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Gene Nora Stumbough Jessen Papers

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
Online Media:

Mainframe Computer Components, Athena Modules #71613

Maker:
Remington Rand Univac  Search this
Physical Description:
plastic (overall material)
glass (overall material)
metal (overall material)
Measurements:
overall: 30.6 cm x 33.6 cm x 6.7 cm; 12 1/16 in x 13 7/32 in x 2 5/8 in
part:individual: 5.1 cm x 2.8 cm x 6.7 cm; 2 in x 1 3/32 in x 2 5/8 in
Object Name:
mainframe computer components
Place made:
United States: Minnesota, St. Paul
Date made:
ca 1957
Credit Line:
Carnegie Mellon University
ID Number:
1983.3001.01
Nonaccession number:
1983.3001
Catalog number:
1983.3001.01
See more items in:
Medicine and Science: Computers
Data Source:
National Museum of American History
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ad-6374-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmah_1404270
Online Media:

A Brief History of Borshch

Creator:
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage  Search this
Type:
Blog posts
Smithsonian staff publications
Blog posts
Published Date:
Mon, 03 Jul 2023 14:54:00 GMT
Topic:
Cultural property  Search this
See more posts:
Festival Blog
Data Source:
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:posts_8a6457e3e2b44d772eece97ab0fd7094

For a Better Journey: Losang Samten’s Mandala of Medicine for a Healing World

Creator:
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage  Search this
Type:
Blog posts
Smithsonian staff publications
Blog posts
Published Date:
Mon, 05 Feb 2024 05:00:00 GMT
Topic:
Cultural property  Search this
See more posts:
Festival Blog
Data Source:
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:posts_0b0a22fc0c9c30dd0b682146db1837f1

Women and Water: Connections in Caribbean Music and Spirituality

Creator:
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage  Search this
Type:
Blog posts
Smithsonian staff publications
Conversations and talks
Blog posts
Published Date:
Fri, 02 Feb 2024 05:00:00 GMT
Topic:
Cultural property  Search this
See more posts:
Festival Blog
Data Source:
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:posts_63eda4bce43509c45c5b730cd6e1c532

Voisin Type 8

Manufacturer:
Voisin Aeroplane Co.  Search this
Materials:
Airframe: Wood
Covering: Fabric
Dimensions:
Wingspan: 18.0 m (59 ft)
Length: 10.4 m (34 ft)
Height: 4.0 m (13 ft)
Weight: Empty, 1,310 kg (2,888 lb)
Gross, 1860 kg (4,101 lb)
Type:
CRAFT-Aircraft
Country of Origin:
France
Date:
1916-1918
Credit Line:
Transferred from the U.S. War Department
Inventory Number:
A19190007000
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
National Air and Space Museum Collection
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv9d833c1dd-f7e5-4ac8-a538-fb289101f899
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nasm_A19190007000

Xylocopa

Collector:
H. Bassler  Search this
Prep Count:
1
Preparation:
Pinned
Stage:
Adult
Place:
Albrook Field, C. Z. (Albrook Air Force Base), Panama
Collection Date:
8 Nov 1937
Taxonomy:
Animalia, Arthropoda, Insecta, Hymenoptera, Apidae
Published Name:
Xylocopa
Barcode:
USNMENT01611107
USNM Number:
USNMENT01611107
See more items in:
Specimen Inventory
Data Source:
NMNH - Entomology Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3c2bf37c7-fc78-4d71-9840-605c273b8c9d
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhentomology_15919959

Xylocopa

Collector:
Salazar  Search this
Prep Count:
1
Preparation:
Pinned
Stage:
Adult
Place:
Albrook Field, C. Z. (Albrook Air Force Base), Panama
Collection Date:
8 Nov 1937
Taxonomy:
Animalia, Arthropoda, Insecta, Hymenoptera, Apidae
Published Name:
Xylocopa
Barcode:
USNMENT01611353
USNM Number:
USNMENT01611353
See more items in:
Specimen Inventory
Data Source:
NMNH - Entomology Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3231d8941-4d30-4982-b259-131b15a7dda1
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhentomology_15920629

Seal Harpoon

Collector:
Lt P.H. Ray  Search this
John Murdoch  Search this
Middleton Smith  Search this
Donor Name:
U.S. Signal Service  Search this
Length - Object:
107 cm
Culture:
Eskimo, Inupiaq  Search this
Object Type:
Harpoon
Place:
Point Barrow, Alaska, United States, North America
Accession Date:
23 Nov 1883
Topic:
Ethnology  Search this
Accession Number:
013712
USNM Number:
E89910-0
See more items in:
Anthropology
Data Source:
NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3473590dc-60d7-47de-9726-3efa7621ade0
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhanthropology_8486279
Online Media:

What Exactly Was This Pilot Targeting?

Creator:
Smithsonian Channel  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2015-11-27T05:00:00.000Z
YouTube Category:
Entertainment  Search this
See more by:
smithsonianchannel
Data Source:
Smithsonian Channel
YouTube Channel:
smithsonianchannel
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_FTTjKNYRJuk

Rare Footage of Bird Crashing Into Flight Instructor's Cockpit

Creator:
Smithsonian Channel  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2019-01-11T16:30:01.000Z
YouTube Category:
Entertainment  Search this
See more by:
smithsonianchannel
Data Source:
Smithsonian Channel
YouTube Channel:
smithsonianchannel
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_XAn6yBJjC8g

UFO or Experimental Military Aircraft?

Creator:
Smithsonian Channel  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2015-10-30T04:00:01.000Z
YouTube Category:
Entertainment  Search this
See more by:
smithsonianchannel
Data Source:
Smithsonian Channel
YouTube Channel:
smithsonianchannel
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_m1fWXYUNNJ0

Acoustic Siren

Creator:
National Museum of American History  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2012-05-08T17:33:00.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
American History  Search this
See more by:
SmithsonianAmHistory
Data Source:
National Museum of American History
YouTube Channel:
SmithsonianAmHistory
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_Rs7CC4pdJeM

Col. Kristin Goodwin: B-2 and B-52 Bombers, Airmen, and Attitude

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2016-04-18T15:42:08.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
See more by:
airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_61ZtiASsz00

Student Interview with a Helicopter Pilot from Joint Base Andrews

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
Interviews
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2020-04-25T12:30:04.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
See more by:
airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_OffYIpdWAqc

Lumbricus terrestris

Collector:
A. Winmill  Search this
Preparation:
Formalin
Place:
Trenton, Canadian Air Force Base, Ontario, Canada
Collection Date:
1968
Published Name:
Lumbricus terrestris Linnaeus, 1758
Other Numbers:
Original Number : 00757
USNM Number:
124656
See more items in:
Invertebrate Zoology
Annelida
Tall Timbers - Gordon Gates Collection
Data Source:
NMNH - Invertebrate Zoology Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/32a5ed6f9-0a07-4233-a2d4-f3300ccf443d
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhinvertebratezoology_650535

Procambarus (Pennides) ouachitae

Collector:
Bauer  Search this
River Basin:
Arkansas River  Search this
Preparation:
Alcohol (Ethanol)
Sex:
female
Place:
Bayou Meto At Davis Ranch Road NNW Of Little Rock Air Force Base, Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States
Collection Date:
4 May 1982
Published Name:
Procambarus (Pennides) ouachitae Penn, 1956
USNM Number:
177924
See more items in:
Invertebrate Zoology
Arthropoda
Data Source:
NMNH - Invertebrate Zoology Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3f147d5a6-912e-4caa-a97c-a089c8ca01ad
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhinvertebratezoology_133938

Orconectes palmeri longimanus

Collector:
Bauer  Search this
River Basin:
Arkansas River  Search this
Preparation:
Alcohol (Ethanol)
Sex:
male
male
female
female
Stage:
II
juvenile
juvenile
Place:
Bayou Meto At Davis Ranch Road NNW Of Little Rock Air Force Base, Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States
Collection Date:
4 May 1982
Published Name:
Orconectes palmeri longimanus (Faxon, 1898)
USNM Number:
177925
See more items in:
Invertebrate Zoology
Arthropoda
Data Source:
NMNH - Invertebrate Zoology Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/34365ad03-a062-4156-9ac0-9266b6658de2
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhinvertebratezoology_133939

Cambarus (Depressicambarus) reduncus

Collector:
P. H. Carlson  Search this
Preparation:
Alcohol (Ethanol)
Sex:
male
Stage:
II
Place:
Beech Creek At SC Highway 261, W. Of Shaw Air Force Base, Sumter County, South Carolina, United States
Collection Date:
27 Feb 1983
Published Name:
Cambarus (Depressicambarus) reduncus Hobbs, 1956
USNM Number:
178740
See more items in:
Invertebrate Zoology
Arthropoda
Data Source:
NMNH - Invertebrate Zoology Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3ce15bad3-af3e-4085-887e-a9a393e0f66c
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhinvertebratezoology_134730

Fallicambarus (Creaserinus) uhleri

Collector:
P. H. Carlson  Search this
Preparation:
Alcohol (Ethanol)
Sex:
male
female
Stage:
juvenile
ovigerous
Place:
Robert Branch At S-346, W Of Shaw Air Force Base, Sumter County, South Carolina, United States
Collection Date:
27 Feb 1983
Published Name:
Fallicambarus (Creaserinus) uhleri (Faxon, 1884)
USNM Number:
206023
See more items in:
Invertebrate Zoology
Arthropoda
Data Source:
NMNH - Invertebrate Zoology Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/306449ef2-c444-4ac7-a0eb-c9cb36610df8
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhinvertebratezoology_160772

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