiss will put on
their great and wonderfUl IlFete de
Vigneronsll which is given only once
in 20 years.
She too plans to be in
Hot Springs in October.
DUSTY
ELIZ. RANSOM
teaches aeronautics
in Clearwater High School, Clearwater,
Fla. She is such a success she has to
turn away students every semester.
She teaches in addition one section of
advance placement AmericanHistory.
She plays lots of tennis, would like
more canoeing. She & Jack are debating England, Greece or North Carolina
this summer. Says traveling is great
fun but N.C. is so restful.
Her
daughter & husband live nearby and son
& wife are in Miami. He is chief
pilot for Air Florida.
NADINE
(CANFIELD)
NAGLE
quote: "There
are no super-exciting activities
or
travels to relate, however, I do
feel fortunate in that I like my
position as Kindergarten teacher,
my family all enjoy good.health, and
we are proud of our children.
John
and Paul are both happily married,
Annwill graduate from Wright State
U. this year and Steve will enter
Ohio State U. this fall. Frank and
I enjoyed a trip and visits with
friends and relations in San Francisco and Seattle last swmner. I
would like to extend an invitation
to all WASP
to use my homeas a
meeting place if they cometo attend
the dedication of the WASP
exhibit
and talk by Col. Dora Strother at
the Air Force Musemn.
in Dayton, Ohio
on August 11th. I live within three
miles of the nnseum. Please drop me
a card so I can expect youllt

NOm-iA
BOSTON
DOUGLAS
is still hard at
work instructing.
She has now obtained her multi-rating instrument
instructor's
rating and instrument
air taxi license.
Normasays if anyone is in her neighborhood, be sure
to check in with her. She works at
Douglas Aviation in Macomb,Ill.
(309-837-1800) Her homephone is
309-458-6275.
ELAINE
HARMON
has been a great help to
me as Secretary to 44-9. She sends
all her news she receives of Flt. #1
etc. whomshe has been in contact
with over the years.
She and her
mother.will be visiting relatives in
Texas during June and plan to be in
Sweetwater June 14th when the Fifi
fountainhead is dedicated. They will
be staying at the Holiday Inn if any
one wishes to drop in for the ceremony. The last of her children,
Billy, just married a neighborhood
girl and all her children, Robby,
Chris & Terry live nearby. In Oct.
shetll be a granny for the third
time. Daughter Terry expecting her
first child. Elaine won't make it to
Hot Springs this year as she has too
manythings going on.
JANEFOHLsays she is thoroughly enjoying her retirement by plaYing all
the golf she wants at three golf
courses in the area.
BETTY
STAGG
TURNER
keeping busy at her
part time job, and enjoys plaYing
golf at least twice a week, if possible.
A short trip to Detroit, Mich.
with friends going through Greenfield
Village, and the Ford Plant was an
experience and restful time. Spent a
few hours in Canada, and hopes to get
back for a nice long vacation to see
more of it.
Anywayit was a change
fran homewhere we nowhave 6 dogs,
9 puppies, 2 horses, I pony and 2
cat s, and on only 5 acre s. Bought a
motorcycle, learned to ride it, and
take a nice ride through the countryside quite often.
It's really relaxing to me, and the next, best thing to
nying I could find.
Only have three
children at homenow.

44-10

Secretary: CHARLYNE
CREnER
3048 Sandra Drive
Shreveport, La. 71109

ATKEISON,
"ROONIE": Flash from Jewel
Estes is that Roonie has retired and
is now finalizing the unveiling of
"Fifi" in the wishing well at Avenger,
June 14. It is a big undertaldng,
and those that oan possibly share will
be on hand for this honor.
CHAPIN,EMILY:A.toast to you for the
first to respond! She and friend
went to NewOrleans and Fla. to escaoo
the cold North only to be caught in ~
cold wave and leave the swim suits &
summerclothes in the bag. At this
time they are motor-homing in San
Francisco, and returning by Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. They will
b~ in Hot Springs early to join in the
diamond hunt.
CREnER,CHARLINE:To Dallas for a Beverly Sills concert with Jewel Estes
and Ziggy Hunter. Weran into Ruth
Wheeler, 43-5, and phone conversa:
tions with others.
Ziggy had knee
surgery and spent time with my sister
and me at Thanksgiving time. Most of
our time was spent on the lost list.
To break the monotony our tame "wild"
squirrels came into the sun porch,
perched on Ziggy' s shoulder, and begged for pecans. Myyear has been
full of firsts;
see story about the
wee one which may make Guiness after
the professional papers are published. Six. weeks or so after that case
I had.a patient of 105 to anesthetize
who had her ownteeth and mind! And,
the very greatest honor of being on
the anesthesia team for President
Ford if it were necessary while he
was visiting here. Our hospital is
charity, and I suppose it was felt
that we had more experience in gun
shot wounds. Amveq grateful for
NOThaving to use my professional
knowledge.
DAVIS,DOTTIE: Regrets poor planning
for Hot Springs.
She will be on a
freighter somewherein the Mediterranean. It won't seem complete without you gal! But what a substitute.
ESTES,JEWEL: Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport

may be the largest in the world, but

the. Estes household gets its share of
traffic.
She writes, therefore I
knowa bit more about her and Ziggy
Hunter's acti vi tie s. Fir at, they
have done such a good job of finding
lost WASPsthat it is almost impossible to keep the roster up-dated.
George Haddawayshould be given sane
ovation for his aid in this project.
He managed for a WATTS
line to use,
and they drove as much as 64 miles
two nights a week to contact the
girls.
I hope they have sent in
their reports on this project.
A.recent visit brought reminiscenoes of
WASPdays to Jewel and Ziggy Hunter
with MARY
CATHERINE
QUISTEmlARDS,
44-7, who makes her home in Mexico
City. Mary Ca.therine hopes to come to
the reunion and sends regards to
friends.
In April RUTH
HAG1ANN
WHEElER,
43-5,
and Ziggy Hunter met at Jewel & Tan
Estes in Dallas for a'reunion with
MEREDITH
"TEDDY"
ROLFECAMPBEIJ..,
43-5,
fran San Diego. "Teddy" and her husband, Curtis, were visiting with their
son in Dallas who is Pilot for Christ
For the Nations Church.
STEVEPARK,son of FRANCIE
MEISNER
PARK,
44-10, of Kansas City, Mo., was an
overnight guest of the Estes.
Steve,
a sample of his mother I s bright spirit,
will be receiving his degree in Criminology in the spring.
In June the Estes motel will be honored
with our president, BEEHAYDU,
making
a stop-over to HongKonglong enough
to attend the Sweetwater unveiling.
Charlyne Creger, 44-10, her sister,
and Michael Dixon, son of LILLIAN
DIXON
KELLEY,
44-9, will stop in Dallas to fill the car with Bee, Ziggy,
and possible Jewel for the "Fili" unveiling.
Jewel's daughter, Phyllis,
and new husband have ,juatreturned
from a. trip around. the world. News
included that HELEN
"TWEEDIE"
CELLAR,
44-10, had expired.
No further info.
GIlliAN,MARGARET
(WERBER):
enjoys the
good life of golf, bridge, needlework
and. a little
traveling with the " good"
Doctor. (He was a full page with
Ruffian in the Life-1975 in review).

Their children" Charles" lawyer, and

Jane, teacher, are both married. They
are left ~ th a stumpy legged old
Welsh Corgi. No flying since leaving
her job in '48-(delivered planes to
dealers for Taylorcraft).
Her fingers
are crossed in hopes of being in Hot
Springs. She has class books of 44-5,
6, 7, &8 that she will sell for $25.
HARLAN,
BErTY(STABLER)
is a full time
teacher of HomeEconomics at Williamsport, Pa. High. She is also on loan
to the Industrial Arts Dept. to teach
~viation Science. As soon as school
is out (her husband also teaches
there) they charge through traffic
to get to the airport for their real
job. Last September they opened a
Cessna Sales & Service and Flight
Training Center on the Williamsport
LycomingCounty Airport.
During the
development stage they both did all
the flight and ground instruction"
so
she is still into flying and really
enjoying every minute. No reunion
this yearl AnyWASPsflying by Williamsport-please
stop for a hot cup
of coffee and a chat.
HAYDEN,
SARA(PAYNE): with husband
Frank vacationed in Sint Maarten in
March and missed the biggest snow
storm. of the year at home. April 4th
Sara marched in. a parade" Methuen's
biggest ever celebrating the bicentennial and the town's 250th year.
She managed to get back into the air
this month after the winter lay-off.
IRELAND,
DOROTHY
(NAGEL)-will be moving to Hawaii soon. She spent Christmas there and visited with CAPPY
MORRISON
and MURIEL
MORAN,
both W-10s.
Her husband, Brick, will be retiring
this year. They plan an extended
tour of the U.S. and Canada. They
may visit in_So. America before going
to Hawaii. They hope to work Hot
Springs in the tour.
She extends an
invitation to everyone if they visit
in Hawaii. . They will be at the Hilton Lagoon Apts. later in the year.
She adds that she had surgery for
coli tis and is now a grandmother;
completely unrelated?
LEX)KIE,
JUNE(WOLFE)
is hoping to make
Hot Springs. Right around that date

they'll be making an exodus to Stuart,

Fla., where .they've just bought a new
winter home. Her addre ss will be
Yacht and Country Club" Stuart, Fla.
They plan the "good life" of boating"
golf, etc.
Their middle daughter"
Dora June, will graduate from Mary
Baldwin in May, and enter graduate
school at the Ue of Virginia this
summer. Second son, Will, plans to
attend Seminary this summer, graduate
from Tulane in Dec., and teach at
McCallie to round out the next year.
Their youngest, Jan Marie, has completed her first year at Guilford.
Their young marrieds are in Milwaukee
and N.Y. City. She is committed to
mobility with this clan.
Morrison, Nina K. "Cappy" was fortunate
to see the Rose Parade and. the Rose
Bowl game for the first time "live".
Also saw the first Hula Bowl in the
new Aloha Stadium. She will be in
Hot Springs after visiting in Michigan, Ohio, and. Tennessee. Must be
great to be retired.
NORTON,
JANICEE. nowDr. Kaufman, psyccoanalyBt. This news was related to
Ziggy Hunter from Mary (Shoemaker)
Szablowski.
PARK,FRANCIE
MEISNER:is blessed with
having her daughter and granddaughters, 5 & 6, only a few blocks away to
enjoy. Her son took a year out to
complete his B.S. in Criminal Justice
at Central Missouri State U. Since
his interest turned to this field he's
caught fire and is on the Dean's list.
He's now scouting police depts. arounQ the country to launch his career.
Any info. out there would be welcome.
SIMMONDS,
MARY
(VANSCYOC)
- a year
older and a year fatter, and Boss
willing "I'll be seeing you in Hot
Springs, which may not be in.all the
old familiar places, but certainly a
great substitute."
UHALT,
JOAN(FRETER)and husband, Joe"
have just returned from Mexico and
nowheading for Spain, then to Colo.
for a part of the summer. They ran
into the brother of NATALIE
JONES,
W-10, in Mexico: small world'.
They
may not get to the reunion this year"
but plans are indefinite.

WAGNER,
MAaY(CEYANES)
says that her
news is insignificant---wOW, what she
has been doing! She and her husband,
Warren, had such a good time on their
first safari to Africa that he decided to take the two oldest grand-

sons on a trip at the end of this

year. They went to the desert beyond Lake Magadi in Kenya-wherethere
are so many beautiful flamingos. On
the way home she and the boys got off
the plane in Munich and spent two
weeks skiing in Austria at Lech, and
in Switzerland at Grindelwald, Zermatt and St. Moritz. Mary says that
she is a retarded intermediate skier,
and the boys echoed with "go faster,
grandma." Mary's major in college
was Anthropology. In Africa she enjoyed talking to the ones who have
been to mission schools, to tape
them and film them as they heard
their voices.
They had never heard
of a tape recorder.
She says that it
is surprising at how sophistocated
they are in knowledge of modern ways
and things.
They knowand reject it.
Her son's wife had twins, one of each,
making 8 grandchildren and the first
girl.
Her letter is so warmand human that I envy her usefu1lness in
life and her philosophy. See you in
Hot Springs!
WHITE,BETTY(FULBRIGHT):She and Omar,
husband, had planned to ride bikes
575 miles one way to Sweetwater. A
telephone call recently sounds a bit
more rational.
Omarmay have to have
surgery, and this would be impossible.
They sounded as if they would help us
celebrate.
Fubie is taking organ
lessons and will be able to play
"Silent Night" by Christmas. They
are on the road so muchwith their
bikes that it is hard to keep track.
They even have plans to ride them to
Nova Scotia.
She wants any bikeriding WASPsto join the "Retreadsll
Their new bikes are red & white,
GLlOOO's,Hondawith the Ark. red hog,
the name Razorback Rambler on the
tour pack, and a Fifi decal. The
emblemXLmeans the driver is over
40, so be kind to the old folks if
you see that emblemof the Retreads.

INSTRUCTORS:
GIP D. OLDHAM,
Jr. - SEeTY.
6008 W. Univ. Blvd.
Dallas, Texas 75206
CLAY
SPEAR- Virginia (Eatherton) Spear,
44-9, wrote to inform me of the death
of her husband, Clay (Instructor),
in
June, 1'173, of a brain tumor. Two
yrs. ago I reported on the death of
L.V. Rudolph in June, 1'l73 of a
brain tumor. Circumstances described
by Virginia and by Ann Rudolph are almost identical.
Clay, Rudy and I left
Sweetwater at the same time for Air
Corps, through Randolph and to Love
Field together and then went our separate ways. I had canpletely lost
touch with Clay after Love. Virginia
also informs that LESJONES(Instructor) and Marie IICookie"Jacobsen 44-9
were married about three years ago
and live in Ca.l.i.f. Virginia lives
about 200 miles fran Hot Springs and
plans on making the '76 bash.
DAYLE
DAYTON
(Instructor) li vas in
Sparks, Nev. (12/2/76).
Hazel Hohn
sent this info to me. His address
will be in the book. She found another 'lost one', WILFRED
'BILL' HarTMAN,
her C/C Instructor.
Bill.lives
in
Sacramento. GLENN
MILLER
had called
Hazel after the Reno Reunion. Glenn
plans on retiring from AAin about 2
years.
Hazel is workingno'Won locating her Primary Instructor,
PAULGAYNOR,So if any of you have a clue to
his whereabouts, drop Hazel a line.
FREDNESPER
re sponded to my last call
for help in Newsletter.
25 plus yrs.
with American Airlines; was on DC-lOs
but not on 707s out of San Diego. He
lives in Scottsdale, Ariz. and conmutes to S.D. He hopes to nake Hot
Springs also.
Sees several of the
I guysI who are with American.
Fred's
j,nnger sideld.ck, Harold "Shorty"
Woodlives in Colorado.
BILLHEBENSTREl!.'T,
who was also my Instructor, wrote from Kansas City, Mo.
Bill checked me out in AT-6 and BT-13s
when I was moving up from Primary
Instructor.
Bill covers several states
for his (Iwater treatment" eng' g. business.
He has used a Riley TurboRocket for last three years.
He is

also involved in an aircraft

sales
business, and is thinking of trying
a 135 operation using a Turbo-Commander. He'll probably be in Hot Springs.
OONALD
McGOUGH
sent a very nice letter.
Donald was not an Instructor but an
A.T.C. student, Arm:rReserve, civilian
pilot.
Donald was at Avenger and when
the first WASPsarrived he helped in
the processing.
Bert Seachrist was
in his class and he was wondering how
Bert got back to Sweetwater as Instructor.
Donald reports that he has
worked up a history of the A.T.C.
phase of Avengero Perhaps a WASP
museumcould use what he has written
as many of the Armypeople carried
over to the WASP
program. Donald also
has a suggestion which sounds good to
me. He makes many air shows, races
and such and sees all sorts of 'patcbes' but has never been able to locate a WASP,and ~s
he gets only
"blank looks" when he asks anyone if
they know any WASPs. His suggestion
is to WASPs
who go to air events,
"Wearyour WASP
patch."
Thanks to the above correspondents for
the addresses and information.
This
effort would have been skinny without
those letters
so keep 'em coming. No
news from the Dallas crowd. A phone
call, or three, shows things are as previous reports.
It is hard to realize
that many of the Sweetwater gang have
now been with the various airlines for
as long as 30 years.
In the next few
years most will be retiring and moving
around. IF YOU
MOVE,
PLEASE
LET.lrHE
NEWSLETTER
EDITOR
HAVE
THENEW
ADDRESS
ORSENDIT TOTHEUNDERSIGNED.
KEEPIN
TOUCH.
Mywife, Virginia, is not of the WASP
program but is very much interested and
has written a few letters
on the subject (to Editor, Congress, etc.).
After
we had read the last Newsletter, she
suggested that we send it to a female
reporter at a local NETTV station who
had done a story on the unveiling of the
Memorial Placque. We suggested to her,
Susan Caudill, that she might be able to
do another story on the WASPS
after reading the Newsletter.
Virginia's thought
was that, "with girls now being sent to

tlw Ailr Fore. AoadeDr;y',

ahoul.dDtt

__

publicit7 be given to the ORIGINALS."

Wenever had a response frOil Susan, ODe
of the se days I will write another letter.
In the meantime, acme of you gals
II1ght give the idea 80JIle thought and
contact a.rI3 reporter or paper or TV
station you might think would use the
&tory.
BOBWILSON-Betty
Cross relqed that. Bo1)
Wilson of 1703 Enslen ATe., Mod.8to~
Ca. 95350, would like for &lI7 foraer
Instructors whomight haft beeIl with
the 52nd Ferry Group at Lana Beach to
contact hill. Bob was Dot an Inatruotor but nidentl7 knew S<IIl8 of ;you
there.
Virginia Spear would like to get in contact with Instructor KENNETH
E. "Doc"
MORGAN,
her former InstrwMln1iInstructor and Clq's rOODlate in Sweetwater.
Anyonewith info on "Doc" please c0ntact Virginia or tell Doc to eontaet
her.
Guess that about winds it up for this
year. The early date ill in order the
Newsletter 1dll .be readT .before the
Hot Springe Reuni.en. Hope to Me
"yawl" there.
I'm sure J.Re Smith
will reallJr do the Instructorll proud.
" ROSTER n

Weare planning to print and distribute

an up-dated roster after the October
Hot Springs reunion. It will include
phone numbers and spouse' 8 names where
we have the information.
If you have
more than one address and phone which
you want listed,
please nd this information to Betty Nicholas, 125 w. 82nd
St., Indianapolis, Ind. 46260. Betty
has the use of business machines making
it possible for us to keep up with address changes new members, etc.
Thi.
saves us a large sum of maney- Of
course, she must be given the information.
Since it takes a great deal of
time to prepare the roster, please send
Betty any address changes, your phone
number and spouse's name, second address
if you want it listed, addresses of any
trainees you knowof who is not already
a member.

HEBE'STOYOU,GlOOliGE111
A.gain our gratitude goes to George
Haddawayof Dallas, publisher of FLIGHT
Magazine, who has been helpful to the
WASP
in ma.IlY wqs throughout the years.
He was speaker at the 1972 Sweetwater
reunion, K.C. tor the 1975 Austin memorial dedication, as well as Chairman of
the Funding program. He was primarily
responsible for obtaining Neil Armstrong
as principal speaker at Austin.
As a
gesture of thanks the WASPspresented
him with a ,36-inch-long framed document
stating:
"WEHEREBY
DOPUBLICLY
PROCLAIM
THIS DAY,APRIL12, 1975 AND
FOREVERMORE,
THATWE, THEWASP,
DOLOVEGEX:>RGE
HADDAWAY."
Below is a picture of George surrounded by dozens of WASP
lip prints in lipstick with each WASP'ssignature below
her awn print as a testimony of our gratitude.
George has indicated, "I would
like for the WASPsto knowthat I have
removed frClll the wall o my office a
:Cramedpiece of fabric which was a part
of the original Wright airplane and have
hung in its place the WASP
proclamation.
It has the place of honor in my office
and I am very proud of it."
George's latest significant
contribution to the WASPhas been the securing,
through his ~
contacts, of industry
cooperation in the use of long-distance
phone lines.
This has been invaluable
in the Membership COBIDittee's eearch
for lost WASPs. Our thanks again to a
great guy for his continuous support.

George Haddawaygives the O.K. Sign

to WASPs.

"BACKWARD
FLIGHTII
THROUGH
THETUNNEL
OFTIME
Parachutes Save TwoMorelll!J
Whentwo Kelly Field planes collided
in midair at an elevation of about 4,000
ft. March 6, both pilots jumped from
the wrecked machines in parachutes,
landing safely soon after the burning
plane s, locked wing in wing, crashed.
Sec. Lieut. C. D. MacCallister and Cadet
C. A. Lindberg of the advanced nying
school of Kelly Field, were the pilots.
With the exception of minor scratches
neither was hurt.
'
This is the first time in history
that two pilots have leaped from different ships following a collision and
landed without fatal injury.
(Copied from the March 23, 1925 issue
of AVIATION
magazine). I believe this
magazine was a forerunner of Flying magazine as we know it today and wanted to
share this article about Col. Lindbergh
as a cadet.
A pilot friend found many
of these magazines dated fran 1925 thru
1929 and loaned them to me to read. (ED.)
"I t Happened in '51"
Lt. Pauline C. Banken, Former WASP,
Nowat Hickam as WAFin Plans Div.
HICKAM-AsMrs. Pauline Canney Banken
of 832 Puunani Place, Honolulu returns
to active duty with the Air Force her
status changes from a civilian employee
of HickamAFBto Lt. Banken, a Plans
Officer for Pacific Division.
Lt. Banken, wife of Edward L. Banken,
Meterologist, U. S. Weather Bureau is
the first WAFto cometo active duty
from the Hawaiian area.
She attended Stephens College, Columbia, Mo.; University of Minnesota, and
graduated from the University of Miami
Miami, Florida.
'
She was a memberof the Chi Omegasorority.
It was at this time that she
began her log of flight hours which now
totals 1400 hours.
While learning to fly she encountered
many set-backs.
For example the Dean
of the University of Miami endeavored

to have her expelled for nying because

the Dean of Women
not only thought flying was too dangerous but she felt that
it would detract from her studies.
~ineteen year old Miss Canneygot around
that angle by hitching rides on a local
milk truck to the airport to 1\ sneak in
her flYing hours."
She took her flight training at Sweetwater, Texas, and graduated as a service
pilot in the WASP. She has nown the
following types of aircraft:
Pl'-17,
BT-13, AT-6 and later flew :8-26' s. Lt.
Bankencame out of the service in 1944
and was a memberof the Women
AnnedService Pilot (WASP-CAP).
She was in the first group of WASPs
to be attached to do flexible gunnery
school at BuckinghamAir Force Base, Ft.
Meyers, Fla., and upon reporting for
duty as B-26 pilots they were met with
disapproval from the aircraft engineers
whowere assigned to the Squadron. They
all registered the canpl.ai.nt that they
were not going to have a bunch of women
dri ving them around in the air.
However.,after six months of tow target missions all personnel at the base
were forced to congratulate the women
pilots on their splendid record f'..orno
accidents during the entire time.
Ed. note: Abovearticle was printed in
Feb. 1951 Honolulu paper and contributed by Bev Beesemyer Pauline was 44-6.
SHOPPERS,
COME
PREPARED!
Wewill have for sale at reunion:
WASP
wings (to graduates only)
Small wings, sterling, ideal for collar
Fifi pins
Fifi decals, large outside
Fifi decals, small
Fifi bronze sculptures, 5", a few (by
Dorothy Swain Lewis)
Fifi bronze sculptures, 7i", ~ Dorothy
Swain Lewis)
Shirts, with hand painted Stearman and
Fifi (Beverly Beesmeyer)
Fifi stationery
Fifi notes
Bracelets and leather 1\ chain" with polished stones
All items sold with someprofit to
Order of Fifinella
If any of you have something we might

sell, please contact Sara Hayden:immediately as she will be setting up

our "Sales Department" at Reunion so
you will have plent,.. of time to shop.
Any'onewant a 44-w-6, 7, or 8 Class
book? Contact Margaret Werber Gilman
ll7 Willington Rd., Garden Cit,.., LY.
11530.
A Letter FromMike
The following letters sent to our
Secretary-Trease Betty Nicholas and to
Dedie Deaton were so heartwarming I
thought they should be printed.
Mike
is the son of Lillian (Dixon) Kelley,
44-9, whopassed away July 24, 1975,
after attending the Reno reunion.
Quote:
Dear Mrs. Nicholas:
Howvery pleased and proud I amto
have received your very thoughtful and
kind letter of the 15th.
It means a great deal to me to be included on your mailing list, and be rememberedas "Dixie'stl son on the roster.
I genuinely hope that the forthcoming
reunion in Hot Springs, will be one of
the very best, and I knowthat Mamawill
be there, in the hearts of those who
knewand loved her, to share it with
you. Being a WASP,for Mama,was the
very best of all possible times. It
was that very rare and unique experience
that few of us are so gifted to have:
being in a space in time that allows us
to be completely fulfilled
and happy.
I am deeply grateful that Mamahad that.
Thankyou again, Mrs. Nicholas, for
your warmletter.
Respectfully yours,
Michael Dixon
Dear Mrs. Deaton:
Please accept ~ sincere thanks for
your kind and thoughtful note. Charlyne
Creger, Mama's closest and best friend,
has shared with me your extremely considerate and gentle caring for Mama
while at the reunion in Reno. Myawareness of and respect for the WASPs
as
the foremost love in ~ Mother's life
and the time in that unique experience
as being the most happy and meaningful
in her heart, I shall live with proudly

all my days.
Her determination to get
to Reno was overwhelmingly courageous
in the face of her pain and physical
exhaustion.
She simply had to say her
Good-bys.
She is a very great and loving lady my heart and life is so very empty without her.
Howfortunate you are to have

shared her very best.

Thank you again.

Sincerely,
Mike Dixon
Note: Mike was sending $40 to Smitty
her registration
fee because" she
will be there in spirit".
He"
also, sent $10 to Betty Nicholas
in memoryof his Mother.

Mrs. Ransom teaching

her Clearwater High

aeronautics class.

FOlKS

mlHE
FlEIS[HER

Down-to-earth
approach to an
up irl-the-air
subject
CLEARWATER
Elizabeth
Ransom

Clearwater
baa her students

High School
up in the air.

And they love it.

Elizabeth Ransom (lett)'

serving her country in
th.1940a,

teacher
~

"

Mrs. Ranaom teachea aeronautiCll.

A tough COline. A
science elective that requires a baaic knowledge
oC mathematica, phyaia
and a bit of chemistry.
Sb! baa to tum away students
every semester,
"WHEN
YOU GIVE.
kid aomething
different,
IOmethin: new, it does gnat things (or that kid", mind." she
said. "And among tboee kidl that want to improve their
minda. the word leta out pretty rut about what'. fun to
learn and what im't."
It', fun to learn (rom Elizabeth
Ransom.
She cajoles.
kid. and t'UUlI her chattea
into learning about that vat
ocean of air that 8WToundl the Earth and the t.hinp that
throua:b it.
For Elizabeth
Ransom
- "Dusty"
to her (riends -

ny

Her instructors
were Tommy and Edna Metcalf,
hue operators, and her airplane was the venerable
erated Piper J3 "Cub."

the fued
and ven.

"I GOT
INTO
THE
government's
Civilian
Pilot
Training
Program
- a program to train college students
how to fiy," abe said. "We got college credits for having a
balt and the g~rnment
got a pool of trained pilots - Ulleful in cue a war broke out."
War broke out. Her. friend . were gettiDj: into the military services and war work. "Some didn't w.ait for the
to get toto the war," ahe reealled. "I had frienda going to
c.nada
t.o join up just about every week back in 1940."
ReatJesa, a war on, Duaty wanted something
to do. That something
bad to involve airplanes.
It turned out to be the_be

U.s.

=t;:ybCk~~~'~Pt::f:
O~~:=~~
woman

pi.lot to earn .licenae

Folks

"om

at Toledo

Municipal

Airport.

P.';' 1

Though ahe was an active pilot, Dusty went through the

entin
flight training
program.
"] nmember
sitting in a
large classroom with aU 110 of the women in my claaa," abe
said. "The commanding
officer waa giving a ,peech. He told
us. to look at the woman De:lt to 118because abe wouldn't be
there by the time we ~n
ready to graduate.
How right he
was. O( the 110 i.n my company,
55 graduated,
53 wa.ahed
out and two wen killed."
THE PLANES
SHE flew read like a historY o(World
War
aviation. She trained in the PT.17 and BT.13, fmished training
in the AT-6 and was asa(gned. to.Moody
Field, Valdoeta,
G to ny thtI B-25 "MitcheU"
medium
bomber.
"We women did every kind of flying ucept
combat
flying -and
only in the cootineotallimits
of the U.s.," abe
recalled. "We new weather flights -1 loved doing that and
instrument
nying - and we l.9Wed targets. We did engineering flights and ferried aircraft all over the place. It wa.a
great..
At the end of 1944, the WASP,
wen disbanded.
''The
war in Europe was starting
to come t<fllt"end,
the pool of
men pilou was growing and we just weren't needed,"
abe
said.
BUT THE
WAR
wa.an't over. Eliz.abeth
joined the
RedCf'08lI.
"I workect all over the southeastern
U.s. and enjoyed it
almoet as much aa flying," she said. Eliz.abeth left the Red
Crou in 1946.
Her parenta by then had moved from Toledo to Dade
City. Eliz.abeth went the~, got a job a.s a secretary
at Pasco
Packing and, 00 a weekend
viait to Clearwater,
met Jack
Ransom. A short time later they married.
TWO CHILDREN
and several yean later, Elizabeth
Ransom nturned
to college to get the degree she passed up
to 10 into war work. "My daughter
wa.a in the eighth vade

-1963,"oheeaid.

Dusty graduated
in 1965 and began teaching at Duneain Highlands
Junior High. Three yean later ahe tranaferred to Clearwater
High School to teach aoc:ia1 acience_
When the Pinellaa County schoola decided to offer an
aeronautics
course, then-Clearwater
High principal
William J118tice, a pilot, aaked Mn. Ransom if she would like to
teach the course.
"I jumped
at it,~. ,he said. "I hadn't
~ught
ground
school in 20 yean but 1 went back and got certified
all a
ground achool instructor.
The basic:a - navigation,
theory
of night, meteorology
wen the same but they were
arranged
diffenntJy."
Today Eli1.8beth Ransom teaches two sections of cultural anthropology
- "you don't think I'm going to waste
seven years of college spread out over 25 yean, do you?" and three of aeronautics.
"IT'S
A SCIENCE
- meteorology,
math, phyaiaand it's history and it', flying," she said. "We use the federal aviation regulations
in cIaaa and the Airman's
Information Manual. We take the history of fligbt about through
World War 1 and Geo. Billy Mitchell.
Anything
more
recent ia ea.ay to come by if a younpter
is interested.
"I find, by the way, they really get interested
in ,uch
things as Langley and the Wright Brothers
arguing over
who discovered
what fint.
"I uae the basic science approach
because even i( one of
my students
never sets foot inside an airplane that student
still haa to walk around in the weather. So he might as well
know something
about it, right?"
ONE WRINKLE
that has been added to Clearwater
High School's aeronautic:a
course is a field trip. "We have
an arrangement
at a nying achool wbe~ the kids in my
e:Iaaa get a 2O-minute ride for $5," she said.
"That 2O-minute hop puts it aU together for thO&e kids.
It makes believers out o( them.
"I don't know how many have come up after a flight and
told me they were amazed that an instrument
worked the
way I said it would. Qr that the plane reacted a certain way

training department
ford, Conn.

at Pratt

and Whitney

Aircraft

in Hart-

One fond memory from thoee Pratt and Whitney days

was the unusual way she met aviation pioneer la:or Sikorsy.
. SIKORSKY'S
AIRCRAFT
(actory was in Bridgeport, only a few miles from Hartford,
and Dusty waa eked
to take a group of graduate engineen
to Bee a huge seaplane
under development
there.
"We walked. into a demonstration
of Sikorsky'.
fll'St heliCClpter~" she aaid. "He was showing It to FJeanor Roosevelt
when we ahowed up, and he continued
the. demoaatration
for us. He .turned a square comer, be ~ew I.t up an~ down,
moved It u~ to where we were atanding, tipped his bat-

. under

certain

Conditions

just as we learned

in clau.

"WHAT
rM TRYING tossy is that you can't teach
aeronautics
without
e:lpoeing the atudent
to flying any
more than you can teach swimming
without e:lp08ing the
,tudent
to water."
Elizabeth
Ransom seems surprised that students
are interested
to go beyond her daasea into the field of aviation.
At least one fonner student i, at the U.s. Air Force Academy. Another.
is contemplating
going to Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical
University.
"I don't know what influence, if any, 1 had on these deciaio~;
I like to think I Wall at least a minor (actor," ,he
said.
WHEN
SHE
ISN'T
teaching,
Elizabeth
Ransom
punuea a hoat o( hobbies. There's tennia, awimming,
em.
broidery, designing
dothes,
sewing, Bonaai, yoga, garden, iog,sailing,
canoeing, knitting and quilting.
What about nying? "Oh, I gave it up," ahe said. "I don't
l\ave time. Furthermore,
once you've been a profeuiona1,
it', awfully hard to go bad: to being an amateur."

he wa.a wearing a black Chesterfield

- backed up and flew off.
"He
ment."

never
.

said a word

to

UL

coat and a black

derby

111 never

forget

that

m0-

IT WASN'T TOO long or"" that that the WASP Women", Airforce Service Pilots - WSI formed."1be
said.
"I read about it in Life Maguine,
took a day off, took a
train to Wuhington,
went to the Pentagon
and applied.
"I was told they had tried to contact all women PiJots
but 1 waa registered
in Toledo and bad moved,to Hartford.
In any cue, 1 applied, got in and waa MDt to Sweetwater,
TeJ:;., for training."

FIRST TO FLY
(conI.. from p e 3)
Cook says.
(The B26, known
as the
Marauder,
was one of the world's more.
feared war birds at the time.)
, Of the Marauder Cook says: "That was a
helluva airplane.
Like the A6 it would do
everything you told it to do, but you had to
tell it. You had to C1yit or you could find
yourself on the wrong end of the yoke."
Flying across the country
in the 826
bombers
the WASP pilots' often found
themselves
in adverse
weather.
"It was
then that someone decided we should have
instrument
training,"
Cook explains. "We
were sent to Bryan."
Cook became one of the world's first (she
is listed as NO.5) women pilots to hold an
instrumeRt rating and one of the first three
American
women selected
as a pilot.
instructor in instrument flying for Army Air
Corps pilots.
She taught hundreds of young men how to
reach their destinations
even when they
couldn't see where they were flying. There
is little doubt that more then one World War
n pilot owes his life to a woman whose only
thought was to be a good pilot, a woman who
was not out to prove anything just because.
she was a woman .. except that she is a
woman.
Shortly before World War II ended the
WASP group was disbanded, but the women
pilots stuck together.
Today their organization
is known as the
Order of FiCinelia.
Fifinella
was the lady gremlin.like
symbol of the WASP designed by the late
Walt Disney especially for the lady pilots.
"Fifi' rode on every flight, with every
WASP pilot. In fact, it was 'Ffi,' perched on
our shoulders, who really told us how to fly
the
airplanes,"
Cook recalls
with
a
chuckle.
Of the 1,038 women who swelled the rolls
of WASP 37 died on active duty. Today there
are more than 900 listed on the Order of
Fifinella
roster,
includin~
one of the
cofounders, Jacqueline Cochran.
The members are scattered
around the
world .. in 47 states. and Guam and. in II
foreign countries.
Gen H.H. Arnold's son, Col. W. Bruce
Arnold,
is an
active
participant
in
Fifinella's
activities
and attends
all
reunions, representing
his late father.
The next reunion will be this October in
Hot Springs, Ark.
.

FIRST TO FLY

ne of America's first instrument.

rated women pilots believes that
women should
not
be given
preferential
treatment
in job competition.
Carol Webb Cook, owner and manager of
the Guamerica
Inn in Maile. says "A
woman has got to be able to lay it on the line
just like a man or she should forget about
competing .
And Cook speaks from experience.
She learned to fly early in World War II
and was qualified as a B26 bomber pilot.
Although she wasn't called upon to fly in
combat she was as qualified as those who
were. In fact, she taught many of the men
who did go overseas in combat units.
After graduating
. from the then-hi~hly
rated Bryan Instrument
School Cook was
assigned to Aloe Army Air Base, Tex . as a
pilot-instructor.
I busted my first student,"
the former
bomber pilot recalls, "and he was the last
one 1 ever busted. The students
held a
council of war and decided it was not right
that a man should be busted by a woman.
They very nearly escorted me off the base
on a cross.
"Fortunately
1 never had to bust another
one, although there was one who' should
have been washed out. The poor guy simply
couldn't fly on instruments.
So I just gave
him poor grades instead, and I've been
wondering ever since how long he lived
after leaving Aloe.
"I never tried to boss the students," Cook
says .. I tried to teach them what I knew.
And the students soon learned to realize
that. As a result,
they appreciated
my
knowledge and if I may say so, my ability.
At the same time they respected me as a
woman, which I appreciated.
"Man or woman,
you don't demand
respect.
You earn it. I'll havE' to admit,
however, that aviation is a little different.
There is that built.in mutual respect among
pilots, men or women, that you don't find in
other proCessions or skills.
"Learning to fly separates the men from
the boys and
the
women
Cram the
exhibitionists,"
Cook believes.
"I highly
recommend flying lessons to both men and
women at any age-but
the younger
the
better.
"I learned to fly because I wanted to fly.
not because I wanted to compete againstmen or prove that a woman could do
anything a man can do," Cook says.
"I enjoyed flying just as much as I enjoy
being a woman. The desire to fly and the

Story by

Dick Williams
accomplishmenb.in
aytation had nothing to
do with being a woman. I just wanted to fly
and I wanted to be a good pilot. I never ga ve
a thought to proving anything just because
I'm a woman--except
that I am a woman,"
she adds with a chuckle.
Cook also has some advice
enter a woman's world.
"Those
men
secretarial
work
cabin attendants
compete with the

Cor men who

who want to get into

or nursing or be airline
have got to be able to
women, and they should

not expect preferential

treatment
because
they're in the minority.
"I think ability is the real key for both
men and women who want to get into what
has been traditionally
the other's world,"
Cook says. "If a woman wants to be a police
otricer and not just a police matron then she
must be able to handle herself physically;
she must be able to use her gun if called
upon just as expertly as a male police of.
ficer. And she should be prepared to accept
assignment to a dangerous situation just as
a man might be."
However,
there are some differences,
Cook finds.
"I think it's more difficult for a man to
enter a woman's world than vice versa,"
she says. "There are many professions or
skills for which women are selected because
of their attractive appearance.
So an airline
steward has got to be an exceptionally
wellgroomed man and a better waiter than a
waitress.

"A man who wants to be a nurse must be

somewhere between a nurse and a doctor.
What I'm trying to say is that a man in the
nursing profession has got to be far above.
average in ability in order to compde.
"It's the same if a man wants to be a
secretary,"
she continues. "And I've known
a couple
of exceptionally
good male
secretaries.
They have to be above average
in shorthand, typing, be a trusted confidant
and even function as an aide de camp.
"I could go on and on about examples, but
to sum it up I go back to my original
statement:
Ability is the key, not the per.
son's sex or even color."
How did Carol Cook get into aviation?
"I had a girl friend who was going
through ground school in Akron, Ohio," she
recalls.
"There
was no flight
school
available--only
the ground portion of the
training .
"I decided that I, too, wanted to C1yand
we made inquiries about flight schools. WE'
learned
that there was such a school
opening in Texas.
"To make a long story short, we went to
Texas and entered the WASP (Women Air
Service Pilots) program
which was just
then being organized by (the late) Gen. Hap
(H.H.) Arnold and Jackie
(Jacqueline)
Cochran. Some of the old pilots around will
remember
Avenger Field at Sweetwater,
Tex.
"At the outset we had no real uniforms, as
we were not in the service and neither were
we really civilians anymore. The uniforms
of the day was khaki slacks and a white
blouse. Flight suits were castoffs (rom the
men. I remember one flight suit I had had a
big hole right in the rear end.
"But we later were recognized and we got
uniforms
which
were
attractive
and
practical.
"In the 5~ months we learned to fly just
about everything the Army Air Corps had in
those days, including the PT19, BT13, BT15
and the AT6. That AT6 was the first real
airplane
I ever got my hands on," Cook
recalls.
"I'll tell you, those were the days. We
even Clew a monstrosity that was made out
of plywood.
"By this time there were about 1,000 of us
and the plan was for us to fly only the light,
single.engine planes. But we progressed so
well that we were moved into multiengine
planes at Dodge City, Kan.
.'That's when I learned to fly the B26,"
(cord.

on ~.

22)

.".
..
..J

;;:

0:

w
C

..J

!!!

(Left)
Our wonderful
'Dedie'

(Right)
Ziggyand
friend

(Above) Virginia Cutler 43-5

REUNION IN SAN JUAN "JUG" P-47 gals

(left to right) Teresa James, Katie Strehle, Evelyn Trammel,
Marianna Beard Nutt, Liz Pearce Lundy, Mary Trotman O'Brien
and Dot Hennesy.

1=
Still looking! Whose pictures are these? Do you know, Ziggy? To
whom they belong, I mean?

Lord Louis Mountbatten & Teresa James at P-47 Reunion, London

1i

Eleanor Faust (Collins) 44-10

(Right)
Charlyne
Creger 44-10
"Nevada
Sauna"
(Far right)
Virginia
Eatherton
Spear
44-9
Christmas '75
(Above) P-47 owned by Cal Gilorinimi at San Juan, P.R.
The gals took turns sitting in it.
(Right) Reno Reunion '75 (back to camera) Virginia
McPike Coakley, 44-10, Emily Chapin 44-10, and
Marty Wyall 44-10. (Far right) (From left) Majorie
(Bobby) Wakeham 43-6, Yvonne (Pat) Pateman 43.5,
Dolores Lamb 44-10. (Orange Co. Airport, June 1975)

Joan Uhalt (Freter) 44-10

ORDER OF FIFINELLA . 1976 REUNION

HOT SPRINGS HAS ALL THE FUN
VELDA ROSE TOWER - You will receive Hotel reservations cards any day now. 192 rooms available.
Single - $17.00 Double - $24.00 Suite - $45.00
Get your reservations in now! SECRETARIES: If you are working up a "block" of rooms, do it now
so you will be assured of your reservation. Late, late shows may be put in another hotel if we get an
overload. These rates are good for one week visit.

OCTOBER 22nd, 23rd, 24th. Come early. Stay late! Monday, the 25th is a Holiday (VETE HANS DAY).
You'll probably want to stay over and see more of Hot Springs.
PHOTOS: Plan your arrival so that you can GET IN THE PICTURE. Class photos will be taken on Friday,
the 22nd, starting at 4 p.m.; then they will be rushed to the developer so that each member can have
one to take home. Order will be: WAFS will be first; Class 43-1 will be second, 43-2 will be third, etc.
THUNDERBIRDS
will be our guests at dinner Friday night. And WE will be guests of honor in the front
stands at the airport Saturday to see their performance. Wear your uniforms! We're the greatest and
Hot Springs has declared this week to be Aviation Week Honoring The WASPS.
IDENTIFICATION
CARDS must be worn! And you must keep track of your tickets! This is absolutely
necessary. There will be 5 tickets: (1) Buffet dinner Friday night, (2) Breakfast Saturday morning, (3)
Box lunch Saturday noon, (4) Bus ride to Thunderbird performance, and (5) Awards Banquet Saturday night. No admittance without your ticket.
HOSPITALITY
ROOM: We're ALL hostesses! If anybody seesa shrinking violet, draw her out! Piano
players, bring your Sing-along music for spontaneous choral renditions. We will have a piano setting
there for you. Also, a Juke Box with records of the 40's. Costumes, anyone? What is your fantasy?
SHOW AND SELL - SHOW AND TELL:
tion from you in order to determine
what handicrafts and items you plan
SARA HAYDEN, 22 Stadium Road,

Sara Hayden will work this out, but she needs advance informathe area, size and number of tables, etc. needed. Write HE R as to
to bring and advise whether for sale or for show.
Methuen, MA. 01844.

$5.00

- $5.00 - $5.00 - PENALTY FOR LATE REGISTRATION

- $5.00 - $5.00 _ $5.00
It is that urgent that we get your registration in and posted by September 1st. If you have mislaid the
registration form we sent previously, please cut along the dashed line of the form below and MAl L
IT IN. Registration fee - $40.00. Late registrants (after September 1st) - $45.00

----------------------------------------------

REGISTRATION FORM . ORDER OF FIFINELLA . HOT SPRINGS

22 . 23 . 24 OCTOBER 1976
NAME

Class
Ck. Enclosed

STREET
CITY -FEE:

Will arrive by:

Car

STATE

~7IP

$40.00 if Registered by September 1st.

$45.00 if Registered AFTER September 1st.
$25.00 FOR HUSBANDS. FAMILY MEMBERS AND GUESTS.

Private Plane
Charter Plane
Airline
Other
OnDATE

You will be able to pick up your packets at the Registration Desk on Thursday, Oct. 21, (1 p.m. till 4:30
p.m.) and all day Friday, Oct. 22.
SEND CHECK TO: ORDER OF FIFINELLA,

c/o J.R. Smith, Drawer FF, Hot Springs, Arkansas 71901

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