recognize female students who had distinguished themselves in sports. Ordinarily a speaker at such event makes a few pleasant remarks that are seldom remembered the next day, but this was Amelia Earhart. Her talk was written up in The New York Times.
“Women are physically as qualified for aviation as men, but have to work twice as hard to get the same amount of credit.” That was the initial eye-opening salvo - from a woman who weighed 115 pounds. She was not finished. Keeping in mind her own education and her own work experience, usually with men as colleagues, she went for the root of the problem, observing that the system of education was “based on sex not on aptitude.” To explain, she described many young women as being “shunted off” into courses to teach them domestic skills, like cooking and sewing. Not denigrating those abilities, she objected that it was done “simply because they are girls.” She talked about boys she knew who “should be making pies” and even proposed offering girls a chance to take manual training. And then her language became even more direct: “There is no reason why woman can’t hold any position in aviation providing she can overcome prejudices and show ability.”
The year 1932 marked five years since Lindbergh’s historic transatlantic flight to Paris, leading people interested in aviation to assume that some aviator would reenact his success to mark the anniversary.
In 1932, many regions of the world remained unexplored and inadequately mapped; isolated populations maintained ancient practices. The Society of Woman Geographers sought to create opportunities to share information that came from exploration of different kinds. Margaret Mead belonged to the organization and referred to it with zest: “This is my gang!” And that prestigious organization invited Amelia Earhart to its annual dinner in 1932, months before what Earhart counted as her first notable flight.
In Fighting Trim
Those who knew Earhart, particularly if they also knew Putnam’s penchant for staging dramatic events, suspected that she might be planning another transatlantic hop, this time solo. And indeed she was. True to form, Putnam was urging secrecy, and this time it worked. Not even Earhart’s closest friends knew that she planned to take off from Newfoundland on May 20, the exact date Lindbergh had begun his flight from Long Island five years earlier.
Earhart trained for her feat as if she were an athlete. She ate healthy foods, got plenty of sleep and exercise, avoided negative thoughts, and worked at remaining calm.
George Putnam, experienced at planning for his own outdoor adventures, now added his expertise to Amelia’s own talent for planning. Her efforts apparently reassured her, nearly everyone who saw her at home in the weeks before the transatlantic, commented on how serene she seemed. Wanting to offer unquestioning support, George co-operated in efforts to keep her calm. Again and again in those pre-flight weeks, Earhart suggested that she and Putnam work in the yard of their Rye, New York, home. So they raked leaves, then raked some more.
A good friend before he became her husband, Putnam also understood the importance of seeing friends. Amelia loved being around people; when the couple’s home became a magnet for visitors, Putnam could see the success of his efforts at publicity. He could also see a particular visitor showing up more and more frequently.
Handsome, graceful and extremely charming, Gene Vidal - who was to become the father of writer Gore Vidal - was the kind of man that women fell in love with. Earhart had liked Vidal instantly when she had met him a few years earlier. They had worked together at two airlines, TAT and NYWPA. A pilot himself and an activist in the cause of aviation, he wanted to collaborate in Earhart’s efforts and in her success. First, though, she had an important flight coming up.
Bernt Balchen , a well-known pilot adventurer, engineer, and
“Women are physically as qualified for aviation as men, but have to work twice as hard to get the same amount of credit.” That was the initial eye-opening salvo - from a woman who weighed 115 pounds. She was not finished. Keeping in mind her own education and her own work experience, usually with men as colleagues, she went for the root of the problem, observing that the system of education was “based on sex not on aptitude.” To explain, she described many young women as being “shunted off” into courses to teach them domestic skills, like cooking and sewing. Not denigrating those abilities, she objected that it was done “simply because they are girls.” She talked about boys she knew who “should be making pies” and even proposed offering girls a chance to take manual training. And then her language became even more direct: “There is no reason why woman can’t hold any position in aviation providing she can overcome prejudices and show ability.”
The year 1932 marked five years since Lindbergh’s historic transatlantic flight to Paris, leading people interested in aviation to assume that some aviator would reenact his success to mark the anniversary.
In 1932, many regions of the world remained unexplored and inadequately mapped; isolated populations maintained ancient practices. The Society of Woman Geographers sought to create opportunities to share information that came from exploration of different kinds. Margaret Mead belonged to the organization and referred to it with zest: “This is my gang!” And that prestigious organization invited Amelia Earhart to its annual dinner in 1932, months before what Earhart counted as her first notable flight.
In Fighting Trim
Those who knew Earhart, particularly if they also knew Putnam’s penchant for staging dramatic events, suspected that she might be planning another transatlantic hop, this time solo. And indeed she was. True to form, Putnam was urging secrecy, and this time it worked. Not even Earhart’s closest friends knew that she planned to take off from Newfoundland on May 20, the exact date Lindbergh had begun his flight from Long Island five years earlier.
Earhart trained for her feat as if she were an athlete. She ate healthy foods, got plenty of sleep and exercise, avoided negative thoughts, and worked at remaining calm.
George Putnam, experienced at planning for his own outdoor adventures, now added his expertise to Amelia’s own talent for planning. Her efforts apparently reassured her, nearly everyone who saw her at home in the weeks before the transatlantic, commented on how serene she seemed. Wanting to offer unquestioning support, George co-operated in efforts to keep her calm. Again and again in those pre-flight weeks, Earhart suggested that she and Putnam work in the yard of their Rye, New York, home. So they raked leaves, then raked some more.
A good friend before he became her husband, Putnam also understood the importance of seeing friends. Amelia loved being around people; when the couple’s home became a magnet for visitors, Putnam could see the success of his efforts at publicity. He could also see a particular visitor showing up more and more frequently.
Handsome, graceful and extremely charming, Gene Vidal - who was to become the father of writer Gore Vidal - was the kind of man that women fell in love with. Earhart had liked Vidal instantly when she had met him a few years earlier. They had worked together at two airlines, TAT and NYWPA. A pilot himself and an activist in the cause of aviation, he wanted to collaborate in Earhart’s efforts and in her success. First, though, she had an important flight coming up.
Bernt Balchen , a well-known pilot adventurer, engineer, and
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