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Follow on Google News | The Junior League Remembers: Cornelia Fort, PilotA young woman who had it all wanted to fly – and then came World War II
By: The Association of Junior Leagues International But Cornelia Fort wanted to fly, and fly she did. She took her first flying lesson in 1940, shortly after her father died. She soon became the first female flight instructor in Nashville. In 1941, she took a job in Fort Collins, CO as a flight instructor with the Civilian Pilots Training Program, established under FDR. Later that year, she was hired to teach defense workers, soldiers and sailors to fly on a U.S. military base in Honolulu. There, flying on the morning of December 7, 1941, she was a witness to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. In 1942, she joined a select group of women aviators in what would become known as the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS), charged with piloting planes newly off the assembly line to military bases across the U.S., freeing up male servicemen to engage in active combat. On a delivery mission to Love Field in Dallas, TX from her base in Long Beach, CA, she was killed in a mid-air collision. Cornelia Fort was 24 when she fell to her death from the skies above Mulberry Canyon, TX. A short life, but clearly an adventurous one. And she died a pilot’s death. Says Delly Beekman, President of The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc., “Even now, nearly 70 years later, Cornelia Fort’s life stands out as an example of one woman’s commitment to a larger purpose. Like many other League members, past and present, she consciously broke down barriers while making an impact with what they do.” About The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. Founded in 1901 by New Yorker and social activism pioneer, Mary Harriman, the Junior Leagues are charitable nonprofit organizations of women, developed as civic leaders, creating demonstrable community impact. Today, The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI) is comprised of more than 155,000 women in 292 Junior Leagues throughout Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States. Together, they constitute one of the largest, most effective volunteer organizations in the world. For more information, visit http://www.ajli.org/ Media Contact: Tracy Van Buskirk Marketcom PR Main: (212) 537-5177 Ext. 8 Mobile: (203) 246-6165 tvanbuskirk@ www.marketcomPR.com # # # The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. End
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