Nobody Owns the Sky: Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Female Aviators
When asked to name early female aviators, most people can name only one: Amelia Earhart. Earhart was a daring pilot, but the mystery surrounding her disappearance overshadowed and eventually erased any memory of her equally accomplished peers—early aviatrices who defied gravity (and male disapproval) in flimsy airplanes.
This month’s meeting of the Historical Society of Scotch Plains and Fanwood will feature storyteller Carol Simon Levin’s presentation, “Nobody Owns the Sky: Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Female Aviators.” The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 25, at the Shady Rest Country Club, 820 Jerusalem Rd. (at the corner of Plainfield Avenue) in Scotch Plains.
Impersonating Elinor Smith Sullivan, the only pilot ever to successfully fly under all four East River bridges in New York City, Levin will tell the stories of some of the early female pilots who risked their lives in flimsy wood and canvas airplanes but whose ground-breaking exploits were lost to history after Amelia Earhart’s famous disappearance.
Levin also is the author of Remembering the Ladies: From Patriots in Petticoats to Presidential Candidates, which profiles 69 women—well-known and unknown—who worked tirelessly for women’s rights in America. Levin holds a bachelor’s degree focusing on women’s history and history of technology from Cornell University and a master’s degree in library services from the University of Arizona. She is also the founder of the website tellingherstories.com.
The upcoming meeting is free and all are welcome. Refreshments and fellowship will follow the presentation. For questions, please email Info@HistoricalSocietySPFNJ.org or call 908/322-6700 Extension 230.
