Madelyn Marie Taylor Eggleston, 44-W-1, May 24, 2016

WASP Madelyn Marie Taylor Eggleston, a graduate of Class 44-W-1,  was born Saturday, June 7, 1919 in Red Oak, Iowa.   She was the daughter of the late Lawrence B. (Cap) Taylor and Blanche Beeson (Taylor). 

When she was 9 years old, her father took Madelyn to a local airport to watch an air show. The young girl persuaded him to let her go for a ride.  From that day forward she never lost her desire to fly. 

She graduated from Red Oak Junior College but reenrolled the next year in one class so that she would be eligible to take the Civilian Pilot Training course.  Each CPT class of 10 would only accept one girl.   Madelyn was chosen to be that girl,  completed the course and earned her private pilot license.

In early 1943,  when Madelyn  learned about a program training women pilots to fly American military aircraft, she applied(1).  After passing an interview, entrance tests and an army physical,  she was accepted into the first class of 1944.   She arrived at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas in the fall of 1943 along with 100 other hopeful young women pilots.  After completing seven months of Army Air Force flight training, she and 48 of her classmates, graduated.  They were the first class to wear the brand new Santiago Blue uniforms.  

After graduating, Madelyn was assigned to Las Vegas Army Air Field. She completed instrument school and was then assigned as an instrument instructor for male pilots. While stationed in Las Vegas, she met and married a B-17 bomber pilot, G.B. "Gil" Eggleston on Nov 3, 1944.  After the WASP were disbanded and WWII was over, the young couple eventually moved back to Texas and settled in Vernon in 1952.

Madelyn was active in her growing family's life.  She was a homemaker and served as den mother in cub scouts and group leader for campfire girls.  After her children were grown, she went back to school and graduated from the  Vernon College LVN program. She worked as a licensed vocational nurse at Center North for over 18 years. 

Madelyn was a member of the Eastern Star and a past worthy matron. She was a longtime member and very active in the Central Christian Church, was in CWF and sang in the choir. She was active in charity work, loved gardening, art, watercolor painting and china painting.

In 2010, long after her service as a WWII AAF pilot, Madelyn and her fellow WASP were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their service during World War II.  It is the highest civilian honor our nation can give.

Surviving to honor her memory are sons Edward B. Eggleston and wife Toya of Vernon, TX and  Jon T. Eggleston of Vernon, TX;  daughter  Evelyn Wilson and husband Jim of Stamford, TX;   grand children Robert Eggleston, Allison Harding, Cody Shores, Amy Cervantes, David Shores, Tracy Wygal, Robert Wilson and Ashly Eggleston; and 13 great grand children.

She was predeceased by brothers, Bill Taylor and Eldon Taylor.

Visitation was held on Monday, May 23, 2016 from 7-8 pm at the funeral home.

Funeral service was held on Tuesday, May 24, 2016 at 10:00am at the Central Christian Church with Rev. Jim Antwine officiating. Interment followed at Eastview Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Sullivan Funeral Home.

Memorials may be made to the Central Christian Church.

The family would like to thank the Hospice workers and the home health care workers for all their special care. 
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1 During WWII 25,000 women applied to the WASP program (Women Airforce Service Pilots), but due to the rigorous training and strict qualification requirements only 1,830 were accepted into training and a total of  1,074 graduated.  

v/r posted by Nancy Parrish including the original online obituary and additional information on Madelyn's service as a WASP.  Photo from Wings Across America's digital archive.

WASP CATHERINE ANN MURPHY, 44-W-1 Jan. 29, 2012

WASP Catherine Ann Murphy passed away on Sunday, January 29, 2012.

Catherine was born on December 8, 1916, to Edward and Catherine Murphy, in St. Paul, Minn.  She graduated from high school in Minneapolis and immediately went to work.    In the fall of 1942, she went flying for the first time with an instructor named Hank, and from that moment on, she was  obsessed with flying.    She soled in 7 1/2 hours off a grass strip,  and as she continued flying, she learned of the Army Air Forces flying training program.  She applied,  and when she was accepted into the class of 44-W-1, she paid her way to Avenger Field to learn to fly 'The Army Way."

After successfully completing the seven months of training, on February 11, 1944, Catherine and 48 other young women pilots from her class (of 101) graduated .  Her class was the first  to graduate wearing the official 'Santiago Blue' WASP uniform.

Catherine's official Army Air Force orders sent her to Gardner Field, California, where she flew as an engineering test pilot.  From Gardner, she was sent to Randolph Field, San Antonio, Texas, where she completed basic instructor training.  She returned to Gardner as a basic training flight instructor and ferry pilot.  She remained at Gardner until the WASP were disbanded.

After her service as a WASP,  she was  hired as an instructor at Western and Compton Airports, California.  She sold her '42 Buick, bought a Stinson SR-5, and began a charter service, flying passengers from Los Angeles to Albuquerque,  and Kansas City to Minneapolis.  Eventually, she sold her Stinson and went to work for the City of San Gabriel Valley, California as City Treasurer. 

Catherine organized the California Municipal Treasurers Association,  which eventually grew to become the Municipal Treasurers Association of the US and Canada, and was also a director on the Board of the League of California Cities.  She eventually became  City Treasurer and Chief financial officer for the city of Arcadia, Calif., where she worked for 27 years.

In 1972,  Catherine rekindled her love of flying, flying a Piper Arrow to the WASP Reunion in Sweetwater, Texas.  From that flight, she renewed old WASP friendships and ‘took to the skies’,  flying to WASP reunions and spending vacations flying in Arizona, Colorado,  and even Alaska.

In 1979,  she joined the Civil Air Patrol (CAP)and became a Mission Pilot, flying search and rescue missions.  She later went on to become Squadron Commander and Finance Officer for the California Wing of the CAP and Mission Coordinator/Mission Control Officer.  During her active duty time with the CAP,  she was the designated person for the Air Force to contact to organize all search missions in the State of California.  She searched for missing aircraft, flew cadets on orientation rides, transported emergency services personnel, transported dog teams for missing persons searches,  and flew missions for the Customs Services and Drug Enforcements.

From 1984 to 1986, Catherine served as  Treasurer of the National WASP organization. Her proudest accomplishment was transferring all the WASP records from paper to computer.  She remained vigilant, making sure newsletters,  and records,  and the official WASP Roster was current and accurate.

Catherine met the stiff requirements  for the UFO's,  "United Flying Octogenarians."   (Current FAA physical, current biennial and a solo flight after turning 80)  She spent her last few years volunteering with AARP, doing income taxes for the elderly and volunteering for the Community Service Unit.  In 2005,  she moved to Jacksonville, Oregon.

Catherine was preceded in death by her parents, Catherine and Edward Murphy; brothers, Edward Murphy, and Roderick Murphy; and sister, Marquerite Veady. She is survived by her sisters, Patricia M. Paulsen, of Mariposa, Calif., and Fidelis Powers, of Sweetser, Ind.; also numerous nieces and nephews.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2012, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Jacksonville, Ore., at noon.                 

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Catherine Murphy was a 'doer'.  She was always involved, busy, and willing to work hard to make a difference.  She used her talents for finance and  flying-- for leadership and service.  What a legacy for such an  extraordinary woman-- a WASP of WWII!

God bless her family and all those whose lives she touched. 

“Fly high, Catherine...and rest well.”





Respectfully written by Nancy Parrish