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WJlSP

NEWSLETTERV OL . X II   Editor - Betty Cross   AUGUST 1976

**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 known as the driving force behind 

the giant Atlas Corporation, a conglomerate em-

 bracing scores of investment companies, Hollywood 

movie studios, railroad and aviation companies,

 public utilities, 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 busi-

iness meetings, this might be ideal. Some have sug-

gested a week or so abroad since there are many in-expensive all-inclusive tours being offered. Sara

Hayden, 22 Stadium Road, Methuen, Ma. 01844will 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 air-

 plane 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 Pharma-

ceutical Research Laboratory in Indianapolis, and 

learned to fly in her spare time. When she had log-

ged 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 con-

struction 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 for-

gotten 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 Con-vention of the Ninety-Nines at Cincinnati,

Ohio in 1964. Eighty-one WASPs and guests

attended. Jacqueline Cochran and Dora Dough-

erty 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.

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PROFILESon

 NEWOFFICERS

VICEPRES.*   SARAPAYNEHAYDEN22 StadiumRoad 

Methuen, Mass. 01844

Sara was working in Charlotte, N.C.whenshe sawa newsreel on the WASP,and decided that was what she wanted to

 be - a pilot and a WASP. So off to thefirst flying lesson, and a year to getin enough flying time and gain 10 Ibs.to makeit into last class. After de-activation she obtained her Flt. In-structor    Is rating and did instructingand 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 commissioninthe USAFRin 1949 and was involuntarilycalled to active duty in 1951. Served two years as WAC/WAFrecruiting officer in Shreveport, Charlotte and Nashville,finding somestation commandersnot suretheir officers should be flying para-chute jumpers in air showson Sundays,or aerial photographers old style incubs with the door off. While in Nash-ville met and married husband Frank.Weownedthree different planes, but

sold the Cessna 172 whenwe built our ownMedical Center in 1963. Beingoffice manager and bookkeeper for busydoctor-husband makesrenting a planemore practical, and had to bid a sad 

farewell to hard earned Flt. Instructor'srating several years ago. Is a Life

Memberof MethuenWomen'sPost 417, TheAmericanLegion, and presently Post Adj.Served as Class 44-10 Secty. fram Cin-cinnati to Reno. Still flying.

MILITARIZATION

Wm.Bruce Arnold 1625 Eye St. N.W.Washington, D.C. 20006

SENATEmIJ, S1345: In spite of thespecial mailing we sent out and theresulting letters that 11m sure all of the WASPs and their friends wrote,there still has been no congressional.

action on militarization of the WASPs.OnMarch11th, Col.   W In.   Bruce Arnold informs that as time gets closer to ad- journment, chances of a hearing on this bill becameless. I would like tostress that we are asking for a hearingon this bill rather than to have theCommitteevote on the recommendationsof the Veterans' Administration because

the V.A. strongly oppose any actionfavorable to us. As a last chance ac-tion on this bill, Senator Goldwater 

attempted to makea deal with Senator Hartke by having the WASPbill appear as an admendmentto one of Hartke'sspecial and private bills in which hehad great interest. This ploy failed in that Hartke refused, but Hartke's bill was voted downin Conmrl.tteeany-way. This is the last action we gotout of the 94th Congress, but we willcommenceagain in the 95th Congress

with a newbill number. If we arelucky, VanceHartke maynot return inJanuary. There is more at stake herethan a handful of benefits for a few othe WASPs. Weare going unrecognized;statements by the Air Force are intima-ting that the womenofficers whoareeligible to apply for active flighttraining this fall are the "first" wo-mento fly for the Air Force. I, for one wouldlike to see thi s point clar-

ifi~d and passage of Senate Bill S1345

would do this. Vance Hartke is chair-manof the Committeeon VeteransI   Af-

fairs and committeemembersare:

HermanE. Talmadge,~. Jennings Ran

dolph, W.Va. Alan Cranston, Calif.Richard (Dick) Stone, Fla. John A.Durld.n N.H. Clifford P. Hansen, WyoStrom ThUrmond,s.c.   Robert T. Staf-ford, Vt.Whatwould be helpful from you would  be a written plea to any of these menin a   c a . 1 J D . ,   civilized tone pointing ouany of these items: (1) we served o~country in time of need; (2) the maJority of us were from a "working class

whogave up goodpaYing jobs to enter WASPtraining;   (3)   we had expected to be militarized; (4) we wanted to bemilitarized to serve our country intime of war;   (5)   the Air Corps wanteus to be militarized and tried to get

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the militarization bill. of  1944  throughCongrees;   (6)   we nowseek somepublicrecognition for what we did in WWII;(7)   mention the type of flying you did after graduation during WASPdays.Please do not write demandingor angrynotes since this works against us.(Personal note: Frommy   correspond-ences with VanceHartke, Chairman, heseemsto have already madeup his mind to vote against this bill. Those inIndiana rememberthat a vote againstVanceHartke is a vote for the WASPs.By the sametoken, StromThurmond seemsto be all for us.)

AWARDSCOMMITTEE

AnnAtkeison, Cha:1.rman3848   W. BiddisonFort Worth, Texas 76109

Guidelines for proposing a recipient of the Order of Fifinella.

1.   The Awardis given in recognitionof a significant contribution madeto the WASPprogram, the Order of Fifinella or to the world of avia-tion and aerospace.

2. The recipient mayor maynot be amemberof the Order or have been aWASP.

3.   A single Awardis madeto a personmeritorious of the Awardat an

O.O.F. reunion. This does not im- ply that an Awardis givan at everyreunion, but that it is given onlywhenmerited and only at a reunion.

4.   TheAward.shall be presented by theincumbent President of the Order or her next in office present in caseof her absence.

5.   TheAwardpresentation shall be madeat the main reunion banquet of theOrder. The banquet shall be knownas the "Order of Fifinella Award 

Banquet".6.   The recipient of the Awardshall bekept secret by the AwardCommittee

and the presenter, and shall not becomeknownto the recipient or others until the momentof presen-tation.

Anyonedesiring to propose a person for the Order of Fifinella Award, pleasesend a biographical sketch and reason

for proposing to AnnAtkeison. Deadlinefor Oct.,   1976   reunion candidates, Sept.

15, 1976.

M E M BE R SH IP R E PO R T

byZiggy Hunter, Chairman

Operation Search has added some200- plus newmembersto the ooF since it began a fewmonths ago. The member-ship committee has 62 WASPsrepresen-tatives in the various states workingon list of loet WASPswhoonce had alocal address.

If you want to see that classmateyou haven't seen for 30 years, thisyear's bi-centennial reunion will bethe place. Out of hundreds of personal

contacts, there have been less than adozen whomowthey cannot makeit.

The rest are makingtheir plans to at-tend with enthusiasm. Andmanywill becomingto their first reunion.

Wecan't let downnow, however. Our goal is to lacate ALLthe   1830   women pilots whoentered WASPtraining or learn what happenedto them. You, too,can help.

Class secretaries can help by makinga quick check on current status of add-resses by calling LongDistance Opera-tors to confirm an address. To gettheir cooperation   (1)   ask for the num- ber, then (2) ask the LDOp"Is thataddress 123 ZedSt. (or whatever)? TheLDOpmayrefuse to give an address inthe first place, but they are obligated to confirm if you give them somesortof address, and if it is wrong, theywill usually give you the correct one.(If this be subterfuge, let's makethe

most of it.) If you'll pass the resultsalong, the membershipcommittee can thenhelp in the search.

Oneof our committeemembershas taken

the local directory and her lost WASPlist and called every subscriber in thedirectory with the samelast nameasthe WASPIs maiden name, as well as her married name, until she found a relative.

It paid off in morethan one case. An-other has written the postmasters ateach old address, explaining our pur- pose, and begged the forwarding address.

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She got it, more than oncelWe're proud of our more than 200'finds

 but we couldn't have done it without thehelp of those 62 hard-working committeemembers.

Andwe couldn't have done it withoutthe wonderful cooperation of Dallas in-

dustrie s whohave helped us with our search. Our special thanks go to E

Systems, a Dallas-based high technologyelectronics systems canpanywhich per-formlSmajor maintenance and modifica-tion on government and commercialair-craft. Theymadeavailable their long-distance facilities two nights a week for Jewel Estes and Ziggy Hunter to

makenation-wide contacts. Wewish wecould just pipe into their electronicreceptors the expressed joy of thosewhohave been located. Their generosityhas meant so muchto so many. Andwe

are again in debt to that constant WASPsupporter, George Haddaway,whoput usin touch with these wonderful people.

Thanks also go to Southwest Bell for 

the use of their area code book--inval-uable as a time saver in locating phonenumbers; our gratitude goes to Xeroxtofor their help in reproducing the manylists needed for nationwide distribution.

AndI guess we should pay tribute toa couple of calloused forefingers whichsomehowhaven't quite worn downto the

wrist bones yet, in spite of the 10,000 plus circuits around the phone's dialrotor which they have traveled in the

search-not to mention the gratitude wefeel for the performance of Estes' Bucr,vBuick and Hunter's MazyMazdain carry-ing us the 100 miles each of the past30 weeks to E Systems to makethe calls.

But most of all thanks to the spiritof adventure and excitement which spurr-ed the searchers into newcorners of thecountry each day. The gratitude and de-light of the newly found WASPsat being

rediscovered madeit all well worth theeffort.

Let's don't let downat this stage.The gals keep movingout of reach. As44-4' s class sectl'., Millie Dalrymple, put it, howcan there be so manyrest-less people at age 55-plus? Wewouldn'tfor the world have   Iemsit still. It's just that, while they keep moving, would they please just let us knowwhenand 

. where. Just for ticklers-does anybodyknowthe whereabouts of Claire Callaghan43-1, Lillian M. Connor, 43-3; AnnBren-nan of 43-4; SuzanneBaneArmstrongof 44-10; Sarah G Rewey44-9; Shirley ChaseEgler 44-6; Dorothea B. Rexroad Parmente44-6; Julia EganJordan, 44-7; Eileen B.Evans, 44-3 AnnUfer, 44-4; MaryB. Bee-cham, 44-1; Mildred GrossmanPalmer,44-2; Rose L. Puett, 44-2; Kathryn Stampof 43-8; Doris M. Marland,Martin, 43-8;Eugenie Garvin St. Martin, 43-5; MaryAGresham,43-7. Please pronto any infor-mation on these gals as soon as you haveit.

HISTORIAN

Marty WyallP.O. Box9212Ft. Wayne,Ind. 46809

Weare looking for group pictures takenin December,1944 at bases where WASPwere stationed. Please send me a   coWof yours (you can easily have a black and white copymade)with the names of the WASP'sidentified, the base wherestationed and type of. aircraft being.flown, jobs the WASP'swere doing, etc.

Please see that I get a   coW   of any Newspaperor magazine article s on theWASP'scurrently' being printed. I needthese for the scrap-book. If you eouldsend 2 copies, it wouldbe helpful.

***R.O.N.HOTSPIUNGS***Oct. 22, 23, 24

In '75, wewent to RenoRenewedold friendships fran years

ago

WASPshusbands, children   &   friendsAll c~nvergedat The Kings Inn.There were tours, sightseeing, gam-

 bling, business   &   run

But nowthat  I

s all over and done.Onceagain, the time draws near,During this great Bicentennial Year;For all WASPsto get on the wingWeR.O.N. at Velda Rose Tower, Hot

Springs

Start saving nowfor car, bus, trainor plane fare

Smitty, our Chairman, will meet usthere.

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 NOMINATINGCOMMITTEERECOMMENDATIONS

The nominating committee's requestfor candidates for office received anoverwhelmingvote to continue with the

 present officers.

Bea Haydu PresidentSara Hayden Vice-Pres.

Betty Pettitt Nicholas SectY.-Treas.Betty Cross Editor  

 Naturally we are open to any additions prior to the convention. The ballotshould be sent with the newsletter sothat everyone whether attending or notwill have a chance to vote. Last timethese were mailed to the chairmanbutthey could just as easily be mailed tothe secretary since we do not have a

on the displayed art works for their artistic desirability. Any   workof art should representall the WASPs and not just the38 whodied in service.There should be 2 categories for items that could either be don-ated by the Order or by indivi-

duals (with sanction by theOrder).

Category I

4.

- Anitem such as a plaque to be used in airports, univ-ersities, cities,libraries, etc.

Category 11- A.large statue

that could be used in a large nmseum.(There would prob-ably not be more

than 1 or 2 placesthat would acceptthis).

5.   If works of art are selected bythe membershipthen a fund rais-ing committeewould be appointed.This wouldnot be done until af-ter a tax exempt status had beenachieved. After this the artistwouldbe commissioned.

6.   If works of art are selected, themembershipshould search all over the country for places that would accept an item. selected by theOrder.

THEWASPCO!Q(EMORATIVEC~TTEE

The cOIllllitteeattempted to determineit a real interest exists on the partof the membershipto select and to sup-

 port a work of art (statue or plaque)to ccmnemoratethe WASPprogram.

Themembershipwas surveyed by meansof a request in the last Newsletter.Only six. replie s were received. Half of these wanted neither a plaque nor astatue. The camnittee has taken thisas a vote of no interest on the part of the general membership. It has recom-mendedthat the Order not try to spon-sor a work of art, but rather urge in-dividuals or small groups to do so.For example, the Womens'Forumof theSweetwater Chamberof Camnercerecently

conmissioned AnnAtkeison (44-10) and 

Franoes Withers to sculpt a   3  ft. bronzestatue of Fifi to adorn the WishingWellat the airport and to commemoratetheWASPs. This workwas not sanctioned bythe Order but it is a lovely and legit-imate tribute.

The committee has, at the suggestionof Betty Gillies WAFS,recommended 

that the Postal Department be approach-ed with the idea of issuing a connemora-ti   VB   stamp to the WASP. This would costus nothing, require little effort, would 

reach untold numbers of people, world-wide, and would ccmnamorateand publi-cize the WASPin a waynothing elsecould.

Fol l owi ng submi t t al of t he Commemor a-

tive CCIDDlittee'spreliminary final re- port, Pres. Haydusought the advice of 

the Executive Boardtor their ideas   ona memorial. TheyhaVB   reccmnendedthefollowing:

1. Anyonewishing to subnit a work 

of art or model to be on view at

Hot Springs reunion should con-tact t.he Reunion Committee, c/oMr.  J.   R. Smith, DrawerFF, HotSprings, Ark. 71901 before Oct.1st. All responsibility for theart workwill rest with the in-dividual supplying it. The Re-union Camnittee and the Order will assumeno responsibility.

2. The attending membershipmayvote

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175.4

170.7150.7

constitution set up at this point tocover this issue.

Everyone agreed that the presentslate of officers have done a marvel-ous job and should certainly be giventhe honor to continue in office follow-ing the October convention.

Submitted by: FAITHRICHARDS* ChairmanM. FERGESON Member R. Wheeler Member 

 NEWAEROSPACEEXHIBIT

For the manyaviation and space en-thusiasts for whomJuly 4th is justtoo long to wait, and for traYel~rswhocometo Washingtononly to fJ.nd they must peek through windowsfor aglimpse of the "Spirit of Sto   Louis,"

the SInithsonianI

s newNational Air and Space Museumopenedthe IndependenceAvenueLobbybeginning Mconday.Feb. 2.

The lobby, at 6th and IndependenceAvenuesS.W., will be open from 10 a.m.to 5:30 p.m. daily, except as construc-tion constraints maydictate. The building is completed, but the exhibitgalleries are still in various stages

of construction.While the Museumitself will not open

until the scheduled July date, thelobby will permit "sidewalk superinten-

dents" whohave faithfully followed  progress from the outside to view theMilestones of Flight Gallery, whereexhibit installation is still underway.

This central, glass-enclosed bay willhouse the most significant artifactsin the national collection, includingthe Wright brothersl Kitty HawkFlyer,Lindberghs "Spirit of St. Louis," theBell X-l first aircraft to break the

, A rn e •sound barrier, and the North rJ.canX-15, which is half aircraft and half 

spacecraft.Recopied from an article sent by CappyWhitaker Johnson 43-6. Ed.

*BI-CENTENNIALEXHIBITION*AIRFORCE

Former WASPswhohave not yet.~s~ted the Air Force Bi-Centennial ExhibJ.tJ.ontouring the United States should do so;Your editor becamecurious whenthe ex-

hibition visited Modestoand asked theSergeant in charge if the WASPswereshownor mentioned in the display. HeSgt. BUl Haines, replied they wereand he would showmewhere to watch forit (the pictures are shownquite fast)on the screen. Sure enough, saw someof the girls (looked like either    my

former class   44-6   or 44-7) toting para-chutes as they returned fram flight.Sgt. Haines mentioned someof our girlsin the Northern end of the state had asked the samequestions as myself.The whole programis projected veryfast so you have to be on your toes butit was nice to knowwewerenlt forgottenThis exhibition will be shownall over the United States untU Dec. 1976, whenthe Bi-centennial year will be over.

"HOTSPRINGS"

All Aboardl

Elaine Harmonsent the following fareinformation for those intending to flyto the Reunion from D.C. Rates quoted are those of AmericanAirlines as shesays these are approximately the samefor all Airlines. Little Rockis theclosest to Hot Springs and Elaine sugg-ested the best wayto go in a groupwouldbe to fly only to Little Rockand

 perhaps the convention comnittee could 

have a bus meet everyone to take themon to Hot Springs. The fare is $150.73

Coachfare to Hot Springs/indiv ••• $185.Groupfare to Hot Sprgs. via

Little Rock (4 hr. layover •••• 193.4in Little Rock)

Grp. fare to Hot Sprgs. viaMemphis(lhr. 15 min. layover in Memphis) •••••••

Coachfare/indiv. to Little Rock Groupfare to Little Rock•••••••

Bicent. fare/indiv. (must stay7 days) to Little Rock (Thisis not available all the wayto Hot Springs) •••••• 119.7

Anyoneplanning on rema~ sevendays would be wise to buy theJ.r ownticket at $119.73 to Little Rockonlyand schedule her flt. with ours so she

could ride the bus fran Little Rockto[HotSprings.

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As s u mi n g a g r o up o f 1 5 c a n b e g ot t e nt o ge t h er , E l a i n e wi l l b e g l a d t o h an dl et h e r e s e r v a t i o ns f o r a ny o ne p l a nn i n g t ol e av e f r o m D. C. T o a l l o w t i me f o r s c h -edul i ng i n ac c or d anc e wi t h a i r l i ne r egu-l a t i o ns , s h e wo ul d wa nt t o k no w by Se pt .1 , t h e n ame , a dd r e s s   &   p hone numb er o f  a ny on e wa nt i n g a r e s er v at i o n. T he

c h ec k s f o r ~1 50 . 7 3 wo ul d h av e t o r e ac hhe r by Oc t . 15t h. She ha s be en t o l dt h e p r i c e wi l l b e t h e s a me i n Oc t o be rbu t h as n ot h i n g i n wr i t i n g s o i t c o ul dp os s i b l y c h an ge b y t h en .

MI SC. Nl : . VJ S

Go v er n or Mi k e O' Ca l l a gh an o f Ne v ad a h asa pp oi n t e d F r a nc e s Di a s Gu s t a v s o n t o t h eVe t e r a ns ' Ad vi s o r y Co mmi t t e e . I t i s h i eh op e t h at h er a pp oi n t me nt wi l l h el p p r o -mot e Vet er ans s t a t us f o r t he women i n

our or gani zat i on.

We s t i l l h av e b on a f i d e c o l l e c t o r s r e -q ue s t i n g wi n gs . T he r e a r e mu s e ums a ndu ni v e r s i t i e s wh o wo ul d l i k e t o h av e aWASP u ni f o r m f o r di s p l a y. I f we c o ul dhave i n f o r mat i on ab out t he WAS P ' s i n asma ny p l a c e s a s p os s i b l e , t h en we wo ul dnot be l o st t o hi s t or y . At t he s amet i me, i t i s und er s t andab l e t hat manywo ul d l i k e t o k e ep t h ei r u ni f o r ms a ndwi n gs . I t h as be en s u gge s t e d t ha t e ac h

WAS P d e s i r i ng t o keep her t h i ngs d ur i ngh er l i f e t i me , ma k e p r o v i s i o ns i n h erwi l l t o have her uni f o r m, wi ngs and mem-o r a bi l i a do na t e d upo n he r de at h. I f s hehas not made ar r angment s f o r t hem t o b ed on at e d t o a s p ec i f i c pl a c e, t h ey c o ul db e g i ven t o our Hi s t o r i an , Mar t y Wyal l .

 Ther e wi l l be a meet i ng of a l l Commi t t e eChai r man, Cl ass Secr et ar i es and Of f i cer sS unday mor n i ng, Oc t ober 2 4t h , HotS pr i n gs . T i me a nd p l a c e wi l l b e p os t e don t he Bu l l e t i n Boar d i n Hot S pr i ngs .

* * ADVERTl Sl l 1ENT' l Hl -

SHI RTS - - - $30   +   c o s t o f s h i r t , c ho i c eo f wi n gs o r S t e ar ma n o n f r o nt . S ea r sme n' s s h i r t s a nd e i t h er c ut t a i l o f f o rl eave   i t   o n . S i z e s - s ma l l , me di u m,   &l a r ge o r o n   y~~   own sh i r t - - - mai l ed t ome, Bev Beeser nyer , Rt e . #3 , Gr ove, Ok l a .71+31J~.   :~hirt must be drip   dry,   not 100>;

co t t on.

WANTEDl l  !1!

KAY ( GOT T) CHAF F EY 4 3- 2 n ee ds a p ai ro f W- 2 wi n gs . He r mo t h er wi s h e s h erWASP memor abl i a t o go i nt o her hamet ownmu s e um a nd s h e d oe s n ot h av e h er W- 2wi n gs . Al s o , s h e h ad h er WASP u ni f o r ms t o l e n i n 1 96 9 b ut f o r t u na t e l y h ad s t o r e d

a l l t h e h ar dwa r e . I f a ny on e wa nt   8 t od onat e a un i f o r m, t he Namp a I d aho Hi s -t o r i c a l So c i e t y wi l l pu t a di s p l a y i nt he o l d Uni on P ac i f i c Ra i l r oad Depot -whi c h t hey ar e now r es t o r i ng i n Namp a.Kay ur ges WASPs t o j o i n t he Amer i canAv i a t i o n Hi s t o r i c a l S oc i e t y - - s h e f i n dst he r eadi ng ver y i nt er est i ng.

* ABOUT DUES*

Ap pr o x i ma t e l y h al f o f t h e Or d er o f F i f i -•

n el l a me mb er s h av e p ai d t h ei r d ue s . We

a r e e c o nc mi z i n g wh er e v er p os s i b l e ( u s eWATTS l i nes wher e ava i l abl e t o us , wr i t ei ns t e ad o f pho ni ng, di d no t pr i nt ar o s t e r , h ol d o nl y o ne Bo a r d me et i n g ay e ar s t a y i n g a t o t h er WAS P' s h ome sr a t h er t h an mo t e l s , e t c . ) . Al s o t h eof f i c er s , c ommi t t ees and c l ass sec r et a -r i e s a r e f u nc t i o ni n g b y n ot t u r n i n g i ne v er y e x pe ns e i t e m. Gi r l s a nd b oy s ,

t hi s s houl d not hav e t o be. I f ev er y -o ne pa i d t h ei r a nn ua l du es , we wo ul dhave enough f und s t o oper a t e p r op er l y .

 The r e may be c onf us i on abo ut whe n t hedues s houl d be pa i d. To c l ar i f y , i t i sf r o m Oc t o be r t o Oc t o be r , a t p r e s e nt $ 10p er year , t o b e mai l ed t o Bet t y Ni c ho l as1 25 W. 8 2n d S t . , I n di a na po l i s , I n d.4 62 60 . S t a r t i n g a t t h e r e un i o n, wewi l l i s s u e me mb er s h i p c a r d s . Al s o ,pl e as e be pr e pa r e d t o pa y y ou r d ue s f o rt h e f i s c a l y ea r Oc t . , 197 6 t o Oc t . 19 77i n or d er t o a t t end t he b us i ness meet i ngS at . a . ~ Oc t . 23 a t t h e r e un i o n.

AT THE REUNI ON

Many of t he member s make i t ems f or sal ea t t h e r e un i o n wi t h s o me o r a l l o f t h ep r o f i t s t o g o t o t h e Or d er o f F i f i n el l a .S ar a Hayden, 2 2 S t ad i um Road, Met huen,Ma . 0 18 44 wi l l b e i n c h ar g e o f a l l i t e mst o be di s pl a ye d. I f y ou pl a n t o br i nga ny t h i n g, pl e as e c o nt a c t h er pr i o r t ot h e r e un i o n i n o r de r t h at s h e c a n pl a nt he di s pl ay . Al s o, l e t Sar a k now i f y ou

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wouJ.dbe willing to devote sane of your time at the reunion to manthis display.

WAFHONORED

FIDRENEMILLERWATSONhas been chosento appear in. the   1.'1l6    Directory of 

 NOTABLE.AMERICANSOFTHEBICENTENNIAL

ERA. Sameof her friends. learned of this honor by coincidence and.felt thatall. WASPswould want to share. our pridein this special tribute to her. OUt-standing personalities fran each of thefifty states ••• framall professions and walks oLlile, have been selected for this honor. Afitting tribute to Amer-ica'   6  birth,. this Directory will honor those. people 'Whoseachievements and traditional. values represent the essenceof those American.ideals which were in-

spired by our great forefathers.In addition to the printed account of 

Florene' s achievements will be the pre-

sentation of. an.AwardPlaque. Thisedition, .a hallma.rk of biographical re-search, represents a weaLth of historyfor. future researchers and archivists.

We, as WASPs,congratulate one of our own, Florene, a welL chosen example of American womanhood.

"NEWSOFNOTE"Airforce Musemn.

Dayton, Ohio

August 11 - 2:00 P.M. - Dedication of "WomensAir Service Pilots" (WASP)exhibit and a talk    by   Col. Dora Stro-ther, U.S. Air Force Reserve, heli-copter pilot and former WASPmember.

The August 11 programwill featureColonel Dora Strother, USAFReserve,whowas a WASPpilot in World WarII.

Dr. Strother will dedicate the lDllseum's

WASPexhibit and present a talk on WASPactivities in WWII.

AIRPORl'Vb.--r'ERAN

Mildred Christiansen, administrativeassistant at MuskegonCountyAirport,has seen air travel change from a lux-ury to a necessity in her past 25 yearsof service at the airport. Airport

.officials and the Michigan Aeronautics

Commissiondecided to honor her for her long years of service. Apilot herself,Millie has served as assistant to a suc-cession of airport managers. Her hus-

 band Ted was on hand for a surprise

 party at the airport.(Millie was in   43-6   and the above art-icle was printed in the SundayChronicle

in Muskegon,Mich., May1.6, 1976, withMillie and.her husband pictured seated  behind a beautiful cake with the words"Congratulations Millie - 25 years of Aviation Service."

PUBUCITYBetty Williams, Chairman

5935   McDoniaAve.WoodlandHills, Cal   91364

Twentywomenin the Air Force are being

selected to enter Undergraduate PilotTraining this. September at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona. Theywill be tak-ing their training in the same aircraftas the menand will.tollow the same cur-riculum.with the exception of formationflying and techniques pertinent to com- bat missions. Upongraduation they will be given assigmunts in as ma.n;yas 20different types of aircraft.

This information   is  important to you asa WASP, because our program was the

forerunner to this current program, andit generates "news interest" (helpful publicity for our October Reunion).The news media is sure to see severalappropriate tie-ins for good publicityand let's all make sure the WASP'sarementioned along with these 20 womenbycontacting our local press, radio-TV,etc. to makethem aware we existed. Toassist you with general information, Iamgiving information below. The news

media appreciate a report that is doublspaced and, of course, give your person-al story along with the general information. Please contact me if you can helpwith publicity and/or have contacts inthe media of have experience in publi-city or public relations.

FORIMMEDIATERELEASE

As the U.S. Air Force prepares today forwomenentering Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT)this September at Williams Ai

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Force Base, Arizona, thoughts are beingdirected toward the 1074graduated wanen

 pilots whonew military aircraft dur-ing WorldWar IIand paved the wq for today's actions. That pioneer group!mownas WASP's,WomensAirforce ServicePilots, flew noncombatmissions in everytype of aircraft the ArmyAirforce had 

in the 1944 inventory. Theywere fir st pilots and co-pilots on transport and  bombermulti- and twin-engined aircraftand pilot on pursuits. The list includ-ed B-25, B26, B-17, B-24 and even theSuperfortress ~29j pursuits included P-38, P-39, P-40, P-47, P-51j trainersincluded all the Primary, Basic and Ad-vancedmanufactured during this period.The jet fighter, which was just beingintroduced into the military at the end of   WWIl,   was also flown by a WASP.

WHEREare these veterans of hundredsof searchlight and tracking missions,60 million miles of ferrying aircraftfrom factory to points of embarkationfor the battlefront, while ferryingother training or war-wearyfighters

 back to maintenance or repair stations?Whereare these womenpilot pioneerswhotowedtarget sleeves behind their  planes so Jrighter pilots in combat practice or anti-aircraft batteriescould learn howto aimlive amrmmitionat a movingtarget? Anation-wide

search is underwayto locate sane of the llmissing or lost" WASP's(includ-ing the trainee s whodid not graduate)-- that unique group of military wo-menpilots whotaught instrument flyingto male pilots; flew engineering testflights, samerelatively dangerous; en-gaged in radio-controlled flying, air-line operation for military transport .or underwent simulated strafing assign-ments.

Today, somethree decades after theWASPprogramdeactivated, those whopar-ticipated have naturally scattered tothe four points of the compass, buthopefully before this Fall, manyof those with unlmownaddresses will belocated and will join all former WASP'sat a national reunion, scheduled for October 22, 23, 24th at Hot Springs,Arkansas •••••• with ReunionHeadquarters

at Velda Rose Tower. Current addressesnumberabout 600 fromthe 1074graduated 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 thereunion, is the continuing organizationof these womenpilots - having adopted the nameof the lady gremlin, imaginarygoodluck insignia designed for theWASP'sby Walt Disney Studios duringWorldWar II.   Memorialshave been spon-sored to the 38 womenwhowere killed in service to their country ••• suchservice not protected by any governmentinsurance or other benefits. TwoBillsnowbefore COllgI"eSS.,hopefully, willcorrect this inequity.

*   FIFI GOES HOME*

AnnAtkeison feels a little as she did 

in WorldWar II.   She'8makinga con-tribution to the cause she loves-theWomenAir Force Service Pilots, alsoknownas the WASPs.

Miss Atkeison, lead technical writer at the Jefferson Avenuefacility, isgetting a little gremlin namedIIFifi-nellall ready for her big day.

Fifinella is a petite creature withwings, flight goggles and fairy boots.She was created by Walt Disney in honor of the WASPs.

Since menwere used in overseas fly-

ing positions during the war, the WASPswere formedto take over someof thestate side flight training duties as wellas to ferry all manner of aircraft toembarkation points.

Miss Atkeison remembersher WASPdaysvividly. She was an instrument flyinginstructor at Perrin Field at Sherman,Tex.

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"I heard about the program, but could not join because I didn't have my   pilot's

license," she recalled. "It took me amonthto get mylicense. ThenI join-ed the program."

She said there were more than 25,000applications fran womenall over theU.S. Only 1800were accepted into theWASPs,and even fewer than that weregraduated.

"Wedidn't have any of the military benefits, since weweren't part of themilitary," Miss Atkeison continued."There is a bill before Congress nowto

give WASPsGI benefits. It wouldberecognition that we served our countryduring the war."

Miss Atkeison did rememberone closecall while she was an instructor.

"This youngpilot had been sent back 

to us from the Pacific," she said. "Hewas going to be an instructor for themen.

"I took himup to check himout onhi5 instruments and every time he would get under the hood (blind flying), hewouldfreeze on the stick.

"Hewas suffering from flight fatigueshe said. "Onetime he froze and Icouldn't get himoff the stick. I had to pop the hood and let the sunlighthit himto bring himaround so wewould 

not crash."But Miss Atkeison really didn't haveanything to worry about. Not with agood luck charmlike Fifinella around.

Another companyemployee, FrankieWarms,was a memberof the elite group.Whenthe war broke out, she got in her c ar i n Ca l i f o r ni a a nd dr ov e s t r a i ght t o

Texas and joined the WASPs."Youhad to be   5   feet 2 and I wasn't

quite that tall," she said. "But theylet me in anyway. It was one fantasticadventure after another."

She has been an electrical buyer for the companyfor the past   17   years.

The WASPswere disbanded in   1945   just before the surrender of Japan. But thegroup's tradition lived on. In 1972the group held a 30 year reunion inSweetwater, Tex. where the womentrained.

Miss Atkeison played an active role inthe reunion, too. She sculpted sixsmall bronze "Filill statues for the oc-

casion. The Fifis were given as awardsto persons whomadeoutstanding contrib-utions to the world of aerospace.

Four years later, the Sweetwater Cham ber of Commerceand the Women'sForumdecided to honor the WASPsas part of their Bicentennial effort.

The old good luck fountain at Avenge

Field in Sweetwater is being restored.Miss Atkeison is sculpting a greml.in-size version of Filinella to be placed on a pedestal in the center of the foun

tain.She workedon the sculpture for about

six months. Oncethe bronze cast isfinished, Miss Atkeison will take themascot to Sweetwater for the June cere-

mony.WASPsfrom across the country will re

turn to Sweetwater to see their old friend Fifinella. Theywill be proud 

that Fifi is homeagain.But none will be as proud as AnnAt-

keison.

DEDICATIONCEREMONIES

The elaborate ceremonies honoring theWASPat Sweetwater on Flag Day, June 1were 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 Fifinellamember s, their guests and member s of 

the TSTI system Board of Regents were

guests of the Rotary Club and the First National Bankat a "finale" luncheon,also attended by membersof the organizations and others involved in this

 project.HomerTaylor, TSTIManagerof In-

struction gave the invocation to openthe lIunveilingil, Dyess Air Force BaseColor Guardpreaented the colors (the

wind was blowing so hard the airman

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flag-bearer was almost airborne!) and Rigdon Edwardsled the Pledge of Alle-giance and the Star Spangled Banner.(Wediscovered that Rig, in additionto having been a favorite flight inst-ructor and always one of the most de-voted friends and supporters of theOrder of Fifinella, has a voice that

could grace any concert halll)Guest speaker was Dr. Carolyn Sue

Huntoon, Special Assistant to the Dir-ector of NASA,~don B. Johnson SpaceCenter,' Houston, Texas, who stated thatshe had been requested, by her Washing-ton office, to participate on this occ-asion "because it is the only officialBicentennial celebration focused onwomenwhoanswered the call and made personal sacrifices to make our nationstrong and keep it free". Dr. Huntoongave insights into the space programand its legacy to the future, paid tri- bute to the WASPand even brought"Fifi's" spirit into the achievementsin space.

Highlight of the program was the elo-quent and movingtribute to the WASPbyRig Edwards - to which I had the honor of responding.

Mrs. Reeves made the presentation of the statue to the Order of Fifinellaand TSTI. President Bee Hayduaccepted most graciously for the OOFand the

chairman of the TSTI system (there arefour 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 camefram "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 fromSeattle, Wash.) 44 - 9 &10 (fram La.),Dedie Deaton - All classes, Rigdon Ed-wards - Instr., Irene FremdDe Gray -43- 5 ,   Ruth UnderwoodFlorey -   43- 4 ,Lavina Lippincott Green -   44-6,   LelaLowderHarding -   43-7,   Elaine Harmon-44-9   and her mother (from Maryland),President Bee Falk Haydu-   44-7   (fran

 NewJersey), Ziggy Hunter - Instr.,

Dorothy Smith Lucas -   44-7,   Viola Thomp-son Mason-   43- 4 ,   VelmaM. Saunders 43- 6 ,Dora Dougherty Strother -   43- 3   and her husband, Frankie McInerneyWarms-   43-8and her daughter, our muchappreciated adopted artist, Frances Withers.

Weall agreed that this was a grand and glorious occasion and were unanimousin our gratitude to Annand Frances and our admiration of the Fifinella statue.It is a something we can be proud of 

foreverl

EXCERPl'FROMSPEECHof 

DR. CAllDLYNSUEHUNTOON

"I amhere today with a special mes-sage. Just as Fifinella was along onyour flights in the early '40' s, shehas been along on our space flight

missions. It is true that we have en- joyed tremendous success in t~e 15 ~s.that we have been a space-farlng natlon.But that is, perhaps, because the suc-cess of each flight was enhanced withher female touch. I can enumeratespecific examples as whenFifi helped the Apollo 13 crew to return their crippled spacecraft to earth. AgainFifi was there to help that first Sky-lab crew release the solar panel whichsaved the Skylab programfrom complete

disaster and it was Fifi whohelped downthe oxygenmask and brought our crewmenout of their contaminated 

cabin to safety."

AVENGER FIELD'WISHINGWELLTRANSFORMED'

Our Wishing well is no longer a con-crete-walled mucthole, as it has beensince the mysterious diSappearance of the fountain and chiseled stone trib-utes to the Waspinstalled by Generals

H. H. Arnold and Barton K. Yount. Itis nowa strikingly beautiful pennan-ent memorial to the WASP,thanks tothe Sweetwater Woman'sForum, Horizons' 7 6   Bicentennial Commissionand theTexas State Technical Institute unitwhich nowoccupies muchof the site of old Avenger Field.

Centered by a three f~ot bronze sta-

tue of Fifinella which will stand some

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five feet high on a pylon (not com- pleted at the time of the dedication),"flyingll froma mass of flowers, theWishingWell will be surroundedby alandscaped viewing area (surrounding buildings will be torn down), and isnowwithin the fenced (and guarded)campusof TSTI. Various factors madeit impractical and unwise to restorethe fountain, but the IIFifill   statue isan ideal and dramatic replacement.The artists, Frances Withers and AImAtkeison and the castor, JimPugh, havecreated a true workof art. TheWanan'sForum, with Mrs. GeorgePoe as chair-manof the Fifinella project, under-wrote funds to get a matching grantfor the Sweetwater commissionfromtheTexas Bicentennial Commission,and raised the moneylocally. Mrs. Poeand Mrs. Wilson Guest, general chair-

manof the SweetwaterBicentennial Com-mission headed the committeein charge,assisted by Mrs. SamReeves, presidentof the Woman'sForum. The artists con-tributed their time and talents, re-ceiving only the cost of materials.

*TRIBUTETOTHEWASP*by

RigdonEdwards

HonoredGuests, ladies   &gentlemen:

It is certainly a very high honor and a great Privelege to offer a trib-ute or salute to the Woman'sAirforce

Service Pilots.The four letter nameof WASPhas a

lot of symbolism-.I feel that the IIWIIcould stand for 

all those 1830WonderfulWomenthathad the desire, dedication, determina-tion and courage to be the first womento be trained for all flying jobs shortof combat - in order to relieve men

 pilots for combatduty.The "Allexpresses the tremendous

right attitude of these womenwhenfaced with a grueling training program,zoot suits, cattle trucks for trans- portation, impatient instructors and the close confinement during 210 hoursof flight training in all kinds of 

 planes   &   weather. The "A" could alsosymbolize "Avenger"- ~ of thesewomenwere-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 - Serviceto one's country. TheWASPsflew over 60 million miles towing targets, fly-ing taxi, ferrying airplanes of alltypes and manyother assignments shortof combatservice with a very rare

ability and accomplishment. In all,they delivered 12,652 planes under allkinds of conditions with only threefatal accidents - a safety record un-equalled anywhere, anytime - by a:rry

Group.The "P" stands for unusually great

 pride the lCJ74   graduates took in showing that little gremlin "Fifi" thatthey were the best - Theyhave everyright to be proud of the superb ser-vice they performed. The "P" could 

also be equated that these gals were patient- while manythought theycouldn't "cut itll - they patientlyworked, sweatedand prayed while theywere proving that they coUld do a masterful job for the Good'ole U.S.A.

Wordsare   50   inadequate to expressour full appreciation to the WASPsfortheir outstanding and dedicated con-tribution to our war effort, for their tremendousaccomplishments, their de-sire, courage, attitude and eagerness

to serve.Will all of you here today join mein congratulating ~ WASPsfor a "jobwell done" and moreespecially to thos Ii   great womenthat paid the supreme

sacrifice while in the service of thei

country.Maythe power of this little gremlin

"Fifi" working through the super poweof our heavenly Father continue to

 bless you and guide you to sare land-

ings in all your endeavors.

 Note: As Dedie mentionedwhenshe enclosed the above speech (she also senall the other copy on the dedicationceremonies) Rig was the spearhead of everything in Sweetwaterpertaining tothe ceremonies though he reru-sed to bnamedchairman, raising money(contri-

 buting a large amounthimself) involving people, organizations, etc. and h

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and his Wife Maryhla" have always(through the years) been devoted friends

and pur staunchest supporters. Weowe

himour gratitude and a vote of thanksfrom our whole organization. ThankyouRig from the bottom of our hearts!

SWEETWATER BICENTENNIALCELEBRATION

Although   o~rlSha.dowedby the June  14events" Sweetwater demonstrated its loy-alty and affection for the WASPs by re-questing that the WASPbe officiallyrepresented at their county Bicentennialcelebration on April 17   IIsince the WASP

 played such an important role in thehistory of Sweetwater". Ruth Florey"Rig Edwards"my   husband Cliff and I weregreatly honored to be the representativesin the parade. Rig drove a "fancy" jeep(decorated by Peggy Poe, chairman of the

Fifinella project and her committee) withCliff at his side and Ruth and I" in uni-form, wavedfrom the back seat.

Weall got a thrill of a lifetime be-

cause whenour WASPvehicle first cameinto view, the several hundred spec-tators seated on the courthouse lawn jumpedto their feet, cheering and whistling and calling out to us aslong as wewere in sight! Sweetwater does love us!

GUESTEDITORIAL

WhenI growup I want to be a pilot because it's a fun job and easy to do.That's whythere are so manypilotsflying around these days. Pilots don'tneed muchschool; they can read their 

instruments. I guess they should beable to read road maps, too, so theycan find their wayif they get lost.Pilots should be brave so they won'tget scared if it's foggy and they can'tsee, or if a wing or a motor falls off 

they should stay calm so they'll knowwhat to do. Pilots have to have good eyes to see through clouds, and theycanIt be afraid of thunder or lightning

 because they are so muchcloser to themthan we are. The salary pilots makeisanother thing I like. Theymakemoremoneythan they knowwhat to do with.This is because most people think that plane flying is dangerous, except pilots

don't because they knowhoweasy it is.I hope I don't get air-sick, because Iget car-sick, and if I get air-sick Icouldn't be a pilot, and then I would have to go to work.

-written by TOIIIIDYTyler,5th Grade Student,

Jefferson School"Beaufort, South Carolina-

Article above published AIAA(AmericanInstitute of Aeronautics &Aerospace)Kansas City Newsletter.

"MIRACLE"OFMEDICINE

Char 1yn 44- 10 and pat i ent

On F eb. 5, 1976, Sh r e ve po r t , L a. me di c a ls c ho ol do c t o r s s u cc e s s f ul l y c o r r e c t e da bowel obs t r uc t i on on a 1 l b. , 3 oz .ba by gi r l who i s bel i ev ed t o be t hes ma l l e s t ba by e ve r t o s u r v i v e a n i n t r a -abdomi nal oper at i on.Mi d- Apr i l , at t he t i me of t he encl os ed

pi c t ur e, s he wei ghed 3 1bs . , 14 oz s . at1 12 days of age. Char 1 yne Cr eger ,

44- 10, was t he Anes t het i s t , and t hes ur ge on, Dr . J o hn He nr y , pe di a t r i c c a r -di a c s u r g eo n o f t he L . S. U. t e ac hi ng

s t a f f . He i s t he br o t he r of Anni e J .Henr y, 44W- 7. The t wo wor k t oget her f r e-quent l y on t he emer gency t eam at t he med-i c a l c e nt e r . l I e wa s q ui t e p r o ud o f An ni e

 J ean' s f l yi ng.

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*ATTHETWIUGHT'SLAST*"GLEAMING

Cornelia Fort

Here is one of the most remarkable art-icles ever pub1ished--a personal story

 by the first womanpilot to die on war duty in Americanhistory. Shortly after she sent it to us, Miss Fort, twenty-four, of Nashville, Tennessee, waskilled whenthe banber she was pilotingcrashed in Taxas. But her words herewill 1ive--as a movingaccount of whyone womanjoined the WAFSand as a te s-tament to all Americanwomenwhoarehelping keep Americafree.

I knew1 was going to Join the WomenIsAuxiliary Ferrying Squadronbefore theorganization was a reality, before it

had a name, before it was anything buta radical idea in the minds of a fewmenwhobelieved that womencould flyairplanes. But 1 never knewit sosurely as 1 did in Honolulu on December 7,   1941. A.tdawnthat morning1 drovefromWaikiki to the John Rodgers civi-lian airport right next to Pearl Harbor,where 1 was a civilian pilot instructor.Shortly after six-thirty 1 began landingand take-off practice with   my   regular student. Comingin just before the last

landing, I looked casually around and sawa military plane cQJDingdirectlytoward me. 1 jerked the controls awayfrem.my   student and jammedthe throttlewide open to pull above the oncoming plane. Hepassed so close under usthat our celluloid windowsrattled vio-lently and 1 looked downto see whattind 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. Honoluluwas familiar withthe emblemof the Rising Sunon passen-ger ships but not on airplanes.

1 looked quickly at Pearl Harbor and my   spine tingled when1 sawbillowing black BIIloke. Still 1 thought hollowlyit might be somekind of coincidence or maneuvers, it might be, it must be. For 

surely, dear God••••••

ThenI looked wayup and sawthe for-mations of silver bombersriding in.Somethingdetached itself froman air- plane and cameglistening down. Myeyes followed it down, downand evenwith knowledgepoundingin mymind, my

heart turned convulsively whenthe bomexploded in the middle of the harbor.1 knewthe air was not the place for m

little baby airplane and I set aboutlanding as quickly as ever I could. Afew seconds later a shadowpassed over meand simultaneously bullets spattered

all around me.Suddenlythat little wedgeof sky

above HickamField and Pearl Harbor wathe busiest fullest piece of sky I ever

saw.

Wecounted anxiously as our littlecivilian planes cameflying hometoroost. Twonever cameback. Theywer

washedashore weeks later on the wind-ward side of the island, bullet-riddled. Not a pretty wayfor the brave littleyellow Cubsand their pilots to go dow

to death.Therest of Decemberseventh has bee

described by too manyin too muchdetafor meto reiterate. 1 remained on thisland until three months later when1returned by convoyto the United State Noneof the pilots wanted to leave butthere was no civilian flying in the islands after the attacko Andeach of uhad someindividual score to settle wthe Japs whohad brought murder and de

struction to our islands.When1 returned, the only wayI cou

fly at all was to instruct CivilianPilot Training programs. Weekspasse

Then, out of the blue, camea telegram

fromthe WarDepartment announcingtheorganization of the WAFS(Women'sAuxiliary Ferrying Squadron) and the ordeto report within twenty-four hours if 

interested. 1 left at once••Mrs. NancyLovewas appointed SenioSquadronLeader of the WAFSby the Seretary of War. Nobetter choice coulhave been made. First and most important she is a goodpilot, has tremendous enthusiasm and belief in womenpi

lots and did a wonderful job in helpinus to be accepted on an equal status

with men.

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Becausethere were and are so manydisbelievers   in womenpilots, especiallyin their place in the arJIJy",officialswantedthe best possible qualificationsto go with the fir st experimental group.All of us realized what a spot wewereon. Wehad to deliver the goods or else. Or else there wouldn't ever beanother chance for womenpilots   in   any

 part of the service.Wehave no hopes of replacing men

 pilots. But we can each release a manto combat, to faster ships, to overseaswork. Delivering a trainer to Texasmaybe as important as delivering a bomberto Africa if you take the longview. Weare beginning to prove thatwomencan be trusted to deliver air- planes safely and in the doing servethe country whichis our country too.

I have yet to have a feeling whichapproaches in satisfaction that of hav-ing signed, sealed and delivered an air-

 plane for the United States Army. Theattitude that most nonflyers have about

 pilots is distressing and often acutelyembarrassing. Theychatter about theglamour of flying. Well, any pilot cantell you howglamorousit   is.   Wegetup in the cold dark in order to get tothe airport by daylight. Wewear heavycumbersomeflying clothes and a thirty-

 poundparachute. Youare either cold or hot. If you are female your lip-

stick wears off and your hair getsstraighter and straighter. Youlook forward all afternoon to the bath youwill have and the steak. Well, wegetthe bath but seldomthe steak. Some-times weare too tired to eat and fallwearily into bed.

 Noneof us can put into wordswhywefly. It is somethingdifferent for each of us. I can't say exactly   whyI fly but I knowwhyas I've never knownanything in mylife.

I knewit whenI sawmyplane sil-houetted against the cJ,oudsframedbya circular rainbow. I knewit whenIflew up into the extinct volcano Hal-eakala on the island of Mauiand sawthe gray-green pineapple fields slopedownto the cloud-dappled blueness of the Pacific. But I knowit otherwisethan in beauty. I knowit in dignityand selr-sufficiency and in the pride

of skill. I knowit   in the satisfac-tion of usefulness.

For all the girls in the WAFS,Ithink the most concrete momentof happ-iness cameat our first review. Sudd-enly and for the first time wefelt a

 part of sanething larger. Becauseof our uniforms whichwehad earned, weweremarchingwith the men, marchingwith all the freedom-loving people inthe world.

Andthen while wewere standing atattention a bombertook off followed 

 by four fighters. Weknewthe bomber was headed across the oceanand thatthe fighters weregoing to escort it

 part way. Asthey circled over us Icould hardly see themfor the tears inmyeyes. It was striking symboli8111.and I think all of us felt it. Aslong asour planes ny overheadthe skies of 

Americaare free and that'   5 what all of us everywhereare fighting for. And 

that we, in a very small way, are beingallowed to help keep that sky free isthe most beautiful thing I have ever known.

I, for one, amprofoundly gratefulthat   my   one talent, myonly knowledge,

flying, happensto be of use to   J1I1country whenit is needed. That'sall the luck I ever hope to have.

Editor's note: Thearticle you have just read appeared in the Wanan 's HomeCompanionJuly,   1942,   and also in Scho-lastic October 11,  1943.   Cornelia Fortwasthe first casualty of the womenwhoflew for the United States ArmyAir Corps. Theoriginal copyof this arti-cle is   in the Historian Files and wasmadeavailable for meto copyby our Historian, MartyWyall.

'LAST FLIGHT'

It has been suggested that in theevent a memberof the Order of Fifi-nella passes away, those in the area

 be reaponsible for sending a noral piece fromthe Order of Fifinella and also notify Betty Nicholas, Secret8.I7and Betty Cross, Newsletter Editor.

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WAFS.Secretary: Delphine Bohn

655   Stockton St.   #201San Francisco, Ca.   94108

 NANCYHARKNESSLOVEhas manyattrac-tions--one is a mack of penningletters that makeone feel she isseated al.o~ side talklng, emphasi-

zing a point with the waveof a. des-criptive hand~ She relates the marr-iage this past summerof their daugh-ter Hannah: one 'sweats' with her inresolving "logistical. problems" en-gendered by having the weddingatMartha's Vineyard at this particular II8D18nt..in time. Natural..ly, everylittle thing turns out well, withHannahnowincorporating into her lif'e pattern husband, domesticity--a kitchen garden yet-along with joband schooling a newly purchased horse.Daughter Markystill lives in one of So. California's choice canyonsde-veloping her ownconcept of a life

 pattern. Anthropologist Alice f~r the caning months has evolved aworld-wide programand itinerar,y 8uchas to makeall covetous. After timein Mainewith Nancyand Bob, shetraveJ,.s Scotland and Eng]and seeld.ngancestral. gravestones; moveson to adig in South Africa; then, its on to

 NewZeal.andfor six months' of teach-

ing at the University. Wowl,as Bobwould say. The Loves no longer fly,rather they sail-that's a lot of love (both concepts, nounand surname)to transfer fully fr.omone mediumtoanother. She canunents: 1 I • • •   you can'tgo off living on a Bonanzafor weeksat a time. II   So, late in May, they,

carrying as nonexceS5baggagea "pre_ cocious" poodle, in a cruising sail-

 boat depart Fla. for Maine, with stop-over at the Vineyard.

BETTYH. GIlLIES' letters always sothoroughly reflect her and her beau-tiful, individual wa:yof life. Occ-asionally her "wa:y"nmst put her ina small quandary: she keeps it so

 brimmingwith happenings. For in-

stance" not manymonthsago she, withfriend" flew the Baron to Alaska for 

.weeksof fun and knowledge;they re-

turned via Coeur d'Alene and the   99'  s

Convention. Betweenthen and now,there has been flying, family, polo-tics and her considerable workwithher radio station and patching for myriad people (thereafter her friends)over the globe. For "now," she pro-gnosticate s joining in the ATWAR term-

inous ceremonies, then, with husband Bud, vi siting old friends up and downthe east coast; next, she will stop

 by Atchison, Kansas, July 24, for thededication of TheNinety-Nines Int'l.Forest of Friendship. This isn'tnea r l y a l l ! I n Augus t s he wi l l at -

tend the   99' s   Convention, in October 

the WASPHe.unionand "then, of course,Budand I will try to work in a visitto see Pat and family in Italy inSeptember." Addto the foregoing thefact she is Pres. of the RanchoSantoFe Republican Womenand its electionyear. AREYOUBELTEDIN? "Pete isstill flying for Western Helicopters.His last job was to pick up  45   tele- phonepoles for Pac. Tel. and drop

theminto previously hand-dug holesin the mountains and valleys north of Escondido. Theholes were only  3inches bigger than the poles. Hehad to do it all by himself." Canyou

 believe it? Heaimed a   50   ft. poleat a hole 70 ft. belowhimand HITit,

all the while flYing the 'copterlLike to try it?

 NANCYBATSONClID'lSapparently mailed atthe airport a letter to your reporter as she departed for LockHavento pickup yet another Super Cub. She usestheir several aircraft to tow gliders,instruct in, rent, etc. Lest you needa reminder, Nancyhas, along with otheabilities, acquired an Instructor'srating--of gliders, too-an ATPratingand a Gliders' Gold Badge. Don't

overlook her duties five days a week as receptionist for Northropl Lastsummershe not only taught son Rad-ford, a senior at ChapmanCollege, tofly, she imbuedhim:with her love of it. This summer,flaunting a camner-cial rating, he will spot swordfishfor a fishing boat. Nancywrites   17year old daughter Janey, a June highschool graduate, will, after a Carib-

 bean trip, expand, under a leading

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Hollywoodagent, her career as amodel. Janey will, at the sametime,take classes at a Junior College.

DELSHARRphilosophizes: IIFinaJ.ly, myFuture is Now. In the Past, myowa

 Nowwas alw~s in the Future • • • •Finally, I'm free. Well, almost. TI l cr e' s a s t r ay mal e cat depopul at i ng

the rabbits, m01esand mice in thefields. And, after myham.ewas ran-sacked and burglarized in Dec., anephewgave me a four year old black Germanshepherd dog as protection. Imust care for them." Primarily, Delsays, she wouldlike to use her IIown

 Nowllaltogether to get on with her history of the WASP(You've her add-ress, so send to her lots or littleof that WASPlore you possess.), yetopines she IIbackslides." These so-called "backslides" have been speeches

she's madefor the Ninety-Nines; twoor three trips-one a tour with theMissouri Historical Society of sameof Louisiana's old plantations. Too(Jesus Maria!), she has planted nuttrees, fruit tree s "and a tremendousgarden of usual and unusual vegetables. IIIn addition, our nomineeof the year for "Womanof Unbelievable Stamina,IIhas withstood depredations to body-

an a.ttack of toxic labrynthitis, whichhas to do with internal ear and causesDel to label herself "falUnl wam.anll-

and to property by (1) pious-actingscoundrels and (2) someadditionaldesecrating scoundrels.

GERTRUDEMESERVETUBBScertainly isn'tlolling in the Florida sunshinel Her communicationimparts a schedule whichcan be murderous, as your "secretary"well lmows. Gertie is world..ngf'ul.ltime in an office ANDattending school:liThelast 3 weeks of night school Ihad 5 exams. That's with 2 subjects."RegardLess, there is always vacation

time: IlLast, but not least, I amleav-ing Saturday, May8,   to stay overnightwith mymarried son in   hw   Jersey.Then, on Sunday, he and family are

taking me to KennedyAirport where Ishall join a two-weektour of 5 Euro-

 pean countries: Belgium, Luxembourg,Switzerland, Germanyand The Nether-lands. The highlight of the trip will

 be a  nsit,   I hope morethan one, withone of mytwins, Paul, who18 with theState 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.

BARBARAERICKSONLONOONsends a short

epistle, but a definitely '1oaded.'one. The news is terrific   I**   "Terry,myoldest dauAAter~just becamethe

FIRSTwomanpilot for Western Airlinesand ls stationed in San Francisco and ls 2nd officer on Boeing 737s at the present time. I'm very proud of her and she likes it wry IDI1Ch.She has just finished her first montht II ny-

ing the line and says that eve17bodyhas been great to her.1I Andaren'tall of us EXCEEDINGLYPROUDOFHER.B.J., too, continues active in the

aviation world as a partner in theBarney Frazier Aircraft. She niesthem, ahe sells them..and business isgood. Plus, a fewmonths ago, Bar-

 bara experienced a brand-new status-that of Imother-in-law'--whieh daugh-ter Kria bestewed upon her. B.J. re-lates that Kria lives in San Gl..ementewith her newhusband, two horses and four dogs.

KATHERINERAWLSJletter arrived, bring-ing only good neW8. She ls yet at the

Greenbrier teaching sw1mmj

ng but re-marks, "WishI could get to reunion but it always comesduring  rq busiestseason. I'm serioualy consideringretirement. After    20   years here at

the Greenbrier, I'm getting a littlehomesickto return to Ft. Lauderdale.Each yaar for several years now, I've been saying -   t  just one more season.'Onetime I III meanit and then I'll

do a lot of things I havenIt had thetime to do for a long while.1I   Kath-erine sent along clippings-one frau

1975 depicts IIPortraitist MargaretDavis AikenIs oil. painting of Broward super-athlete s Chris Evert and Kath-erine Rawlswill be exhibited in Bra-ward I B   Bicentennial traveling ex- position. ••• 11 The other is also frcmthe Ft. Lauderdale Nawsin 1973tmd  bears the headline IISwimmer PacksOlympicMemories.1I Wishit could be

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quoted verbatim: it covers her swim-ming and flying career s and containsseveral lively anecdotes. There'smorel Twoyears ago, Ft. Lauderdaledeclared a KATHERINERAWLSDay, gavea very large (200) cocktail party for her and "a first dq cachet was de-signed and 100 of them given out.

Mine was g:lven to me as the center of a framed 8 x 10 poster with a beauti-ful piece of watercolor art called 'Sport s in Stamps'--about 15 valuablesports and aviation stamps were placed around the poster, including theAmelia Earhart stamp on the cachet. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed."Well, so are we.

DELPHINEBORNbelieves in breald.ng re-

 porters' rules, so: I, also, firmly believe that all WASPNEWSLETTER "Sec-

retaries" whopreceded me should havePLATINUMKIOOS. With this columntoattempt to put together, I, of course,re-read the prenCN.s ones: they are sovery, very good and here as I, tryingto emulate mybetters. As to what elseI Ive been doing, well: Days ago, Irang BARBARATOWNEFASKENonly to beinformed by her housemanthat she wason "vacation." IIIImake book she isenjoying herself for one reason, if noother: husband Dave is delightful.Too, I :telephoned another WAFS. Apro-

 pos her, somefortunate people havevoices of such magnificence as tomake identification a real plea soreand immediate, regardless heard onJupiter or requesting landing instruc-tions at Ramulus. If its been toomanyyears since one has heard thatvoice, there is a skipped heartbeatand an unrolling on one'5mentalscreen of unique scene after funscene. Across a continent and toomanyyears, I talked with BARBARA

OONAHUEROSStoo few minutes. As Isay, her "hello" is truly beautiful.She said she is wonderfully well;that Acorn Farmis lovely and becom-ing more so   wi.th each passing year;and why don't we converge for hours

of reminiscing. She remarked of how, just atter WWII, we had had our pers-onal era of "make-moneymonth" and spend-moneymonth." Of course it was

and what funl BARBARATOWNEFASKEN just nowcalled She1s been skin div-ing, using Grand CaymanIsland for 

 base and fun.

TERESAJAMESwrites she's been study-ing behavioral science and U.F.Os.; painting (house) and planting (J.awnand shrubs); and maldng pure-plea-sure trips. One such was to theBahamas: "and one thing I did for the first time which I loved was deepsea diving in the coral beds - walk-ing around on the ocean floor is justanother world." Teresa'   5 last trip--early May-was to San Juan for "TheP47 Jug Pilot Reunion -- It wasgreatl great! greatl •••• The sevenWASPS(ex-P 47 jocks) joined the 150or more combat pilots extoling thegreatness of that big hunk of (what-

ever it was made Of).11

*****The last long flight is overlWAFSEsther ManningWestervelt

December18, 1975

requiescat in pace

*****43-1 Secretary: G. C. BROWNIEKINDIG

17205 North 14th St.Phoenix, Ariz. 85022

LaVELLERICHARDSBENESHhas been foundl

She and her husband Kenare li'ring inSingapore. I understand that in theearly 19701s she was flying a Learstar out of the Philippines.

MAGDATACKEand George are delighted they made the moveto Florida. She plays golf and bridge several timesa week and wona trophy in a golf tournament, which she said was sheer luck. I wonder if it was luck!

JANESTRAUGHANisworking for SocialSecurity and does public information

work with retirement seminars, saneradio work, takes claims at Walter Reed Hospital and National Institute

of Health, as well as investigatesfrauds. Sounds like a heavy schedule,Jane - what do you do wi.th your sparetime"l

DOTTIEYOUNGtelephoned me from Okl. to

say she is as busy as ever, working

for Catlan Aviation, amongher other 

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activities. Nowthat hockey seasonis over, she states it is very quiet

at home. She and Pete cameto Ariz.with the team, but unfortunately their schedule was so tight, we were unableto get together for a visit.

MARJORIEGRAYflew to Greece last year to attend a CIORconference (NATO).She has been working for GrummanAero-space Corp. the past few years asTechnical Editor. Margehasn't flownfor sometime, but plans to obtain her cOllUIlercialsoon. She is also stillactive in ROA.

MARIONMACKEYDeGREItORIO plans. to visitSan Francisco in ~. She and her husband still. have the restaurant in

 NewYork, but states that business isslow, primarily due to the mess "FunCity" is in, which of course affectseveryone.

ELEANOR BOYSENMORGANis presently goingto school, taking an advanced secre-tarial course and hopes to obtain a

 position with travel. She also has areal estate license in the event sec-retarial work becomesa bore. Eleanor has informed me that TEDDYDeBERNARD

 passed awayafter a long illness.Teddy started out in our class, left

 because of illness, then returned tograduate with the 43-2 gals.

GERRYNYMANand Van took a three weekssnorkling trip. to Mexico. They drove3,000 miles staying in small. coastaltowns, tiny hotels, and seeking smallroc~ caves, and had a fantastic time.Gerry doesnlt suggest this type of 

trip for anyone whois not adventur-ous or whois fussy about food or hotels.

BYRDHOWELLGRANGER is about to departon a year's sabbatical which.includes

 plans for writing books and articles,a revision of Arizona Place Namesand entering the final pre-publication

stages for the Arizona volumes of theDictionary of AmericanBeliefs and Customs. The Folklore Fellows will

shortly publish a volumewhich repre-sents the culmination of ten years

work for Byrd. She also has a chapter appearing in a work published by UCLAon traditional medicine which attemptsto trace pre-Hispanic influences stillat work. Byrd also founded, about four 

years ago, the Lore Intormation Center at the Univ.• of Arizona. She also

 plans to spend sometime in. Spain and Greece to expand her basic article   ODtraditional medicine. She plans to godeep sea fishing. f.or a couple of wee~8in the Bahamas. Anaccident kept   Byrd.confined to a wheelchair for several

months,. but af.ter a ~ of opera-

tions" she. is nowable to get around with a cane.

MARIONFLORSHEIMis confined to the BeT-erly ManorCanT. Hospital...a.t CanogaPark" Calif., a.a.the resul.~ of a canc-er operation.l.ast September. I havetried several.. times to cont.aet her bytelephone without success. However"her nurse inrormadme .thatshe CaIJ.getaround in a.wheelchair and a.:walker.Our very best withe.s.to yau."Marion,for your canplete recovery. I'm   BUr.ahe would.enjoy hearingfrOlll her friends. . .

BETTYTACKABERRYBLAKEcontinues workingseven days a week in real.. 8state and recently received her broker' a lie.nee.She is special1.zin& in .house set upsand mini farms.. She is ala.o.havingher li'ring. roClllenlar&9d,. chaDgingtheslope of her roof ..and.pr~ it. does-n',t rain until the job is completed.Betty is planning to visit her mother in Honolulu sane..time. in June. All her son.s.are participating in hangg1.iding

competition.

H AR Y L OU C OL BE RT N EA LE   intorms methat

her volunteer job as Medical Librar-ian has developed into a fi va dayweekwhich.she finds extremely inter-esting. Although MaryLou said thatnothing exciting. haa happenedthis past year, I'm. aure that with four children   &he   n.ever has a dulLmanent.

BROWNIEKINDIG.-parted companywith her gall bladder last Fall and can noweat everything from Pizza to Bar-B-

Q   ribs. In April she drove to Colo.and :while in Denver had dinner withGrace Berge Mayfiel.d, whowas too ex-ci ted. to talk of muchelse but the

 birth of her first grandchild.. Franthere Browniedrove to Meeker, stopp-ing enroute at Rifle whe'reshe spenta most enjoyable afternoonwith.BettyClark and Pat Sullivan. at Mile Hi

Aviation.

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43-2 Secretary: MARIONS. BROWN2715 So. Broadway, Apt.   228Tyler, Texas 75701

Oh HAPPYHAPPYDAYSIManyof youanswered  J Ir 3 '   plea for news; from as near as Big "D" to as far awq as Tchad, Mr.Thanks a bunchl

FromDallas, Texas canes news tranBE'rrY   BACHMANBUEHNER and MARIEMUCCIGENABO.B. J. keeps busy producingmetal sculpture with an ~-acetylen8torch, and a aide line of making appleheads tor dolls. She and husband, Paul,have a daughter in Austin, Texas and ason in OklahomaCity. Both childrenare marri.ed and have produced threegrandsons between them.. Marie sold her health tood store in Lake.Park, Fla. and hopes to get into another business inDallas. Both are planning to be in Hot

Springs in October.~January, we were saddened by a

letter trom Capt. B. M. Fillmore, Jr.whowrote, ItI amsorry to report thatJ s r : f    sister CAROLFIUMORErecently pass-ed away after a short illness. She wasalways proud of her service during WWII

and subsequent association with the'Order    ot    Fitinella'." Weshall missher. Those who attended the Reno re-union are grateful for those few happydays with Carol.

FromNewYork, RUTHTREEStells of her great time. at the reunion. It was thefirst time she had seen old friendsMARYTROTMAN0IBIUENand GINNY.AI..LFMAN

DISNEYsince Newcastle days. Ruth saysthat all   ot    43-2s should be proud of thetremendous job done by our ownFRAHDIASGUSTAVSON.Wehear that Gus Gus-tavson, Franl s husband, is recoTer~nicely after his illness. Weall 'WJ.shhim the best of healtho

Another letter from NewYork was nota happy one. RITAMOYNAHAMMcARDLEhas

obtained a divorce after Z7 years   ot marriage and. i6 having to work at parttime jobs until she can find somethingmore permanent, to support herself and her two youngest children. Rita has a

MAin business administration,. a realestate license and a most impressivework record in advertising and selling,managementand senior. executive super-

vision, airline work and with travel bureaus. If you have any.leads .in theLong Island area, please get in touchwith her. Her correct zip code is11746.   Rita was in Sweetwater for thereunion and is as pretty as ever.

 NewYork State brings greetings fromRUTHFRANCKLINGREYNOLDS.f1Sorrynot to

have made even one of the reunions yet, but I got a welcomeround robin responseto mygreetings to the 43-28 at Reno, plus a detailed account by mail fromMARTHAWAGENSEILRUPLEY, plus momentos(love the .Fifi placque) whenI met Marthtor an Oct. weekend in Chicago. Am proud to have the Fifi decal on my   very

ownfirst car, used partly for my job.Wardand I still have two bachelor sonsand one daughter at home. Older daugh-

ter is married and a draftsperson for  N. Y. Telephone Co. Wardwas promoted 

to Undersheriff in 1'175, hectic life

with long mileage, general increase in

crime and responsibilities. There isalways plenty of house, yard and gardenwork in 6UDDD.er spare time. Winter week-ends, snowpermitting, I take care of the snowmobilerentals and checkouts.Enjoy sewing and knitting as relaxation.One year, I III surpri se you all and bewith you at a reunion.

In Erie, Pa., LEWISECOLEMANADIEcon-tinues to work as controller for two

local businese men. She hopes to moveto a warmer climate someday and to startflying again. Lewwas happy that sheand Carol decided to go to Reno last ye~

Fromthe Rep. du Tchad, Africa canesword from PATLAWLER ROBINSON."We'llhave two years here in July. Can't sayitl   s the garden spot of. the world but Iamsure there are worse places. Likelots of other places the political situ-ation is a bit tou~. Sorta the samefeeling as taxiing out in a P-39 on a

hot _day - like. things might boil over in a minute. But viva the tringe bene-fitsl Weget two local leaves a year 

 besides our annual leave, and get to seea bit of the world that way. Dick'sseen it all, but I haven't. In Dec. wewent to Kenya, (Nairobi and Tsavo GamePark) and the first Part of this monthwe went to Rome. Got to attend PalmSundaymass at St. Peterls. Then we

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took a short trip to Naples and around the coast to Sorrento. It was lovely.I wish I could get to Hot Springs, butour annual leave. is in July. Giveeveryone my very best and have fun.Would sure love to hear fran .a.nyonewhohas writing time. Conoco'B   aviationdept. is in Houston, _so we'11 probablygo there for awhile. Wehave two daugh-

ters on the east coast and one in Ca."Pat'   5 address is: Boite Postale 694,

 N'Djamena, Rep. du Tchad, Africa.MARYTROTMANO'BRIENspends her winters

in Fla. and her summersin.CT. OnApril 30, she left for the P-47 re-union in San Juan.nth.Theresa Jamesand Mariana Beard Nutt.

AVANELLPINKLEYis living in Yellville,Ark. She had no aviation.news; notev~n hanger flying.. She did keep upher license until. a few years ago,and. since. thereisa good.little air-

 port nearby, she might start. again."I retired a couple of years ago, butdecided I wouldcanpraDise and do alittle relief. work. I ama registered nurse and will be working two or threedays a week.II

RUTHTOMMYTHOMPSONHAWKINSsent copiesof two lengthy article a on..the WASP.Onewas from. the Los Angeles Herald-Exam;   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 SanDiego for the past 20 years, and thelast ten as automotive buyer for thechain of    46   stores. The stores arelocated in So. Cal., Arizona. and Texas.Shs used to travel via camnercial. air-line s, however, the companyhas boughta Cessna Citation and she nowgoes instyle. "1 will. attend the auto partsshowin Las Vegas and hopefully thereuniQn in Hot Springs. I had a de-

lightful telephone visit with B. J.

BUEHNER on mylast trip to Dallas. Ihave been divorced for manyyears, -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

GOTTCHAFFEYwrite s, "I amteaching. Humboldt State Univ. folk and ballroom

dance classes, mainly; someteacher  preparation classes. Aminvolved with

dance production. and it is. very reward-ing work and .very time. consuming.aincemy students number.in the thousands ,(3   quarters). It's nice to see menindance, finally.. I was brief~ in. Reno

 but could not stay. since we had planned a South American trip with the SierraClub. Met and eorreepond withGBETCHENGOHMANGRABA43-3.   She had problems in

Reno and upon.returning heme.to NorthDakota, found. she had cancer in bothlungs and esophagus. Weworked togeth-er on the night line in Dallas, after WASPwere disbanded, under her. husband Ray. Gretchen .wasin chemotherapy in

September.AlMAJERMANHINDSflew in the 1976

Powder Puff Derb7. She was to join .an Afr1.can Safari, .photographing ani-mals. WilL see GINNYHILLWOODinAlaska this summer.. She and CeceliaHunter sold CampDenali., however,Ginny has a.place adjoining. Weare

going. to Alaska in August.1I

MARIONSCHORR BROWNis flight instruct-ing 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 thetake-off breakfast on Sunday morning,the weather briefing was given byGLORIADeVORESCHWAGER,44-3.   She isthe weather girl for. TVstation WRBT;

her husband is resident manager of thePrince Murat Inn in BatOBe Mayfound Marion flying. the AlL Women's.Int' 1.Air Race from QuebecCity, QuebectoFt. Lauderdale, Fla. The Brownewere pleased to have GERALDINEUIMERMICK-ELSENvisit with them after she atten-ded the dedication of the Ninety-

 Ninea headquarter building. in OklahanaCity.. Gerry has had a buayyear host-ing the start of. the Powder ' P u t t . Derbyand flying. in ..it as well as the Angel

Derby.General. and KARGARETANNHAMILTONTUNNEwere in the midst of the earthquakethat shook Guatemala in February.Their home.in Antiqua suffered e.xten-si ve damage; however, they. were grate-ful to have escaped injury as   JII8J'lY'   of their neighbors died in .the disaster.Their new home6   juat completed but. notyet movedinto, is on a mountainside.

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It was so heavily damagedthat setaside, for the. tiBe being, their plansto movein. In an interview with areporter fram the Newport News, Va.Daily .Press, Gen. Tunner.tells. of themass destruction .and heroic actionsof rescue teams and medica. TheTurmers are nowback in. their hane inVirginia.

CAPPYVAILBRIOOE: It1Artand I have

 been traveJ.ling in .Europefor a month- a long time dream. I t has been amarvelous experience - until I met" I I I Y   downfall. I slipped on the Matt-erhorn and broke   m y .   hipl Doesn'tthat BOundlike an. adunturous moun-taineering experience? Unfortuna-tely the actual event was very fool-ish-I was on a perfectly safe plat-form meant for tourists, stepped off on ice& and that did it. But I have

 been fortunate in being under thecare of an excellent Swiss orthope-dic surgeon and hospital. However,I have had time to recall the ex- perience I had during flying train-ing with the WASPwhenI hurt   r r r : r    leg,hobbled on crutches for a month -(good practice for thisl). But, itwas entirely due to   " I I I Y   dear class-

mates whohelped out, pacldng   r r r : r chute out to the plane.   tor   me; thenmeeting mewith the crutches and 

shouldering   my   chute again, that Iwas able to keep on the flying sche-dule with   my   class). What greatfriends they were and are. Givethem mylove as I wonIt be able tomake the reunion in '76 unless youhold it in Alta Lamal"

MARIONBRCMNsent a late note advisingshe placed 4th in the Angel Derby -Quebec City to Ft. Lauderdale.Congratulations Marionl•••••• Editor.

43-3 Secretary: BETTYARCHIBALDFERNANDESRte. 1, BoxL2lCWoodlandLake

Hernando, MS38632

KAYMENGESBRICKis trying to sell Bric-

kaero as it is too large without Frank.She is still Ex.O.1'ficio-Aciv.iserof thePowderPuf'f Derby and doean'tknow

where she will be comerace time. She

is thinking of moving to Calif.. Letus knowyour newaddress.

BETTYARCHIBALDFERNANDESis happy and  busy enjoying and repairing. her dreamhomeon a lake. Her son is in nearbyMemphiswith his ownT.V. Commercial bus:iiness. She and Dick will see youall in Hot Springs.

LOISBROOKSHAlLEYwas out of school for seven weeks for surgery and is wellnowexcept for use of her left ar.m.While out she took an airline trip tovisit 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 tran-sfer and is packing and moving back toHonolulu but her.address is still Hon-

olulu???'???RENENIELSEN'Smain interest is garden-

ing - roses, dahlias, glads, and adozen assorted fruit trees. ElsieDJer Monacovisited her two years agoand is thinld ng of. retiring. in. SouthernOregon. .Reneback-packs in the Cas-cades with HankRichmondof 43-4each 5UIIIIIler.Sounds greatl

ELINOREOWENPYLEand husband movedtotheir present addre88 in 1957 and.havean archery bowbusiness. They have bows all over the wor~d, have takensomenational championships.,.and.have

a bowcompeting in. ~the 01»mpi.cs.. Theyare very involved in. church work asare their two daughters and families.the bows are "Staghorn" for anyoneinterested in Archery. Nothing dull

there.FREDDIEMcAFEERICHARDSONis married to

a landscape architect, has. five chil-dren, all grown, and has been teach-ing psychology in a suburban. highschool. She believes being. a house-wife the most diversified, creative,fascinating job in the world. Becauseof her teaching. schedule she won't beable to attend the reunion. Maybe

next .time.OORAOOUGHERTYSTROTHER is still at Bell

Heliocopter in charge of the HumanFactors Eng'g. Group designing helio-copter cockpits. She has been enjoy-ing her OOFaward and displaying itwith pride. This year she gave twotechnical papers. one to the Human

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Factors Society of North Texas and theother to the Mid-East Region of theAmericanHeliocopter Society. She isstill in the Air Force Reserve and 

 just completed the National SecurityManagement(;ourse offered    by   the In-dustrial College of the ArmedForces.She has also given a few non-technicaltalks. She was keynote speaker of the

the Bicentennial.Festival of the Am.Assoc. of Women'sCoordination Comm-ittee at Carswell Air For.ceBase, Ft.Worth, Tx. This Aug. 11, she is plan-ning to participate in the Air ForceMuseumd