Ladies of the sky
Airport to mark anniversary of 1929 women’s air derby
Yuma International Airport will mark the 90th anniversary of the Women’s National Air Derby’s stop there with a “fly-in” event Saturday for pilots, accompanied by a fleet of speakers and events open to the public as well.
Highlights will include the official debut of a large mural featuring a photo taken of 10 of the 20 contestants in the 1929 derby, including Amelia Earhart, Louise Thaden, Ruth Elder and Marvel Crosson. It’s located in an alcove at the top of a stairwell near the airport’s east entrance.
The idea for the mural was sparked by Monie Pease, a pilot and winter resident from Anacortes, Wash., after a friend showed her an article in the Elks Magazine last year about the derby.
Pease said she brought that article to a lunch with several other local women who are pilots or otherwise involved in aviation, along with a 5x7-inch postcard of the photo that was eventually used.
“The five of us talked about commemorating the event with a plaque or mural to dedicate this way point, Yuma, as a stop along the flight path of the Derby,” she said.
“After a few more meetings, a photo mural was decided upon, making it easier to complete by the August deadline. The alcove was chosen because of its location, workability and visual impact,” she said.
Pease worked with Shirley Burch, who grew up learning how to fabricate aircraft at her father’s business at the airport, to design the mural and plaques, with donated help from Ron Contreras and Perry Penske of Penn Neon Signs. Airport Executive Director Gladys Brown served as producer of the display, which was finished in three months.
The sponsors of the display are John & Yvonne Peach, Yuma Historical Museum of Aviation & Tourism, Fisher Automotive, Yuma International Airport, Million Air, the Gapp Family/Brewers Restaurant & Sports Bar, and Joan & Paul Koblas.
There will also be two “meet-and-greets” with Gene Nora Jessen, who authored “Sky Girls: The True Story of the First Women’s Cross-Country Air Race” and she will sign copies of her book.
Jessen, 82, is a friend of Pease’s and an accomplished pilot and racer, now retired. She also refers to herself as an “astro-not” from her involvement in what’s known as the “Mercury 13” project.
She and 12 other female pilots underwent tests in the early 1960s identical to those being given to male pilots training for the Mercury space program to gauge how they would perform physiologically in space.
In several instances, the women performed better than the men. Jessen was one of the 13 selected to go on to the next round of testing. However, the privately funded program ended after the lead researcher, a NASA physician, was denied access to a NASA facility to continue his testing.
Jessen lives in Idaho with her husband Bob, 94, who served in World War II as a B-29 pilot.