Virginia Lee Jowell Hagerstrom, 43-W-4 | May 28, 2015

"Outside my family and my husband, the WASP program was the greatest thing that ever happened to me.  I wanted to fly…. I loved it.   If you know what you want to do, don’t let anybody stop you.  You can do it!” *  

                                      Lee Hagerstrom, 43-W-4 

Virginia Lee Jowell Hagerstrom (Class of 43-W-4) was born December 12, 1920 in the small East Texas town of Frankston. She excelled in school and had her heart set on going to college, even though it was the middle of the depression. She managed two years at Lon Morris, a small Methodist college in nearby Jacksonville, by literally singing her way through in a small band that toured the state on weekends and holidays. She then transferred to Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College in Nacogdoches where she graduated with a major in English and a Spanish minor. While there she participated in the Civilian Pilot Training Program and after graduation went to work for Delta Air Lines in Atlanta as a ticketing agent. When the WASPs were organized, she applied and was accepted.

During her time at Avenger Field in Sweetwater she made friendships that lasted her entire life. She was still a WASP when she met her future husband, James P. Hagerstrom -- fresh back from his combat tour in New Guinea. They were both Army Air Force pilots passing through Orlando, Florida. He proposed three weeks later and they were married at Romulus Army Air Base, Michigan, where Lee was stationed, with a fellow 43-W-4 classmate Grace Clark Fender as maid-of-honor.

The couple settled in Houston and Lee taught school until the birth of her third child. With the outbreak of the Korean War her husband was recalled to active duty and he again flew combat missions (he became a double fighter ace, as he was also an ace in WWII). The fifties hosted the birth of five more children, and postings in Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, Japan, and Hawaii. The sixties were spent in Southern California where Lee returned to teaching and her husband attended law school at night while finishing out his Air Force career, including a tour in Vietnam and Thailand.

In the seventies the family began a series of adventures on sailing yachts, even building one from the keel up. They sailed down the coast of Mexico, to Hawaii, and to Micronesia. The eighties first saw Lee and James in the Dominican Republic, and then back in Micronesia where Lee taught at the college and James was legal advisor for the local government.

In the early nineties the couple moved to a small town in northern Louisiana, where they spent their time gardening and enjoying visits from family. After the death of her husband in 1994, Lee lived with one or another of her children in San Francisco, Korea, Burma, Mexico, Maryland, and Texas. Her last years were spent near family on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. She died there, peacefully, on the morning of May 28, 2015.

A funeral service is planned for September. She will be buried, as WASP Lee Jowell Hagerstrom, with her husband in Arlington National Cemetery.

____

Respectfully posted by Lee's family.  

*. Quote from Lee's interview with Wings Across America.

Personal note.

Meeting Lee Hagerstrom was a wonderful, unexpected blessing, as we walked into the WASP tent at Oshkosh in 2003. Lee was delightful, charming, energetic and warm and delighted to meet 2 fellow Texans.  

Our second meeting with Lee was in Rio Rocco, Arizona. We turned on the video camera and were mesmerized by her stories and her enthusiasm for many hours. We will never forget her kindness and the beautiful sparkle her eyes when she talked about her family and about flying.

God bless all those whose lives were touched by this amazing WASP.

-- Nancy Parrish, Wings Across America

Eleanor Thompson Wortz, 43-4 | Aug. 18, 2013

“Listening to my father describe a flight he took with a barnstormer at a county fair doing the “loop the loop” made me determined to fly some day.”            

              WASP Eleanor Thompson Wortz

Eleanor Thompson was born on June 5, 1921 in the small North Carolina town of Salisbury, 50 miles southwest of Greensboro.  From her earliest recollection of her dad sharing exciting stories of flying with a barnstormer,  Eleanor was determined to learn to fly.

After graduating from Spencer High School, she attended from Catawba College in Salsbury where she became Chief Cheerleader, was a member of the Writer’s Club and Editor of the College Annual.    While in college, she was able to take advantage of the Civilian Pilot Training offered to students, as the only girl in a class of ten, finally fullfilling her childhood dream to learn to fly.   She graduated with a BS in Business Administration, a Teacher’s Certificate and a Private Pilot License.  

After graduation, Eleanor worked as a clerk-typist for the Civil Aeronautics Administration in Washington, DC.  While at the CAA, she received a telegram from Jacqueline Cochran, inviting her to apply for the new military flying raining program for women pilots.  She applied and was accepted into class 43-W-4.

Eleanor paid her way to Sweetwater, Texas.   On Valentine’s Day, 1943, she and one hundred fifty other hopeful young female pilots, reported for training at Avenger Field.  After just five months of training, Eleanor and one hundred and eleven classmates graduated and earned their silver WASP wings. It was the largest WASP graduating class in history.

After graduation, Eleanor was sent to the 5th Ferrying Group at Love Field, Dallas, Texas.  While at Love Field, she qualified as a first pilot for Class III aircraft, which included the larger twin engine C-47’s.  After a year at Love Field, she was transferred to Victorville Army Air Base in Victorville, California,  where she flew AT-11’s as an engineering test pilot. 

After the WASP were deactivated,   Eleanor flew war surplus aircraft to new owners. She then accepted a job  as Asst. to the Registrar at Stanford University.  Shortly afterwards, she was given the opportunity to travel and took a job teaching ‘Theory Of Flight’  and ‘Math’ at Escola Technica de Aviacao in Sao Paulo, Brazil,  and English at the State Department School. In 1946, after a courtship that started in a Portugese language class jn Coral Gables, Florida,  she married James Howard Wortz, a fellow instructor.   

The young couple returned to the States and settled in California,  where they built a home.  Their family grew to include two sons: Marc Steven and William Howard.  

Eleanor ran the training division at Moffett Field, California for six years and earned her MA from San Jose State University.  She taught business at Canada College, Redwood, California until she retired at age sixty-two. 

Following her husband’s death in 1990, Eleanor organized the Woodland Vista Swim and Racquet Club in Los Altos and served as the first president.  

Eleanor travelled  to Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Australia and South America.  She was a long-time member of the Los Altos United Methodist Church.   

In 2010, Eleanor and her sister WASP were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor Congress can bestow.  Less than a year later, her memoir,  “Fly Gals of World War II”,  was published.

Eleanor died peacefully at her home in Los Altos, California on August 18, 2013 at the age of ninety two. 

From her official obituary:

“She will be dearly missed by her loving sons, Marc Steven Wortz of Santa Cruz and William Howard Wortz of Los Gatos, and their wives, Cathy and Fujko, as well as brother Julian Thompsoin of Potomac Falls, Virginia, sister Jean Thompson Barrick of Los Gatos, and many nieces, nephews, and friends.”

God bless the family of this extraordinary WASP and all of those around the world, whose lives she touched.

Respectfully written and posted by Nancy Parrish

sources:

“Out of the Blue and Into History” by WASP Betty Turner   p. 85

Official obituary --Legacy.com

Final Flight Page

Virginia "Ginny" Hill Wood, 43-W-4 March 8, 2013

"The estetic, spiritual, recreation, and educational values of such an area (proposed Artic National Wildlife Range) are those one cannot put a price tag on any more than one can on a sunset, a piece of poetry, a symphony, or a friendship."

Ginny Hill Wood Testimony to Congress      Fairbanks, 1959

Ginny Hill, WASP class 43-W-4

  Conservation and aviation pioneer, Virginia "Ginny" Hill Wood passed away at her Fairbanks, Alaska log home on March 8, 2013.  *"Her vision and perseverance is woven into the fabric of our lives here, from beloved ski and bike trails, Creamer's Field Refuge and Camp Denali, the early wilderness ecoturism center, to the cherished Artic National Wildlife Refuge and other conservation areas throughout Alaska."  /s/Pamela A. Miller.

    Virginia Hill was born on October 24, 1917 in Moro, Oregon. She grew up in rural Washington, spending time at the family's cabin on Lake Chelan and at the experimental farm where her father worked.  She fell in love with flying at age 10, and followed the national news reports of Charles Lindbergh and  Amelia Earhart.

    Ginny learned to fly through the Civilian Piot Training Program in 1940-41.  When she heard about the WASP training program, she applied, and was accepted into the fourth class of WASP (43-W-4), and reported to Houston, Texas for training. Class 43-W-4 was the largest class of WASP trainees, with 151 young women pilots enrolled.  Shortly after her class arrived, all of the flying training was moved from Houston to Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas.  

    After passing all the requirements, Ginny and  one hundred eleven other young women pilots graduated, August 7, 1943.  She was given Army orders to report to the 6th Ferrying Group, Air Transport Command in Long Beach, California.  As a ferry pilot, she flew BT-13's, C-47's, AT-20's, B-25's P-40's, P-47's, P-51's, P-39's, P-63's, P-61's P-38's and co pilot on the B-17.  Her temporary duty assignments were to instrument school in St. Joseph, Missouri; pursuit school in Brownsville, Texas, and officer's training in Orlando, Florida.

    After the WASP were deactivated, she instructed on seaplanes on Lake Washington, Seattle.  On Jan 1, 1947, Ginny and WASP Celiea Hunter ferried two  surplus military planes from Seattle to Alaska.  When the temperature dropped to sixty below zero, there were no return flights to Seattle and the two WASP stayed in Alaska.

    Ginny worked for Chuck West's Alaskan tour business and flew tourists to Kotzebue for Wien Airlines.  In 1948, Ginny and Celia spent a semester in Sweden as exchange students and bicycled around Europe.  They returned to Alaska and in 1950, Ginny married Morton "Woody" Wood, who she met on the Birch Hill ski slope.  In the summer of 1951, Woody's job as park ranger took the young couple to Katmai National Moument where they explored the country and enjoyed the rich recrecational opportunities.

    In 1952, Ginny and Woody, along with Celia Hunter, founded Camp Denali, one of Alaska's first eco-tourism lodges.  For the next twenty-five years, Ginny spent every summer at Denali National Park, leading backcountry hiking trips.

    Later called one of the matriarchs of Alaska conservation, Ginny  spent the next forty years fighting to protect the wild places and wildlife of Alaska.  Her causes included  wolf bounty, Project Chariot, Rampart Dam, the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act and protecting the Artic National Wildlife Refuge from oil develpment.  She helped start the Alaska Conservation society, the state's first environmental organization and her column, "From the Woodpile," was published in the Northern Alaska Environmental Center's newsletter for twenty three years.

    Her selfless work in the field of conservation was recognized not only by her peers, but by national organizations, including The John Muir Award (The Sierra Club's highest honor),  The Alaska Conservation Foundation  firstever Lifetime Achieve Award (to Ginny and Celia Hunter),  the Florence Collins Award for her lifetime contribution to the environment of the interior and Artic Alaska, and US Fish & Wildlife Service's Citizen's Award.

    In 2010, Ginny and her sister WASP were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award Congress can bestow, for their pioneering military service flying for the Army Air Forces during World War II.   In 2011, she was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame (Class of 2010).

In 2012, "Boots, Bikes and Bombers" was published as an intimate biography of Ginny Hill Wood, edited by friend Karen Brewster.

Ginny Wood -- photo credit,  Alaska Daily News

Gifts in Ginny's honor may be sent to the Northern Alaska Environmental Center.

 Ginny's legacy lives on in the beauty of an Alaskan sunset and the clear crystal waters of a mountain stream.   Generations to come owe her a debt they can only repay by carrying the torch and sharing her vision.  

May we all learn from Ginny to appreciate God's great blessings on this world, and take great care of what we have been given.  

God bless all of those who have been touched by the passion of this extraordinary WASP.

Respectfully written and posted by Nancy Parrish

Resources:

Boots, Bikes and Bombers: Adventures of Alaska Conservationist Ginny Hill Wood

    edited by Karen Brewster

Camp Denali North Face Lodge - historic film footage and interview w/ Ginny.

"Out of the Blue and Into History" by WASP Betty Turner

* "Ginny Hill Wood, 95, passes on lasting wilderness legacy"  by Pamela A. Miller

Newsminer.com obituary

Hazel Pracht Caldwell, 43-W-4 Feb. 3, 2013

On February 3,  2013, America said farewell to another  of its courageous, patriotic World War II Women Airforce Service Pilots,  (WASP) Hazel Wilfred Pracht Caldwell.

WASP Violet Wierzbicki, 43-W-4

"She will be remembered as a woman who saw no limitations, just the horizon, as her spirit, like those of her generations, continues to soar."

Private services will be held for Violet Wierzbicki who passed away in Capitola, CA on April 17, 2010 at the age of 93. 

Born in Taunton, Massachusetts, Violet moved to Flint, Michigan as a child with her family and was raised there.

Violet worked for General Motors as a secretary and during WWII volunteered for Army Air Force flight training, entering training at Avenger Field in the fourth class of Women Airforce Service Pilots.  After successfully completing training, she graduated on August 7, 1943 with Army orders to report to Romulus, Michigan, where she flew as a ferry pilot.  Recently, Violet and all the WASP were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their trailblazing, patriotic service to America.

After the war, Violet moved to San Francisco and worked as a secretary for U.S. Steel. She later worked for Saga Corporation in Menlo Park. Violet's career as a private secretary spanned over 40 years. She retired to Aptos 26 years ago. She leaves many dear friends at Dominican Oaks where she most recently lived.

She was a talented artist and had just completed a book about her life. At the age of 90, Violet shared the cockpit of a plane; taking the controls for a short time. 

She is survived by her sister, Irene Evans of Aptos, nephew David Evans, his wife Marilyn and their children, Caroline, Catherine and Gregory of Santa Clara.

WASP Jean Trench Brown, 43-W-4

"Flying became an obsession with me in 1941. Gas rationing was in effect in those days because of WWII, so I rode my bicycle to the airport for flight training, joined the Civil Air Patrol, and became very interested in the newly formed group of women pilots--the WASP."

Jean Brown from p. 94 -- "Out of the Blue and Into History" by WASP Betty Turner.

Brown--H. Jean le Poer Trench, beloved wife and mother, died peacefully at the age of 89 on February 11, 2009. She was born on July 21, 1919, in Staten Island, NY, to the late C. S. J. Trench and Helen Gard’ner Trench. She graduated from St. Catherine’s School, Richmond, VA, in 1938.

Jean’s obsession for aviation led her to join the Civil Air Patrol, and then to work nightshift at the Piper Cub aircraft assembly plant in Lock Haven PA installing fuselages, so that she could take pilot lessons during the day. In a desire to serve her country during World War II, Jean was among a select few who earned her wings as a Woman Airforce Service Pilot, WASP class 43-W-4. While stationed at the Romulus Army Air base, Jean piloted ferry missions delivering combat aircraft to the airbases in the United States. She was qualified in the At-16, PT-19, C-47 and the PBY “Flying Boat.”

In the summer of 1944, Jean resigned from the WASP and later joined the American Red Cross where she ran a “clubmobile” providing coffee breaks to the servicemen of U.S. Army Air Bases stationed in England. She met Sgt. Geoffrey Alan Brown, Sr. in Bury St. Edmonds, England. The couple was wed on December 15, 1945, in Staten Island, New York.

For many years Jean and Geoff, and their three children lived at the “Seven Oaks Farm” in Chalfont, PA where they established a series of wayside shops selling home grown produce, eggs, general store goods, nursery plants, artwork, and hand crafted items to the residents of Bucks County, PA. After the family left the farm, Jean joined the administrative staff at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia where she worked in the Pulmonary and Cystic Fibrosis Center. In later years, she brought her talents and love of plants to the Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia, PA. The couple spent most of their retirement years in their home in Doylestown, PA before moving to the Artman Home in Ambler PA. Jean’s interest in people, books and learning led her to the Doylestown Public Library where she volunteered her services for many years. She also published several articles including one entitled “Evicting the Moles” (Green Scene January 1988).

Mrs. Brown is survived by her husband of 63 years, Geoffrey Sr. and her three children; Pamela B. Benson of Perkasie, PA, Geoffrey A. Brown, Jr. of Pennington, NJ, and Allison M. Brown of Lambertville, NJ. She was predeceased by her son, Christopher, and her brothers, Charles S. Trench, and J. Patrick Trench.

Jean loved animals and in lieu of flowers, contributions to the Humane Society of the United States would be greatly appreciated. A memorial service will be held on 05/02/09 at 11:00 am at the All Saints Episcopal Church, 9601 Frankford Ave. Phila., PA. The service will be officiated by the Rev. Jeffrey T. Liddy. Kirk and Nice Suburban Chapel, Inc. will coordinate the event.

WASP Inez Woodward Woods, 43-W-4

Inez (Woodward) Woods; class of 43-W4 passed away on November 4, 2008.

She had just had her 91st Birthday on October 12th. Inez had been in a nursing home for several years before she passed away and was alert and communicative until about five months ago.

Inez was in my Bay at Sweetwater and was stationed at Romulus in the Third Ferry Group, Ferry Command and flew most of the aircraft that the Air Force had excepting for the Pursuit and Heavy Bombers.

After we were disbanded she flew twin engined aircraft as an Executive Pilot. After marrying Jack Woods; Inez became a college professor and after retiring; she became a Real Estate Broker and enjoyed the Real Estate Boom in California.

Inez and Jack had one daughter named "Barbara" and two Grandchildren; a girl and a boy. Barbara is married to Sam Ragucci and lives at 742 Brown Sage Drive, Glendora, Carlifornia, 91741.

*Inez grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and graduated from Hempstead School in 1930. She later went on to earn her BA in Journalism from the U of MO School of Journalism in 1938. While at college, she entered the CPT program and earned her private pilot's license. In 1943, while working for the Curtis Wright company, she learned of the WASP training program, applied and was accepted into class 43-W-4. In 2002, Inez was inducted into the 99's International Forest of Friendship

Inez's ashes have been scattered in the Pacific Ocean; as was Jack's when He died several years ago.

Posted via email by WASP Rosa Lea Meek Dickerson w/ *additional information by webmaster