WASP Archive at Texas Woman's University

Alison Fullerton's "Fly Girls" exhibit is now in the Nashville International Airport gallery.

Hear her speak to Nashville NewsChannel 5 about her new exhibit: https://www.newschannel5.com/news/meet-the-wasps-new-art-gallery-at-nashville-intl-airport-honors-women-airforce-service-pilots

The Official WASP Archive at Texas Woman's University was proud to be a partner with Alison on this project.

Congratulations Donna! The Official WASP Archive at Texas Woman's University can't wait to watch you shine as you lead Air Race Classic, Inc.!

🌟 Introducing our New President, Donna Harris! 🛩️✨
We're thrilled to welcome Donna Harris as the 2023-2026 President of the Air Race Classic! 🎉 With 300+ hours of flight experience as an instrument-rated Private Pilot and a treasure trove of endorsements, her journey is nothing short of awe-inspiring. ✈️
Donna's story is one of perseverance and passion. After dedicating 30 years to accounting and making a difference as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate, she pursued her dream of earning a law degree. 📚 For over a decade, she shared her legal expertise by teaching law online. 📜
But Donna's adventures don't stop there! She's the first pilot in her family, sharing her love for aviation, sailing, and exploring the world with her pilot husband. Together, they take flight and sail into new horizons. ⚓✈️
Beyond her remarkable aviation feats, Donna has been a part of the Air Race Classic organization since 2012. 🌍✨

Donna is taking the reign from Lara Gaerte, who served as the ARC President from 2015-2023. We are forever grateful and thankful for Lara's gracious leadership, leading the ARC into a new era. Thank you, Lara 🌟

Join us in welcoming Donna Harris into her new role, to lead the way for the Air Race Classic, where her journey is an inspiration to us all. 🏁👩‍✈️

Thank you Alison for adding a little gold bling to your art of the WASP. It is a beautiful compliment for the ladies who earned their silver wings!

Vintage WWII Army Air Force wings—metallic copper on encaustic wax. Something about the combination of vintage with metallic 💙 This series goes to the Nashville airport in October. I’m so inspired by these women and I can’t wait to tell their stories!

A beautiful celebration of the WASP! It isn’t every day that the Official WASP Archive is able to work with and support the creative work of such talented artists. Thank you Alison for putting your skills to work telling the WASP story!

FLY GIRLS: The WWII WASP PORTRAITS will be at the Nashville Airport Oct 28-Feb 26 in the new International terminal. Next, they travel to Palm Springs Air Museum, the Customs House Museum, the US ARMY Aviation Museum, and more.

“FLY GIRLS”
•Each is 30x40 on wood panel
•10-portrait series
•Vintage photos, artifacts, digital art and encaustic wax paint.

During WWII 1100 women flew for the military, 38 died, and their service was censured. They were disbanded without benefits, and their records sealed for over 30 years.

This is tribute to the WWII WASPs and to all women who’ve had to fight for the right to serve. Learn more about the FLY GIRLS at https://alrinner.wixsite.com/wasps.

Images and artifacts are from the official WASP archives. Cornelia Fort artifacts are from the Nashville Library. Special thanks to Lisa Reed Preston for photo retouch/digital.

If you’re local, stop by my studio on Oct 15 to see the FLY GIRLS before they take off 🙂

The world needs more pilots like Capt. Aimee “Rebel” Fiedler!

What an amazing story if groundbreaking aviatrix! Ann Pellegreno, following in the footsteps of Amelia Earhart.

North Texas woman who recreated Amelia Earhart's flight looks back on historic flight

The Special Collections extends a warm welcome to all of our new and returning Pioneers!

Come visit us anytime on the second floor of Blagg-Huey Library or online at https://twu.edu/library/womans-collection/

National Aviation Day celebrates the development of aviation. Established in 1939 by Roosevelt, a Presidential proclamation designated August 19th National Aviation Day in honor of Orville Wright's birthday.

"National Airborne Day, observed on Aug. 16th each year, celebrates the accomplishments of Army parachute tradition. The Army’s Airborne Rangers and the Army Golden Knights parachute team are among the best-known American paratrooper organizations, and the accomplishments of Army paratroopers are noted across more than seven decades of service including the Iraq war in 2003."

For a full history on the origins of National Airborne Day visit
https://veteran.com/national-airborne-day/

Image Credit: Women from the 437th Airlift Wing and the 315th Airlift Wing located at Joint Base Charleston, S.C., in conjunction with women from the Army 82nd Airborne Division located at Pope Army Airfield, N.C., celebrated Women's History Month with an all-female flight and airdrop, April 13, 2021. (U.S. Air Force video by Staff Sgt. Rachel Pye) - https://www.military.com/video/all-female-82nd-airborne-team-jumps-out-of-woman-crewed-air-force-cargo-plane

Image Credits:
Left: "New York City celebrating the surrender of Japan. They threw anything and kissed anybody in Times Square." National archive number 80-G-377094 Naval Historical Center #520697

Top Right: In a photo by Ed Westcott, residents of Oak Ridge, TN, fill Jackson Square to celebrate the surrender of Japan. Oak Ridge was one of the three main sites of the Manhattan Project, and was responsible (though those working there did not know it) for refining uranium to be shipped to Los Alamos to be fashioned into atomic bombs.

Bottom Right: Crowd of people, many waving, in Times Square on V-J Day at time of announcement of the Japanese surrender in 1945 / World-Telegram photo by Dick DeMarsico.

Slide 3: Newspapers.com

Sources: https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Experience/VJ-Day/

The Women of the Manhattan Project

All too often women’s contributions are minimized, romanticized, or left out of the historical record entirely. This is never more apparent than when Hollywood sets its sights on the retelling of some of the most impactful moments in our history. At TWU we are committed to sharing the stories of those that have been diminished or ignored in an effort to correct the narrative and give credit to the incredible women who helped build and protect our Nation.

Sources:
https://www.losalamoshistory.org/pioneeringwomen.html

https://ahf.nuclearmuseum.org/ahf/profile/frances-dunne/
https://ladailypost.com/mcclenahan-mechanical-abilities-and-small-hands-propelled-frances-dunnes-manhattan-project-work/

https://discover.lanl.gov/publications/national-security-science/2021-spring/frances-dunne/

Image Credit: Frances Dunne setting an explosives point in the spring of 1945 at R Site or Two Mile Mesa. Courtesy of Los Alamos Historical Society Photo Archives

The Women of the Manhattan Project

All too often women’s contributions are minimized, romanticized, or left out of the historical record entirely. This is never more apparent than when Hollywood sets its sights on the retelling of some of the most impactful moments in our history. At TWU we are committed to sharing the stories of those that have been diminished or ignored in an effort to correct the narrative and give credit to the incredible women who helped build and protect our Nation.

Sources: https://www.losalamoshistory.org/pioneeringwomen.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elda_Emma_Anderson

Image Credit: Los Alamos Historical Society Archives

The Women of the Manhattan Project

All too often women’s contributions are minimized, romanticized, or left out of the historical record entirely. This is never more apparent than when Hollywood sets its sights on the retelling of some of the most impactful moments in our history. At TWU we are committed to sharing the stories of those that have been diminished or ignored in an effort to correct the narrative and give credit to the incredible women who helped build and protect our Nation.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Goeppert_Mayer

https://www.businessinsider.com/women-manhattan-project-christopher-nolan-oppenheimer-completely-ignored-2023-7

https://www.losalamoshistory.org/pioneeringwomen.html

https://www.si.edu/object/forever-american-scientists-maria-goeppert-mayer-single%3Anpm_2011.2036.202

The Women of the Manhattan Project

All too often women’s contributions are minimized, romanticized, or left out of the historical record entirely. This is never more apparent than when Hollywood sets its sights on the retelling of some of the most impactful moments in our history. At TWU we are committed to sharing the stories of those that have been diminished or ignored in an effort to correct the narrative and give credit to the incredible women who helped build and protect our Nation.

Source Credit:
https://ahf.nuclearmuseum.org/ahf/profile/elizabeth-riddle-graves/
https://www.businessinsider.com/women-manhattan-project-christopher-nolan-oppenheimer-completely-ignored-2023-7

We reopen Tuesday, Aug. 8. We look forward to seeing you.

The Women of the Manhattan Project

All too often women’s contributions are minimized, romanticized, or left out of the historical record entirely. This is never more apparent than when Hollywood sets its sights on the retelling of some of the most impactful moments in our history. At TWU we are committed to sharing the stories of those that have been diminished or ignored in an effort to correct the narrative and give credit to the incredible women who helped build and protect our Nation.

Image Credit: Los Alamos Historical Society Archives

The Women of the Manhattan Project

All too often women’s contributions are minimized, romanticized, or left out of the historical record entirely. This is never more apparent than when Hollywood sets its sights on the retelling of some of the most impactful moments in our history. At TWU we are committed to sharing the stories of those that have been diminished or ignored in an effort to correct the narrative and give credit to the incredible women who helped build and protect our Nation.

The Women of the Manhattan Project

All too often women’s contributions are minimized, romanticized, or left out of the historical record entirely. This is never more apparent than when Hollywood sets its sights on the retelling of some of the most impactful moments in our history. At TWU we are committed to sharing the stories of those that have been diminished or ignored in an effort to correct the narrative and give credit to the incredible women who helped build and protect our Nation.

Image credit:
1. Atomic Heritage Foundation
2. Los Alamos National Laboratory

The Women of the Manhattan Project

All too often women’s contributions are minimized, romanticized, or left out of the historical record entirely. This is never more apparent than when Hollywood sets its sights on the retelling of some of the most impactful moments in our history. At TWU we are committed to sharing the stories of those that have been diminished or ignored in an effort to correct the narrative and give credit to the incredible women who helped build and protect our Nation.

The Women of the Manhattan Project

All too often women’s contributions are minimized, romanticized, or left out of the historical record entirely. This is never more apparent than when Hollywood sets its sights on the retelling of some of the most impactful moments in our history. At TWU we are committed to sharing the stories of those that have been diminished or ignored in an effort to correct the narrative and give credit to the incredible women who helped build and protect our Nation.

Image credit:
1. Atomic Heritage Foundation
2. Los Alamos National Laboratory

Source:https://www.faa.gov/about/history/pioneers/media/Harriet_Quimby.pdf

Image Credit: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/flygirls-harriet-quimby/

On July 30, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Navy Women’s Reserve Act into law, creating what was commonly known as the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). This authorized the U.S. Navy to accept women into the Naval Reserve as commissioned officers and at the enlisted level. The WAVES program was designed to address shortages on the home front and to fill in the gaps caused by deploying male personnel to the Pacific and European theaters.

Mildred H. McAfee became the first director of the WAVES. She was commissioned a lieutenant commander on August 3, 1942, and later promoted to commander and then to captain.

Of the more than 97,000 Navy women who served during World War II, almost 89% were WAVES. The WAVES included the Navy’s first women physicians, dentists, allied health specialists, medical administrators, and hospital corpsmen who were referred to as CorpsWAVES. Outside of nurses, CorpsWAVES were the largest group of women to represent Navy Medicine during the war and at its peak in 1945 the CorpsWAVES accounted for one quarter of all hospital corpsmen in the Navy.

The WAVES program came to an end during post-war demobilization and the last class graduated from Bethesda’s Hospital Corps School on January 8, 1946.

Sources:
https://library.okstate.edu/search-and-find/collections/digital-collections/waves-at-oamc/
https://www.militarynews.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WAVES
https://www.defense.gov/

On July 26 1937, flying a Beechcraft D17W “Staggerwing,” Jaqueline Cochran set the United States Women’s National Speed Record of 203.895 miles per hour over a 621.4 mile roundtrip course from the Union Air Terminal in Burbank, California, to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, and back.

The Archives at Texas Woman's University wishes all of our July WASP a very happy birthday!

Visit us at the Archives at Texas Woman's University in person at the Blagg-Huey Library or online at https://twudigital.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/

Would you like to see a specific Collection in person? Make sure to call ahead! As pulling Collections can be an arduous and time consuming task, giving our staff time to prepare for your visit will ensure that you have the best experience possible.

VISIT THE WASP MUSEUM AT EAA AIRVENTURE July 24th - 30th in Oshkosh, WI

"Attendees are invited to meet our pilots and ground crew in Warbird Alley next to the National WASP WWII Museum's UC-78 Bobcat, a rare sight to see with only five left flying, and the BT-13 Vultee aircraft display.

If you are near the exhibitor hangars, catch us at our educational booth in the WomenVenture Center tent located in Aviation Gateway Park, booth WV11."

https://www.eaa.org/airventure

Visit us at the Archives at Texas Woman's University in person at the Blagg-Huey Library or online at https://twudigital.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/

Would you like to see a specific Collection in person? Make sure to call ahead! As pulling Collections can be an arduous and time consuming task, giving our staff time to prepare for your visit will ensure that you have the best experience possible.

Did you know?

Mustard is the #1 hot dog topping, with ketchup coming in a close second.

The Apollo 11 voyage was the first to feature hot dogs, in the form of “thermostabilized frankfurters” with a “thermostabilized cheddar cheese spread,” according to a NASA report.

Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans eat approximately 7 billion hot dogs.

Nathan Handwerker opened Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs in Coney Island, New York in 1916.

The average American eats 70 hot dogs a year.
Baseball and hot dogs go hand-in-hand; Dodger fans eat the most at 3 million hot dogs per season (pre-pandemic).

The Hot Dog Council says it should take you 5 bites to finish one hot dog. For a foot-long, 7 bites.

Source: https://www.farmersalmanac.com/national-hot-dog-day

Sources:
https://foundationforwomenwarriors.org/jeanne-holm-major-general-u-s-air-force/

https://news.va.gov/95111/jeanne-holm-first-of-many/

https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/106699/major-general-jeanne-m-holm/

https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/jeanne-holm/

https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/jeanne-holm

Is there something you are interested in learning more about? Message the team or drop us a line in the comments and we could feature your inquiry in an upcoming "Did You Know?" post.

Celeste Gayle Graves took her final flight on June 28, 2023.

A Dispatcher for the Civilian Pilot Training Program, Graves was stationed in Houston as the 319th AAFWFTD began their training. While initially apprehensive about the program Graves developed a great appreciation and respect for the women who were willing to put their lives on the line in defense of our Nation. In honor of these heroic women, Graves published A View From The Doghouse: Of The 319th AAFWFTD, which recounts her memories and the stories of the women who made up the Army Air Force Women's Flight Training Detachment (recognized as WASP in 1943).

In addition to her advocacy for Women in Aviation, Graves worked tirelessly to preserve the history of her community. County Commissioner, Charlie Riley is quoted as saying “Celeste Graves was the historical compass for all that is Magnolia. She worked diligently to preserve the rich history of the area by identifying and honoring the families and their migration into Montgomery County as well as the stories that she had gathered through her research.”

A truly accomplished woman, partner, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother; Graves will be greatly missed by those who had the opportunity to know her, be inspired by her, and learn from her.

Wishing you Blue Skies and Tail Winds Celeste.

Books by Celeste Graves:
A View From The Doghouse: Of The 319th AAFWFTD
Celeste
Magnolia Memories

Barbara Searles Squire took her final flight on June 24, 2023.

A member of the final training class, 44-W-10, Barbara was proud of her contributions to the war effort and being a part of this amazing group of women. She will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by all.

Wishing you Blue Skies and Tail Winds Barbara.

“The Doswell School of Aeronautical Sciences will address this issue of underrepresentation by establishing a new pathway for women to pursue careers in aviation. On behalf of myself, and the Texas Woman’s University System’s Board of Regents, we are deeply grateful for the Doswell Foundation’s generous gift to our institution. Their partnership and ongoing support will take Texas Woman’s to new heights,” ~ Chairwoman Stacie McDavid

https://twu.edu/news/2023/record-gift-to-support-new-aviation-program/

Sources/Credit:

Smithsonian Magazine - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/today-in-1948-the-us-air-force-accepted-its-first-female-member-7671291/

AARP -
https://www.aarp.org/home-family/voices/veterans/info-2023/military-highest-ranking-women.html #:~:text=Gen.,U.S.%20Transportation%20Command%20(Air%20Force)

Air Force - af.mil

Air Force's Personnel Center - https://www.afpc.af.mil/Portals/70/documents/DEMOGRAPHICS/DEMO1LINER_05APR23.pdf?ver=9BGHEeBozgOXWWHFB9sobg%3d%3d

Credit/Sources:
Tyron Fine Arts Center - https://tryonarts.org/event/flight-of-spirit-the-photographs-of-anne-noggle/

CAF Rise Above - https://cafriseabove.org/anne-noggle/

Betty Stagg Turner. 2001. Out of the Blue and into History. Arlington Heights, IL.: Aviatrix Publishing.