WASP EARLENE FLORY HAYES, 44-W-5

Earlene LOIS HAYES –IN HER OWN WORDS:

“I was born on November 15, 1919 in Ishpeming, Michigan. When I was four years old, we moved to a small village out side of Detroit. I learned to drive a car, the famous Model “T” when I was ten years old. When I was fourteen or fifteen, a friend purchased tickets for a plane ride, 15 minutes for $5; it was a four seater. I decided I wanted to learn to fly.

I heard about the Ferry Command and decided that was what I would aim for. Hance Air Field, a cow pasture, pure mud when it rained, and frozen ruts in the wintertime, was where I learned to fly. We trained in Piper Cubs and Luscombes.

I applied for admission to the WASP, and was rejected because I did not meet the height requirement of 5’ ½”. I requested another appointment to pass the physical, stating that exercise and stretching would help me meet the height requirement. The request was granted. For the next several months I hung from pipes my father installed in the basement and went to a chiropractor recommended by some pilots I knew. Strapping me to a table, he turned on a motor that separated the table in the middle and also me. One treatment and several months later I passed the physical.

I entered the class of 44-5 and upon graduation I was assigned to Headquarters Army Air Forces Pilots School (basic), Courtland Army Air Field, Courtland, Alabama. My duties were engineering testing, ferrying, administrative, then to Headquarters Army Air Force Providing Ground Command, Eglin Field, Florida. My duties were the same as Courtland. I attended Officer’s Training School in Orlando. I checked out in the following planes: PT-17 and 19, BT-13 and 15, AT-6, UC-61, UC-64, P-47, P-39, A-20, B-25, C-47 and L-3.

After deactivation, I joined the Red Cross, March 1945. I learned to drive every kind of truck available, including the 2 ½ ton truck in the Red Cross Clubmobile. I was assigned duty in England and Germany. I met my husband, James Hayes, in Germany. He was the commander of the 10^th Constabulary Squadron that my club served. We were married in Kitzingen, Germany twice. The legal ceremony was performed by the Burgermeister (Mayor) of the town. A minister according to our religious beliefs performed the second ceremony. My wedding dress and shoes were made out of a parachute that someone had given me.

Since my husband was a career officer in the Army, we were constantly on the move from city to city and country to country. We had four children, three boys and one girl. Our oldest son, James, Jr., is a West Point graduate, our second son, Edward, is a pilot for American Airlines and our third son, Keith, did spend three years in the Army in the Military Police and is now the news director and broadcaster for a radio station. Our daughter, Heather, was a Captain in the Army and is now going back to school to get a teaching degree. We also have a grandson, James H. Hayes III, who is a cadet at the Air Force Academy.

I considered renewing my license, but changed my mind after spending several hours dodging traffic in and around Los Angeles. My husband decided to become a pilot, with instructions from our son, and received his private license at the age of 68; the traffic didn’t bother him. His FAA check pilot was WASP Gene Fitzpatrick.

(from p. 384 “OUT OF THE BLUE AND INTO HISTORY” by WASP Betty Turner)

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Lois Hayes passed away quietly September 24, 2008, at her home in Westlake Village, California. She was 88-years-old and with her family when God called her to Him. Earlene was married for 62 years to her husband Jim, who died in March. Former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli may have had Earlene in mind when he said, "You can tell the strength of a nation by the women behind its men." She lived an amazing life. Born Earlene Lois Flory in Ishpeming, Michigan, on November 15, 1919, she was one of five children of George and Ella Flory.

She joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots in 1943, and trained at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas, to take over the military and civilian test and ferry pilot jobs usually held by men so they could go to the front in World War II. She was decorated with the American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. In 1977 Earlene and the 1,024 other WASP were given official military veteran status and commissioned as 2nd Lieutenants in the Air Force reserve (Very Inactive).

Earlene met Army Lt. Col. James H. Hayes in Aschaffenburg, Germany in 1944 when she was working for the American Red Cross. The two were married in 1947. One of the proudest days of Earlene's life was when she pinned the pilot's wings on her grandson, U.S. Air Force Captain James Hayes III. Colin, James' brother, currently a sergeant in the Marine Corps, is a much-decorated veteran of the Global War Against Terrorism and was also a source of great pride for his grandmother, Earlene.

She is survived by her children, Jimmy, Allen, Keith and Heather; her daughters-in-law, Terry and Katie; and her grandsons, James and Colin; all of whom miss her very, very much. Services: October 13, 2008, noon, at St. Maximilian Kobe Catholic Church,5801 Kanan Rd., Westlake Village, CA 92361.

REPRINTED FROM ‘INLAND VALLEY DAILY BULLETIN : http://legacy.com/IVDailyBulletin/Obituaries.asp?Page=Notice&PersonID=118723133

WASP EDNA 'KITTY' HINES BISHOP

Another wonderful WASP is gone…but her legacy is grand…her life an inspiration—she left this world a far better place for her time in it…and it was an honor to have known her.

Kitty filled up this world with love—unconditional love.

One of her son Jim's great memories of his mom is when he flew Kitty and his son to Sweetwater and watched her put her handprints in cement.

Here is the message from her family:

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Dear Nancy:

We regret having to tell you that "Kitty" Edna Hines Bishop died Sunday morning at her home in Hattiesburg, MS.

She had suffered from Parkinson disease for a number of years and would have good days and poor days. But through it all, she remained cheerful and a fighter.

She is survived by her husband, Jim Bishop, four children, two sons, Drs. Jim and John Bishop, the former of Collins MS and the latter of Guntersville AL, two daughters Lynn Bishop of Atlanta GA and Gail Bishop of Ocean Springs MS. In addition she had six grandchildren and two great grandchildren. She had learned the Friday before her transition that another grandchild was expecting and tests confirmed the expected to be a girl. Kitty rejoiced at the news.

Kitty was proud of her family and proud, too, of her affiliation in the W.A.S.P.'s keeping abreast of its activities and attending many of the reunions at both Sweetwater and elsewhere. One of the most enjoyable reunions was the one in Sweetwater she attended with her son, Jim, and his son, John, when they flew a Cessna 182 from Hattiesburg to Sweetwater.

She was born in Rockey OK on Leap Year's day, 1916 and attended public school there. Her maternal grandfather was a participant in the original Oklahoma land rush. Her immediate family moved to California first to Bakersville and then to Livermore. It was there she started her flying career, ultimately buying a small Aeronicia and flying out of Bishop California to build time.

She entered the W.A.S.P program and graduated in the class of 43-4.

General Hap Arnold pinning on her wings, 1943. She faithfully kept in touch with many of her fellow members. She was assigned ferry duty and logged time in BT's, AT-6's, UC78's, C45's, B-17's, P-47's. and A-25's. Her last assignment was in a tow-target squadron stationed at Liberty Field flying duty for Camp Stewart GA, now Fort Stewart.

While at Liberty Field, she met her later-to-become husband who was also stationed there and a fellow pilot. After the W.A.S.P. deactivation, they were married in a small pre-Civil War Presbyterian Church. Part of their 50th wedding anniversary was revisiting that area and that church.

Although she didn't make an issue of the deactivation, she did feel it was an injustice and through the years sought some sort of recourse. She was signally happy when W.A.S.P.'s were awarded militarization and appreciative of Mississippi's U.S. Congressman "Sonny" Montgomery's active participation in the process.

This wasn't her sole passion, however. She finished her college degree at the University of Southern Mississippi and entered their graduate program earning her teaching specialist degree and then entering the PhD program at the University of Alabama. She taught several years in the U.S Teacher Corp, later joining the faculty of Prentiss Junior College. She worked both publically and privately in testing students, publically in Hattiesburg, Ms., New Orleans and Bogalusa LA.

She formed a newcomer service in Laurel MS and later was employed with the Mississippi Employment Service. She was active in civic affairs including serving as a Girl Scout Leader in both Laurel and Hattiesburg. She was a devoted member of First Baptist Churches of Laurel and Hattiesburg and later, University Baptist Church of Hattiesburg. She worked in various area of these churches and served in a number of church committees.

A memorial service will be held at University Baptist Church, Hattiesburg, Dr. Phillip Reynolds, pastor. The Rev. Farrell Blankenship assists in the service. Burial is in Roseland Park Cemetery, Hattiesburg.

Marie Mountain Clark, 44-W-1

I wanted to share this sad news with you all and am posting this information online which will include a place to write messages to the family or share a special memory of this unique, inspirational and gentle spirit named Marie.

Her life touched so many in so many different ways. To me, her maiden name best describes the size of her heart and her compassion, her courage in the face of many challenges, her love for her family, and her faith: big as a Mountain. She spoke softly, yet left lasting footprints on this earth—too big to ever be filled. She is a shining example of why I will continue to share your stories.

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Message from John Clark:

Dear Friends :
It is with deep sadness that I inform you that Marie passed away this morning at 9 am, Thursday, October 2, 2008, surrounded by her family. She has been in fragile health for many years and suffered a bad fall at home last April after which she became progressively weaker. She was 93 in February.
Marie's faith, character and values, her love of God, family and everyone who knew her, were the defining features of our family life. She brought great spiritual strength and purpose into all we did and into the lives of our children and grandchildren.

As you know Marie was also a woman of outstanding intelligence, talent and accomplishments in music where she achieved national recognition in flute teaching and performance. During World War II she was one of the first women to serve as a pilot for the US Air Force as a member of the Women's Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) and a pioneer leading the way for women to fly today for all the military services.

Although we shall miss her greatly we do rejoice that she is now with God and surrounded with perfect peace and love for eternity. We await our reunion with her in God's own time.

Memorial services will be held at the Ann Arbor Christian Reformed Church, Ann Arbor, at 12 noon, Tuesday, October 7, 2008. Interment will be in the family plot at Resthaven Cemetery, West Des Moines, Iowa, the next day
Her Obituary as published in the Ann Arbor News is below.
Love, John

______________________
Marie Mountain Clark, 93, was called to her eternal home by God on Thursday, October 2, 2008, surrounded in her earthly home by the love of her family. Marie was born on February 8, 1915, in a small farm house at West Liberty, Iowa. She spent her childhood in West Des Moines, Iowa, where her father established the Iowanola Dairy for the breeding of pure bred Guernsey cattle and the production and marketing of high butter fat Guernsey milk and other dairy products. She is a retired flute teacher and performer having served as Principal Flute in the Drake University-Des Moines Symphony Orchestra, the Ann Arbor Symphony and orchestras in the Boston, Massachusetts, area. She has performed professionally as a soloist and with Chamber Groups and has taught private students in Ann Arbor and Boston. In the 1945-46 she served as the Instructor of Flute in the University of Michigan School of Music and in the summer of 1946 was a student at the Tanglewood Music Festival. Marie is a graduate in Music from Drake University and completed Graduate Studies in Music at the University of Michigan. She is a former flute student of Georges Barrere and George Laurent. During her high school days she was both a National Champion and Iowa State champion in flute performance. Marie is a 70-year, Life Member of the Mu Phi Epsilon International Professional Music Fraternity and has been affiliated with the Ann Arbor Alumni Chapter since 1957.

During the Second World War Marie completed U.S. Air Force pilot training with the Women’s Air Force Service Pilots (WASP). Following graduation in February 1944 she was assigned as a pilot with the U.S. Air Force, accumulating about 1000 hours in military aircraft, including the PT-19, BT-13, AT-11 and AT-6 training aircraft, the P-39 and P-63 fighter aircraft and as a copilot in the B-17 and B-26 bombers. Her military service was at the Las Vegas (Nevada) Air Force Base where her duties included giving instrument flying instruction to male pilots, flying mock fighter attacks on the B-17 “Flying Fortress” and serving as an engineering test pilot for P-39 and P-63 fighter aircraft. She is a member of the Caterpillar Club, an organization of those military pilots who have made an emergency parachute jump from an aircraft. The WASP were the first women to serve as pilots for the US Air Force and were the pioneers that led the way for women to fly today in all the military services. In 2005 Marie published her World War II memoirs in the autobiography: Dear Mother and Daddy: World War II Letters Home from a WASP.

On July 8, 1945, Marie was married in West Des Moines to John Alden Clark, who survives. She was pre-deceased by her parents, Charles and Ethel Mountain, her three sons, Alan(1946), Merrill(1946) and Peter(1988) and is survived by her children, David (Souise) of Eden Prairie, MN, Eloise-Marie (Philip) McKenzie, MD, of Thief River Falls, MN, grandaughter Susan Marie Clark of Blaine, MN, grandson Charles John (Jean) Clark of Redmond, WA, great grandson, Curtis Hajek of Blaine, MN, and great grandaughter-to-be Claudia Marie Clark of Redmond, WA. She is also survived by her sister, Eloise Mountain Wright of Iowa City, IA, her niece Susan (Ray) Cutler of East Moline, IL, her nephew Charles (Graciela) Wright of Houston, TX, and her grand niece Rebecca Cutler of Rockford, IL.

The family wishes to express their gratitude to Dr. Alan Dengiz and his staff at Senior Health Services, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, for the excellent medical care given to Marie for many years, to the nurses and staff at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Hospice Home Care, who kept Marie comfortable during her final week, to Victoria Sarah, RN, who cared for Marie for several years, to Mary Lindquist, RN, for her caring and advice to the family and to Sue Larde, owner of Homelike Care, Inc. and her staff, who managed the family meals during the past three years.

Memorial services will be held at 12 noon, Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at the Ann Arbor Christian Reformed Church, 1717 Broadway, Ann Arbor 48105, with Pastors John Groen and Harvey Stob officiating with a reception to follow at the church. Interment will be on Wednesday, October 8, 2008, in the family plot at Resthaven Cemetery, West Des Moines, Iowa, next to the family home and in ground that once was part of the family farm.

In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Ann Arbor Christian School, 5500 Whitmore Lake Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105. Local Funeral arrangements have been made by the Muehlig Funeral Chapel, 403 South Fourth Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 with interment arranged by the McLarens Chapel, West Des Moines, Iowa.

October 2, 2008

From Page 258 “Dear Mother and Daddy” By Marie Mountain Clark

In her own words:

I have been privileged to enjoy an abundant life for which I am deeply grateful. My parents were loving, considerate, and faithful Christians who taught me early to know and love God. They provided me with a caring and secure home, the best education available, and taught me to be patient. I was fortunate to marry a man who shares these values and my views of God and eternity. We have been blessed with children, grandchildren, and a great-grandson in whom we have tried to instill the essence of the Christian faith.

My wartime service as a WASP was my one great opportunity to serve the country I love. It gave me the chance for extended personal development and to have unbelievable flying experience. I can only describe it as an “opportunity of a lifetime.” I am grateful for this, too.

John and I have traveled extensively and visited many ancient places of great renown but the most satisfying experience of all was to return home to our family and loved ones. These are the most important things in life: family, home, and friends, and to love God and one another.

Marion DeGregorio, pioneering pilot, 94

Monday, August 18, 2008

STAR-LEDGER STAFF

It was 1942, and the United States military was running out of pilots.

Thousands of young men were flying World War II combat missions, but not enough were left to perform the

key assignment of ferrying planes from one location to another.

Jacqueline Cochran had a plan. Cochran, a celebrated aviatrix of the time, badgered the commander of the

Army Air Forces, Gen. Henry "Hap" Arnold, to train women to fill the pilot gap. Arnold doubted "girls" were

equal to the task, but he finally gave in, and the call for women recruits went out.

One of the first to sign up was Marion Mackey, of Englewood, a 5-foot-2 secretary with a private pilot's

license she had acquired in her spare time. Along with three dozen other volunteers, she joined Cochran at

an Army air base in Houston, where she became a member of the first contingent of WASPs -- Women

Airforce Service Pilots.

Marion Mackey DeGregorio died yesterday at Holly Manor Center in Mendham, of complications following a

stroke. She was 94.

More than a thousand other women would follow that pioneering first class, nicknamed "The Guinea Pigs."

Like Mrs. DeGregorio, who was stationed at New Castle Army Air Base in Delaware, they flew all types of

military aircraft from factory to air base, or from base to base. The WASPs also flew cargo and a variety of

training missions, freeing up male pilots for combat.

"People would meet Marion and say, 'You really flew planes in the war?'" remembered her stepson, Felice

DeGregorio, of Manhattan Beach, Calif. "They didn't realize what a big heart there was inside that small

woman."

Opportunities for women pilots were few after the war. Mrs. DeGregorio spent the next several years flying

charters and giving flight instruction in Florida and Maine, but finally gave up and resumed her secretarial

career in New York. It was there she met Felice DeGregorio, the gregarious proprietor of Felix's Italian

restaurant in Greenwich Village. They were married in 1966.

Mr. DeGregorio was the informal "mayor" of the block of West 13th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues,

and Mrs. DeGregorio joined him as the neighborhood's unofficial First Lady.

Restaurants on the street would come and go, but Felix's -- established by Mr. DeGregorio's father in 1937

-- endured as an unfancy purveyor of red sauce and good cheer. Mr. DeGregorio retired in 1983, and he

and Mrs. DeGregorio spent the years until his death in 1994 traveling in the United States and Europe.

Mrs. DeGregorio remained a loyal WASP alumna. Another 17 classes followed hers in Texas, sending pilots

to serve at 120 air bases across the country. Thirty-eight died while on missions.

Despite their contribution, the WASPs were not considered military personnel following their

decommissioning in 1944, and were not entitled to veteran's benefits or honors. With the support of Col.

Bruce Arnold, son of "Hap" Arnold, and Sen. Barry Goldwater, that situation was corrected in 1977. Mrs.

DeGregorio was among those who received the WWII Victory Medal.

Mrs. DeGregorio spent her last years in her beloved Greenwich Village. A voracious reader, she could recite

dozens of poems from memory well into her 90s. "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" by William Butler Yeats was a

particular favorite.

"She was a sharp cookie," said her nephew, Jim Willse, editor of The Star-Ledger. "She'd read two

newspapers a day and then watch 'Jeopardy' on television. She would get more questions right than I

would."

In addition to her stepson and nephew, Mrs. DeGregorio is survived by a niece, Maureen Mackey, of Las

Vegas, and a stepdaughter, Maria DeGregorio, of New York.

Contributions may be made in her name to The Caring Community, a Greenwich Village elderly service

organization, at 20 Washington Square North, New York, N.Y., 10011.

©2008 Star Ledger

© 2008 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.

WASP Jane Brownfield Shirley, 44-W-5

Jane Brownfield Shirley

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Friday, April 04, 2008
Story last updated at 4/4/2008 - 2:23 am

Services for Leta Jane Brownfield Shirley, 86, of Lubbock and formerly of Brownfield will be at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, April 5, 2008 at the former Brownfield First Presbyterian Church, 1002 E. Broadway, Brownfield, with family members officiating. Burial will be in Terry County Memorial Cemetery under the direction of Brownfield Funeral Home.

Jane passed away Sunday, March 30, 2008 in Lubbock. Jane was born March 17, 1922 in Brownfield to Alfred Marion and Seleta Jane Brownfield. Her home, while growing up, was what is now the Terry County Heritage Museum. Jane graduated from Brownfield High School. She then attended Texas Tech University. During her junior year at Tech, Pearl Harbor was bombed, and the following fall she went to work at Consolidated Aircraft in Ft. Worth. In 1943 Jane joined Jacquelyn Cochran's Women's Air Force Service Pilots group and was sent to Avenger Field in Sweetwater for training. She was a WWII WASPS Veteran. Jane was inducted into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame in 2005 in Galveston, Texas. While in training, Jane met Lt. John Edward "Jack" Shirley. They were married, July 6, 1944 in Hobbs, NM. He preceded her in death July 10, 1989. Jane invested in farming, ranching and banking ventures. She was a member of the Brownfield First United Presbyterian Church.

Jane is survived by her four children, Pamela Jane Crowe and her husband Richard of Buckholts, Texas, Liza Jane Morell and her husband Mike of Bremerton, Wa., Nancy Jane Clark of Port Orchard, Wa., and John Brownfield Shirley and his wife Tammy of Snyder; ten grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren.

Teresa James, WAF

"I soloed September 3, 1933, in 4 hours and 30 minutes. I swore never to fly again."

Pioneering pilot, Teresa James, was born on January 24, 1914, in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and took flying lessons to surprise her brother. She soloed at age 19 and became the first female flight instructor to graduate from Buffalo Aeronautical Institute received her commercial transport license October 27, 1941, with over 600 hours.

She earned the money for her extra flying hours by flying as a stunt pilot at air shows around Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York. "My specialty was doing a 26 turn spin two miles up and pull out at 1,000 feet." She flew Airplane Stunting Exhibition for three years. As she said later in Jan Churchill's On Wings to War,

"Those were the days of undiluted heroics, but you were known; yet with all my flying time, I never believed I'd get to be a part of history."

She married George "Dink" Martin, one of her flight students, in 1941. Dink enlisted in the Army Air Corps and became a flight instructor and bomber pilot.



From WASP Betty Turner's "Out of the Blue and Into History," Teresa wrote: "...I received a telegram from General Arnold about a group of women pilots for domestic ferrying. I then had 2,254 flight hours.


I was sworn into the WAFS on October 6, 1942,. I was the first WAFS pilot to fly a military plane coast-to-coast across the United States. It was in a PT-19. I have told of my life adventures in the WAFS in the book ON WINGS TO WAR by Jan Churchull. In early 1944 Dink was sent overseas. I received word that Dink's B-17 was shot down June 22, 1944.


After deactivation December 1944, I went back home to work in the flower shop. Hoping Dink was a POW, i received official notice that he had been missing in action since June, 1944. in 1984 in Joinville-le-Pont, a suburb of Paris, I talked to witnesses to Dink's crash. After 40 years i found out what happened to Dink.


In 1939, I joined the 99s, and in 1986 was honored by inclusion in the Forest of Friendship in Atchison, Kansas. I am a life member of the P-47 Thunderbolt Pilot Association, the Grasshoppers (Women Pilots of Florida), and the silver Wings Association. I was awarded a Pancho Barnes in 1980. I donated my WAFS uniform to the National Air and Space Museum of The Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC, where it is on display."



This pioneering, one-of-a-kind aviator, took her final flight on July 27, 2008, passing away quietly in Lake Worth, Florida. She was 94. Her ashes were carried back to Pennsylvania where her family still owns and operates their flower shop.



Teresa's story has been told beautifully in Jan Churchill's "ON WINGS TO WAR"
Other links to more information on Teresa:


USAF Museum

The Ninety-Nines

PBS: FLYGIRLS

The Originals by Sarah Rickman


written and submitted by Nancy Parrish