Take a closer look at the lives and accomplishments of some of the WASP. New profiles are added regularly and will grow as the staff and volunteer of the CAF RISE ABOVE continue their tireless efforts to research and share the remarkable stories of these important American figures.
Betty Jane Archibald Fernandes November 1, 1920 – June 14, 2014 Class: 43-W–3 Training Locations: Houston Municipal Airport (Tex.) and Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Planes flown: AT-6, BT-13, PT-19, L-2, L-5, B-24, C-47, B-25, P-39,
Kathryn Bernheim Fine February 1, 1911 – June 24, 1996 WAFS, Class “The Originals” Planes flown: PT-19, PT-26, P-40, P-39, P-47, P-63, B-17 Base assigned: New Castle Army Air Base (Wilmington, Del.) Kathryn “Sis” Bernheim
Ethel (Meyer) Finley Class 43-W-5 b, 1921 d. Feb. 24, 2006 “Teaching had always been a woman’s profession and so consequently there wasn’t that much objection, and the men wanted to go to combat anyway.”
Maxine Edmondson Flournoy March 30, 1921 ~ April 5, 2023 Class: 43-W-8 Training Location: Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Assigned Bases: Hondo Army Air Field (Tex.) and Kingman Army Air Base (Kingman, Az.) Planes flown: BT-13,
Cornelia Clark Fort was the first of 38 WASP fatalities February 5, 1919 – March 21, 1943 Class: WAFS “The Originals” Planes flown: PT-19, PT-26, BT-13, AT-6 Training Location: New Castle Army Air Base (Wilmington,
Phyllis Burchfield Fulton WAFS, Class “The Originals” June 15, 1911 – June 21, 2012 Planes flown: PT-19, BT-13, AT-6, A-20, B-24 Training Location: New Castle Army Air Base (Wilmington, Del.) Assigned Bases: New Castle Army
Margaret “Maggie” Gee August 5, 1923 – February 1, 2013 Class 44-W-9 Planes flown: PT-17, BT-13, AT-6, AT-10, B-17, B-26, P-39 Bases served: Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.), Las Vegas Army Air Field (Nev.) “My heroes
Betty Huyler Gillies January 1, 1908 – October 14, 1998 Class: WAFS “The Originals” Planes flown: PT-19, AT-6, A-20, B-17 BT-13, P-61, P-39 Training Location: New Castle Army Air Base (Wilmington, Del.) Assigned Bases: New
Virginia S. Bradley Gough October 28, 1922 – May 22, 2013 Class: 44-W-7 Training Location: Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Planes flown: PT-17, BT-13, AT-6 Assigned bases: Williams Army Air Base (Chandler, Ariz.) “Don’t ever put
Etta Mae “Holly” Hollinger Grasso November 7, 1921 – March 9, 2014 Class: 44-W-5 Training Location: Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Planes flown: PT-17, BT-13, AT-6 Assigned bases: Foster Army Air Field (Victoria, Tex.) As a
Marjorie M. Gray March 21, 1912 – February 11, 2008 Class: 43-W-1 Training Location: Houston Municipal Airport (Tex.) Assigned Bases: New Castle Army Air Base (Wilmington, Del.) Planes flown: B-24, B-25, B-26, DC-3 Graduation Details:
Frances Fortune Grimes 1914 – March 27, 1944 Class 43-W-3 Entered Army Air Force flight training: Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas, January 15, 1943 Graduated: July 3, 1943 Training location: Houston Municipal Airport (Tex.) and Avenger
Kristin Swan Lent Gros Class 44-W-3 January 1, 1921- Kristin Swan Lent was born Sioux City, Iowa. She became interested aviation while attending the University of Iowa when a friend who was involved in the
Kathryn Stark Gunderson 1916 – February 12, 2019 Class: 43-W-5 Training Location: Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Assigned Bases: Romulus Army Air Base (Mich.) Planes flown: PT-19 and AT-6 Gunderson had a lifelong interest in aviation,
Virginia “Virgie” Lee Jowell Hagerstrom December 12, 1920 – May 28, 2015 Class: 43-W-4 Training Location: Houston Municipal Airport (Tex.) and Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Planes flown: AT-6, B-24, C-47, PT-17 Assigned bases: Romulus Army
Lois Brooks Hailey January 18, 1915 – April 24, 2010 Class: 43-W-3 Training Locations: Houston Municipal Airport (Tex.) and Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) In addition to training in Houston, Jan-May of 1943, Sweetwater, May to
Dorothy Louisa Bancroft Hammett January 29, 1910 – March 10, 2003 Class: 44-W-6 Planes flown: PT-17, BT-13, AT-6, B-24, UC-78 Training Location: Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Assigned bases: Frederick Army Air Field (Okla. Dorothy Bancroft began training with
Jean Downey Harman 1924 – January 21, 2023 Class: 44-W-9 Graduated: November 8, 1944 Training Location: Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Assigned Bases: Marana Army Air Field (Ariz.) Planes flown: PT-17 and BT-13 “I was very
Elaine Harmon WASP, Class 44-W-9 “It was a man’s world, but we (WASP) did something really great that was needed for the war effort … There is never a day that I don’t think how
Mary Pauline Hartson January 11, 1917- August 14, 1944 Class: 43-W-5 Entered Army Air Force flight training: Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas, April 6, 1943 Graduated: September 11, 1943 Stationed: Dodge City Army Air Base, Kansas;
Bernice “Bee” Falk Haydu December 15, 1920 – January 30, 2021 Class: 44-W-7 Training Location: Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Planes flown: PT-17, BT-13, AT-6, AT-17, UC-78 Assigned bases: Pecos Army Air Base (Tex.) “Follow your
Gloria Whitton Heath May 7, 1922 – December 16, 2017 Class: 44-W-5 Training Location: Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Assigned Bases: Freeman Army Air Field (Seymour, Ind.), Pocatello Army Air Base (Idaho), and Dalhart Army Air
Ruth Ellen Dailey Helm December 29, 1916 – February 28, 2015 Class 43-W-2 Planes flown: AT-6, AT-17, P-63, P-40, P-39, P-47, P-51, B-25, C-47 Bases served: Love Field (Dallas, Tex.) Born on December 29, 1916,
Mary Holmes Howson February 16, 1919 – April 16, 1944 Class: 44-W-4 Trainee Entered Army Air Force flight training: Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas, November 1, 1943 Mary was borne in Wayne, Pennsylvania. She majored in
Ruth Humphryes Brown Class 43-W-8 November 11, 1921 – December 30, 2010 Planes flown: PT-19, BT-13, AT-6, AT-11, B-26 Training Location: Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Assigned bases: Childress Army Air Field (Tex.) and Harlingen Army
Celia M. Hunter January 13, 1919 – December 1, 2001 Class: 43-W-5 Training Location: Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Planes flown: PT-19, AT-6, C-47 Assigned bases: New Castle Army Air Base (Wilmington, Del.) Celia M. Hunter
Marjorie Josephine Johnson February 4, 1914 – March 23, 2004 Class: 44-W-2 Training Location: Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Planes flown: PT-17, BT-13, AT-6 Assigned bases: Jackson Army Air Field (Miss.) Marjorie was born in Ionia,
Geraldine Norma Hardman Jordan September 3, 1921 – March 30, 2001 Class: 43-W-5 Planes flown: AT-17, B-25, BT-13, L-2, L-3, PT-19, PT-26, UC-78 Training Location: Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Assigned bases: New Castle Army Air
Edith “Edy” Clayton Keene December 19, 1920 – April 25, 1944 Class: 44-W-1 Entered Army Air Force flight training: Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas, August 9, 1943 Graduated: February 11, 1944 Training location: Avenger Field (Sweetwater,
Margaret “Peggy” Helburn Kocher February 6, 1921 – April 4, 2008 Class: 43-W-6 Training Location: Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Planes flown: PT-17, AT-6, P-40 Assigned bases: South Plains Army Air Base (Lubbock, Tex.) Dodge City
Shirley J. Chase Kruse 1922 – February 2, 2024 Class: 44-W-6 Training Location: Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Planes flown: PT-17, BT-13 Assigned bases: Bainbridge Army Air Field (Ga.) “My time spent as a WASP was
Katherine Kupferberg Kornblum August 15, 1917 – January 16, 2011 Class: 43-W-6 Graduated: Training Location: Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Assigned Bases: New Castle Army Air Base (Wilmington, Del.) and Harding Army Air Field (Baton Rouge,
Jean Landis September 28, 1918 – December 13, 2022 Class: 43-W-4 Training Location: Houston Municipal Airport (Tex.) and Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Planes flown: B-17, C-47, P-39, P-40, P-47, P-51, P-63 Assigned bases: Long Beach
Kathryn Barbara Lawrence December 3, 1920 – August 4, 1943 Class 43-W-8 Entered Army Air Force flight training: Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas, July 10, 1943 Kathryn was born in Grand Forks, Grand Forks County, North
Hazel Ah Ying Lee August 24, 1912 – November 25, 1944 Class 43-W-4Entered Army Air Force flight training: Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas, February 21, 1943Graduated: Avenger Field, May 28, 1943Training location: Houston Municipal Airport (Tex.)
Gertrude Meserve Tubbs LeValley April 28, 1920 – August 13, 2015 Class WAFS, The Originals Planes flown: L-4, PT-19, PT-26, AT-6, AT-9, C-60, P-39, P-40, P-47, P-51 Training Location: New Castle Army Air Base (Wilmington,
Dorothy “Dot” Swain Lewis September 30, 1915 – September 9, 2013 Class: 44-W-5 Training Location: Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.) Planes flown: PT-17, BT-13, AT-6, AT-10, B-26, P-40, P-63 Assigned bases: Columbus Army Air Field (Miss.)
Barbara Jane Erickson London July 1, 1920 – 2013 Class: WAFS Training Location: New Castle Army Air Base (Wilmington, Del.) Planes flown: PT-17, PT-13, BT-13, BT-14, AT-6, A-20, P-38, P-51 Assigned bases: New Castle Army
Paula Ruth Loop August 25, 1916 to July 7, 1944 Class: 43-W-2 Entered Army Air Force flight training: Houston Municipal Airport, Houston, Texas, December 19, 1942 Graduated: Avenger Field, May 28, 1943 Assignment: Ferry pilot
Nancy Harkness Love Founder of the WAFS – the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron “I have no idea what made me catch the flying bug. A ride in a tandem two-seater, single-engine Fleet Biplane