Person of the Month - July 2009

Amelia Mary Earhart

62 years ago today, July 2, 1937, Amelia Earhart broadcast her last transmission that was picked up loud and clear from tiny Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean.

The pioneering aviatrix known as The Queen of the Air was officially declared dead 2 years later in January of 1939.

We've made her a person of the month because of her pioneering spirit and courage, her distinguished career and because although she is now a legend she once led a very real and fascinating life.

Amelia and her sister were raised in Kansas eventually moving to Iowa when they were twelve. Described as a tomboy, Amelia was fascinated with women who succeeded in male dominated fields. She earned money for flying lessons by working as a photographer, stenographer and a truck driver, among others. In 1921, she was finally able to afford the one thousand dollars for flying lessons.

She was an immediate success and a natural pilot. In 1922 she bought her first plane and set a world record for female pilots by reaching an altitude of 14,000 feet. In 1923, she became the 16th woman to be issued a pilots license.

By 1927 she had logged over 500 hours of solo flying. That year she flew the first official flight out of Dennison airport in Massachusetts.

She was approached in 1928 to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. She did, but not as pilot. Upon her return she authored a successful book, entitled 20 hours, 40 minutes and embarked on a lecture tour. She became rich and famous endorsing products such as luggage, cigarettes and clothing.

Amelia worked at Cosmopolitan magazine as an editor from 1928 to 1930 and used it as a forum for female aviation rights.

In 1928 she flew solo across the Atlantic becoming the first woman to do so. This earned her the Distinguished Flying Cross, the first woman to earn the award.

She formed the female aviation society The Ninety Nines in 1929. That same year she formed a company with Charles Lindbergh that promoted commercial aviation and later became TWA airlines.

Amelia set speed records in 1931 and in 1932 became the first person to ever fly across the Atlantic twice.

Other firsts that Amelia accomplished:

• First person to fly solo from Honolulu to Oakland, CA.
• First person to fly solo from LA to Mexico City.
• First person to fly solo from Mexico to New Jersey
• First woman to fly non-stop from coast to coast.
• Set a speed record for transcontinental flight
• Set a speed record flying from California to Hawaii

Amelia Earhart vanished while attempting to fly around the world with her friend and co-pilot Fred Noonan. Search and rescue efforts by the US Navy began 1 hour after her last transmission and lasted 17 days. Additionally, another 67 days of searching by the US Navy and at least 2 Japanese ships yielded nothing. No trace of her or her plane were ever found. At least nothing that can be directly attributed to her.

A life size statue of Amelia Earhart was unveiled in 2008 at the Spirit of Flight Center in Colorado. The latest Hollywood Amelia, will be Academy Award winner, Hillary Swank which is the perfect choice.

It's no wonder she became a legend when her flight disappeared forever, lost to the vast Pacific Ocean.

We honor her life and her accomplishments this month and forever.