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Creator:

North American Aviation, Inc.  Search this

Lockheed Aircraft Corporation  Search this

Extent:

.2 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Newsletters

Publications

Date:

1961-1966

Summary:

Newsletters and publications from Lockheed and North American Aviation companies collected in the 1960s.

Scope and Contents:

This collection contains periodicals, publications, and one memorandum collected by an employee of both Lockheed and North American Aviation companies during the 1960s. Periodicals include four 1961 issues of North American Aviation's Skyline and one 1961 issue of Skywriter as well as three 1961 issues of Lockheed's Trajectory, and seven 1965 issues of The Lockheed Star. Publications include a "Report from Mars: Mariner IV, 1964-1965" from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Lockheed's 1965 annual report. The memoranda is from October 1965 and titled: "Lockheed's Agena Ready for Rendezvous."

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically by company name, thereunder in reverse chronological order.

Biographical / Historical:

James Hartwell collected these materials during this career at both Lockheed and North American Aviation when he was employed in the early 1960s.

Provenance:

John Hartwell, Gift, 2024, NASM.2024.0014

Restrictions:

No restrictions on access

Rights:

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.

Topic:

Aeronautics  Search this

Genre/Form:

Newsletters

Publications

Citation:

Lockheed and North American Aviation Periodicals and Publications, NASM.2024.0014, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.2024.0014

See more items in:

Lockheed and North American Aviation Periodicals and Publications

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2c78219e9-51ca-49f5-a734-42e9879ceaec

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-2024-0014

Creator:

American Women in Blockaded Berlin  Search this

Extent:

.05 Cubic feet (1 folder)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Cookbooks

Date:

January 1949

Summary:

This collection consists of a cookbook entitled Operations Vittles.

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of a cookbook entitled Operation Vittles that was compiled by the American Women in Blockaded Berlin and published by Deutscher Verlag in January 1949. It measures approximately 8.25 by 6.5 inches with 118 pages including front and back covers. The book includes recipes with each cook's signature, hand-drawn illustrations, images of cargo plane, and drawings created by German schoolchildren. The cover features a drawing of a zoomorphic aircraft stylized as birds dropping food and supplies to Allied troops depicted as a group of openmouthed people in a bird's nest.

Arrangement:

One item.

Biographical / Historical:

At the end of World War II when the Soviet forces blockaded West Berlin roads, the United States and its allies executed "Operation Vittles," also known as the Berlin Airlift. Cargo planes delivered 2.3 million tons of food and supplies to West Berlin. Compiled by the "American Women in Blockaded Berlin," the Foreign Service Officers and their wives created this cookbook that includes recipes that utilized the limited variety of food at their disposal through this period.

This cookbook was property of Colonel John C. Winget who served in the United States Army Air Corps at the Wright-Patterson Base in Dayton, Ohio during World War II. He graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Civil Engineering and was employed by Armco Steel in Middletown, Ohio. Because of his education and employment, he was called back to duty at the established Air Materiel Command now part of the United State Air Force. Colonel Winget acquired this cookbook during the Berlin Airlift of 1949. He went on to service during the Korean War and was honored in a 1952 ceremony in London, England. His name is also engraved on the Wall of Honor outside the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

Provenance:

Ann La Porta, Gift, 2024, NASM.2024.0024.

Restrictions:

No restrictions on access

Rights:

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.

Topic:

Astronautics  Search this

Genre/Form:

Cookbooks -- 20th century

Citation:

Operation Vittles Cookbook, NASM.2024.0024, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.2024.0024

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg21f8a3078-a5a0-4bb2-b66e-3a00599411c5

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-2024-0024

Creator:

National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division.  Search this

Extent:

42 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

Ongoing

Scope and Contents:

The Technical Reference Files comprise an artificial collection that currently contains 1,900 cubic feet of aviation and space related materials, organized in 22 subject series. File materials include photographs, press releases, clippings, correspondence, reports, and brochures, on individuals, organizations, events, and objects.

Restrictions:

The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.

Identifier:

NASM.XXXX.1183.J

See more items in:

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Events

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2b3b084fe-f934-4cd3-bcbf-51eb5cdf2463

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-1183-j

Collection Creator:

National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division.  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.

See more items in:

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Events

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Events / Series J1: Events, Air Expositions, Meets, Races, Shows, and Special Flights, by Date

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2c0a44b2c-32db-4065-84e4-43eeef4d5b5b

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-xxxx-1183-j-ref5546

Collection Creator:

National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division.  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.

Identifier:

NASM.XXXX.1183.J, File J1-1969-730-01

See more items in:

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Events

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Events / Series J1: Events, Air Expositions, Meets, Races, Shows, and Special Flights, by Date / 1969 Reno, NV, National Championship Air Races and Air Show

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2ba08e871-daaa-4ed9-b295-56951a1cb82c

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-xxxx-1183-j-ref5547

Collection Creator:

National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division.  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.

See more items in:

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Events

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Events / Series J1: Events, Air Expositions, Meets, Races, Shows, and Special Flights, by Date

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg274301879-bc2e-4e96-98ca-8f93cb385bca

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-xxxx-1183-j-ref5822

Collection Creator:

National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division.  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.

Identifier:

NASM.XXXX.1183.J, File J1-1980-700-01

See more items in:

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Events

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Events / Series J1: Events, Air Expositions, Meets, Races, Shows, and Special Flights, by Date / 1980 Reno, NV, National Championship Air Races and Air Show

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg29702e31e-1fe4-4935-8f3a-071a37aa5118

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-xxxx-1183-j-ref5823

Collection Creator:

National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division.  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.

See more items in:

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Events

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Events / Series J1: Events, Air Expositions, Meets, Races, Shows, and Special Flights, by Date

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2e9efe67c-4228-4c45-b3a3-856282b1f7a6

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-xxxx-1183-j-ref6207

Collection Creator:

National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division.  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.

Identifier:

NASM.XXXX.1183.J, File J1-2002-600-01

See more items in:

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Events

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Events / Series J1: Events, Air Expositions, Meets, Races, Shows, and Special Flights, by Date / 2002 Reno, NV, National Championship Air Races and Air Show

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2ecb6dc0f-4d3b-42b6-bb77-9a7a596e6c74

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-xxxx-1183-j-ref6208

Creator:

Simons, Vera  Search this

Extent:

24.23 Cubic feet (24 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Philately

Photographs

Newspaper clippings

Press releases

Color slides

Audiotapes

Reports

Date:

bulk 1960s-1980s

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of approximately 24 cubic feet of material relating to Vera Simons' ballooning and art careers. Types of materials include: newspaper articles, flight covers, photographs, slides, audio recordings, and reports relating to Simons' time with Winzen Research, inc. and her "Da Vinci" and "Aerolus" projects.

Arrangement:

This collection is currently unprocessed.

Biographical / Historical:

Vera Simons (1920-2012) played an important role in balloon development and exploration. Born in Germany, she grew up in Detroit, Michigan and married Otto Winzen; together they created Winzen Research Inc., one of world's first plastic balloon companies. Simons held over two-thirds ownership of the company and became its vice president. She supervised and trained her "balloon girls" to handle polyethylene and build the giant balloons, and obtained four patents for her work improving construction techniques and envelope redesign. During the 1950s and 1960s, Winzen created balloons for the United States Navy Projects Helios, Skyhook and Strato-Lab and for the United Sates Air Force Project Manhigh, and Simons was a central figure in planning and executing those manned research flights. Simons earned her gas balloon license in 1957 and she represented the United States at the 30th Annual International Gas Balloon Races in Holland where she received a gold medal for her contributions to balloon research. When Simons divorced Otto Winzen, she sold her interest in Winzen Research and enrolled in art school. By the early 1970s she had made a name for herself in international art circles by combining art and ballooning. In 1972, Simons began planning a series of balloon flights called "DaVinci" that combined science with original kinetic art. She spent two years designing and supervising the construction of a two-decker fiberglass gondola and an 11 story tall polyethylene balloon in which she eventually set a new overland distance record in the U.S. in 1979. During the same flight, Simons dropped tiny tetrahedron balloons carrying Douglas Fir seedlings into cleared areas, took time-lapse photographs, made sound recordings, and used mirrors to create special lighting effects in the clouds for the spectators on the ground. During other "DaVinci" flights, Simons collected temperature and airflow data, and tracked the mix and movement of urban air pollutants, while also photographing landscape and cloud images that she later used in producing works of art. In 1984 Simons launched another flight, "Project Aerolus," in which three plastic balloons were launched simultaneously into the nighttime sky; one of the balloons was piloted by Joe Kittinger.

Provenance:

Don Crowell, Gift, 2015

Restrictions:

No restrictions on access.

Rights:

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests

Topic:

Balloons  Search this

Kinetic art  Search this

Aeronautics  Search this

Genre/Form:

philately

Photographs

Newspaper clippings

Press releases

Color slides

Audiotapes

Reports

Citation:

Vera Simons Papers, NASM.2016.0013, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.2016.0013

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg24e32e203-6ae7-46de-adc6-e758659a8ad3

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-2016-0013

Creator:

National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division.  Search this

Extent:

261 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

Ongoing

Scope and Contents:

The Technical Reference Files comprise an artificial collection that currently contains 1,900 cubic feet of aviation and space related materials, organized in 22 subject series. File materials include photographs, press releases, clippings, correspondence, reports, and brochures, on individuals, organizations, events, and objects.

Restrictions:

The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.

Identifier:

NASM.XXXX.1183.C

See more items in:

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Biographies

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg21a164bae-b340-4e7c-a826-dc3a622b094e

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-1183-c

Collection Creator:

National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division.  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.

See more items in:

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Biographies

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Biographies / Series C: Biographies: Individuals / Biographies B

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg28018368d-fdb3-4611-b1de-330aca06a8f5

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-xxxx-1183-c-ref2608

Collection Creator:

National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division.  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.

Identifier:

NASM.XXXX.1183.C, File CB-001000-01

See more items in:

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Biographies

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Biographies / Series C: Biographies: Individuals / Biographies B / Babbs Williams, Alverna Daisy

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2d1571dd9-f1d2-4dff-9d8a-d674b0b0355a

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-xxxx-1183-c-ref2609

Creator:

Miller, W. T.  Search this

Names:

Earhart, Amelia, 1897-1937  Search this

Noonan, Frederick  Search this

Extent:

0.05 Cubic feet (1 folder)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Correspondence

Telegrams

Newspapers

Reports

Date:

bulk 1936 - 1940

Summary:

Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) in 1928 was the first woman to fly (as a passenger) across the Atlantic, and in 1932 the first woman (and second person, after Charles Lindbergh) to fly solo and nonstop across that ocean. She flew many record flights, published several books and accomplished much for women in aviation. This collection consists of a file of correspondence, telegrams, official Coast Guard dispatches from the USS Itasca, and reports relating to the planning of Amelia Earhart's 1937 flight and the naval search for her after her disappearance.

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of a file of correspondence (predominantly carbon copies), telegrams, official Coast Guard dispatches from the USS Itasca, and reports relating to the planning of Amelia Earhart's 1937 flight and the naval search for her after her disappearance. The file contains correspondence signed by George Putnam and some of the correspondence relates to the radio frequencies that were to be used/were used by Earhart during her trip. This file evidently belonged to W. T. Miller, who was Airways Superintendent at the Bureau of Air Commerce, United States Department of Commerce. Miller was very involved in asserting sovereignty over Pacific Islands, such as Howland, during the late 1930s.

Arrangement:

Collection is in original reverse chronological order.

Biographical / Historical:

Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) in 1928 was the first woman to fly (as a passenger) across the Atlantic, and in 1932 the first woman (and second person, after Charles Lindbergh) to fly solo and nonstop across that ocean. She flew many record flights, published several books and accomplished much for women in aviation before attempting on June 1, 1937, an around-the-world flight from Miami, Florida in a twin-engine Lockheed Electra. She and navigator Frederick J. Noonan were flying from Lae, New Guinea to Howland Island when they disappeared over the Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937. A exhaustive sea and air search, ordered by President Franklin Roosevelt, was unsuccessful in locating Earhart and Noonan.

Provenance:

John Davison, Gift, 2010, NASM.2011.0006

Restrictions:

No restrictions on access.

Rights:

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests

Topic:

Women in aeronautics  Search this

Flights around the world  Search this

Endurance flights  Search this

Genre/Form:

Correspondence

Telegrams

Newspapers

Reports

Citation:

Amelia Earhart Around-the-World Flight Correspondence File [W.T. Miller], NASM.2011.0006, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.2011.0006

See more items in:

Amelia Earhart Around-the-World Flight Correspondence File [W.T. Miller]

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg252d37dbc-ebd2-42fb-95d8-3e53d57ed446

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-2011-0006

Collection Creator:

Miller, W. T.  Search this

Container:

Box 1, Folder 3

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

January 28, 1937 to December 8, 1936

Scope and Contents:

Correspondence includes extracts from a report by a member of an American scientific expedition made in 1924 aboard the US Navy minesweeper U.S.S. Whippoorwill to Howland, Baker, and Jarvis Islands.

Collection Restrictions:

No restrictions on access.

Collection Rights:

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests

Collection Citation:

Amelia Earhart Around-the-World Flight Correspondence File [W.T. Miller], NASM.2011.0006, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Amelia Earhart Around-the-World Flight Correspondence File [W.T. Miller]

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg26a6b8cda-02d6-41f0-aa4b-cbd445524261

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-2011-0006-ref508

Creator:

National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division.  Search this

Extent:

240 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

Ongoing

Scope and Contents:

The Technical Reference Files comprise an artificial collection that currently contains 1,900 cubic feet of aviation and space related materials, organized in 22 subject series. File materials include photographs, press releases, clippings, correspondence, reports, and brochures, on individuals, organizations, events, and objects.

Restrictions:

The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.

Identifier:

NASM.XXXX.1183.A

See more items in:

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Aircraft

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2f8048496-756e-499e-9a97-277e15d000b7

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-1183-a

Collection Creator:

National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division.  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.

Identifier:

NASM.XXXX.1183.A, File A3U-200500-01

See more items in:

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Aircraft

National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Aircraft / Series A3: Lighter than Air (LTA), Airships / USA, Army, General

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg298aecdfb-cbea-4150-9fc2-7a55a2577023

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-xxxx-1183-a-ref64203

Collection Creator:

Miller, W. T.  Search this

Container:

Box 1, Folder 1

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

August 20, 1940 to July 17, 1937

Collection Restrictions:

No restrictions on access.

Collection Rights:

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests

Collection Citation:

Amelia Earhart Around-the-World Flight Correspondence File [W.T. Miller], NASM.2011.0006, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Amelia Earhart Around-the-World Flight Correspondence File [W.T. Miller]

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg29203ba73-a138-4fd3-ac8c-ca3cf646a313

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-2011-0006-ref506

Collection Creator:

Miller, W. T.  Search this

Container:

Box 1, Folder 2

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

September 10, 1937 to January 29, 1937

Collection Restrictions:

No restrictions on access.

Collection Rights:

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests

Collection Citation:

Amelia Earhart Around-the-World Flight Correspondence File [W.T. Miller], NASM.2011.0006, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Amelia Earhart Around-the-World Flight Correspondence File [W.T. Miller]

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg25cf1b450-cb5b-4e27-bb91-ba69e4cb89cd

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-2011-0006-ref507

Creator:

Jessen, Gene Nora  Search this

Extent:

8 Cubic feet (22 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1950s-2010s

Summary:

This collection consists of 8 cubic feet of archival material documenting the life of Gene Nora Stumbough Jessen from 1950s to the 2010s. She had a successful career as a flight instructor, Beech Aircraft sales demonstration pilot, Beech Aircraft dealership owner, flight school chief pilot, commercial pilot, Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) Safety Counselor, aviation insurance agent/broker, advisor to the FAA, president of the Ninety-Nines, Inc. (1988-1990), and published aviation author. Jessen also participated in the Women in Space Program, evaluating women's potential as possible astronauts at the Lovelace Medical Center in 1961.

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of approximately 8 cubic feet of archival material documenting the aviation career of Gene Nora Stumbough Jessen, including her involvement with the Ninety-Nines, her career with Beechcraft Aviation, and her writings on aviation; there is also a small amount of material related to her week-long testing with the Women in Space Program. The following types of materials are included: correspondence, photographs, pilot logs, scrapbooks, photo albums, programs, brochures, maps, magazine articles, manuals, handbooks, VHS tapes, and audiotapes.

Arrangement:

When the National Air and Space Museums Archives received the Gene Nora Stumbough Jessen Collection, it was arranged alphabetically by folder name. All original folder titles have been retained. PII has been manually redacted. Any additional contextual information that was added by the processing archivist appears in brackets.

Biographical / Historical:

Gene Nora (pronounced Janora) Stumbough Jessen was born on January 10, 1937, in Springfield, Illinois. While growing up, Jessen became interested in aviation after learning about the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) who served their country during World War II. She began flying while in her junior year of high school in the Civil Air Patrol and earned her private pilot license in 1956. She then attended the University of Oklahoma (OU), where she was a member of their flight team and entered her first National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) competition. While taking classes in 1959, Jessen became the first woman to work as a flight instructor for the school, which allowed her to also pay for college. During her time at OU, she earned seven collegiate-level flying trophies and remained on staff for six years after completing her English degree.

In 1961 Jessen quit her job as a flight instructor when she was selected as one of the women to participate in the Women in Space Program (1960-1962), also known as the Mercury 13 or Fellow Lady Astronaut Trainees (FLATs), at the Lovelace Medical Center in New Mexico. She was twenty-four years old. Dr. William Randall "Randy" Lovelace, who designed and carried out the rigorous testing for the thirty-two male Project Mercury candidates, and US Air Force Brigadier General Donald Flickinger, were curious to see how women would fare against their all-male peers. Unable to interest the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the undertaking, they conducted the experiment in secret independently. For Phase 1, this group of women underwent the same rigorous physical testing regimen used for NASA's Mercury astronauts. All participants passed. Armed with these results, Lovelace and Flickinger lobbied both Congress and the White House to consider including women in the Astronaut Corps, neither of which were keen on the idea; On a draft response letter, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson wrote "Let's stop this now!" Before the other parts of the test could begin, the Lovelace Program was cancelled.

Jessen moved to Wichita, Kansas, and accepted a job at Beech Aircraft in 1962. There, Jessen piloted planes for demonstration purposes for the company. On July 20, 1962, she embarked on a 90-day, 40,000 mile cross-country flight with fellow pilots Joyce Case and Mike Gordon. They were known as "The Three Musketeers", named after the Beech Musketeers the trio flew in formation across the United States. She and Case were the only female pilots flying for any aircraft manufacturer at that time. Soon, Jessen became rated to fly the entire line of Beech aircraft. In her spare time, she volunteered with the Wichita Wing Scouts from 1963-1967.

In Kansas, she also met and married Leland Robert "Bob" Jessen (1925-2020), a B-29 pilot during World War II, on June 12, 1964, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 1967, they moved to Boise, Idaho, where they established their own Beech dealership and, later, an aviation insurance business and Boise Air Service, a full-service, fixed base operation on the Boise Airport.

Jessen was also an avid writer. She was the aviation columnist for The Northwest Flyer, and The Idaho Statesman. Jessen also wrote several books on the history of women in aviation, including Sky Girls, a chronicle of the 1929 Powder Puff Derby.

Additionally, Jessen was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to serve on the Federal Aviation Agency's (FAA) Women in Aviation Advisory Board for five years. Between 1988 and 1990, Jessen was President of the Ninety-Nines, an international organization of licensed women pilots. She was also a Wing Scout Leader, treasurer of the Idaho Pilot's Association, an Accident Prevention Counselor for the FAA, and the Boise Airport Commissioner. She was recently inducted into the International Women in Aviation Pioneers Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio. Jessen holds over 4,000 hours of flying experience and earned ratings as a commercial pilot, single and multi-engine land, single-engine sea, instrument rating and a Gold Seal flight instructor.

HONORS:

Honorary PhD, University of Wisconsin

Idaho Aviation Hall of Fame

Pathfinder Award Wall of Fame, Seattle Museum of Flight

Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award

Ninety-Nines Amelia Earhart Award

Achievement Award, International Northwest Aviation Council

Evanston Township High School Distinguished Alumni Award

Adler Planetarium Women in Space Service Award

Mercury 13 NASA Award, International Human Space Flight Day

Women with Wings Award, International Air and Space Museum

Next Generation Indie Book Award, 2010

YMCA Pioneers of the Future Award

FAA Women's Advisory Committee on Aviation

Boise Airport Commissioner

Provenance:

Gene Nora Jessen, Gift, 2023, NASM.2023.0052

Restrictions:

No restrictions on access

Rights:

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.

Topic:

Aeronautics  Search this

Aeronautics -- Flights  Search this

Astronautics  Search this

Beech Aircraft Family  Search this

Women in aeronautics  Search this

Citation:

Gene Nora Stumbough Jessen Papers, NASM.2023.0052, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.2023.0052

See more items in:

Gene Nora Stumbough Jessen Papers

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2b905f10b-05ae-4366-94c0-809cf299d0bc

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-2023-0052