WASP Eloise Huffhines Bailey, 44-4

Eloise Huffhines Bailey, WASP, Class 44-4,  took her last flight on October 6, 2010.  She is now flying higher than she has ever flown. 

Eloise was a native Texan, born in 1921 near Richardson, Texas, just outside of Dallas, to a family of pilots.  Eloise had no choice -- she was a country girl from Texas who was born to fly.

When she had enough hours, she applied for and was accepted into the WASP training program at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas  on November 1, 1943. There she learned to fly the Army Air Forces military aircraft, always wearing her favorite boots.

After successfully finishing  seven months of training at Avenger Field, she graduated, received her silver wings and her official orders from the Army Air Forces  to report to Maxwell Field in Montgomery, Alabama, which was a B-24 repair depot.  Eloise and her classmate, Millie Davidson (Dalrymple),  drove to Maxwell, arriving on "D Day", June 6, 1944.  They were billeted in the Nurses' Quarters across from the Officer's Club.

While at Maxwell, which her friend, Millie,  called "a paradise compared to Avenger", Eloise was able to check out on a number of aircraft, including the B-24, which she flew as an engineering co-pilot.    Her primary flying assignment was on slow-timing missions  to ‘break in’  rebuilt or new engines on the B-24s.   She was also able to qualify as first pilot on the UC-78, AT-11 and C-45.

When the WASP were disbanded, she packed her bags and paid her way back to her favorite place in all the world —TEXAS.   She probably didn't pack her boots.  She was probably wearing them!
____________

On Veteran's Day last year, I met Eloise and Ted Bailey at a special event where Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison presented the WASP of Texas with a signed copy of the bill awarding them the Congressional Gold Medal.  Eloise looked terrific, as she stepped forward to receive her copy.  It was an honor to see these pioneers be singled out by the Senator, as each name was read.  Much of the text written above was put together by my mom, who was in Eloise's class, as a way of personalizing and introducing each WASP.

I'm sorry I don't have even more information.  I remember Millie Dalrymple saying that "Huffy" could fly absolutely anything with wings, as long as she had on her favorite boots.

God bless her family -- they are all in our prayers.


Respectfully posted by Nancy Parrish
Additional information from Eloise's family posted below.
____________

Eloise is survived by her husband who has been her partner for 59 years, Ted Kenneth Bailey of Carrollton, Texas; and sons Michael Bailey of Denison, Texas; Ted Kenneth Bailey Jr. of Carrollton, Texas; and Robert Elmo Bailey of Frisco, Texas .  She left behind 8 grandchildren, Scott, Jon, Jason, Ben, Shawn, Amy, Melissa and Allison and 10 great grandchildren, Ryan, Breanna, Alyssa, Kylie, Lexi, Madison, Caden, Alex, Savannah, and Ziva.

She was preceded in death by her father, Elmo Huffhines, her mother, Clyde Huffhines, four brothers and four sisters.

___________

Visitation is on Thursday 9/07 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Graveside service only on Friday 9/08, 1:pm

Location: Restland Funeral Home at 13005 Greeneville Ave, Dallas 75243

Reginald Jack Robbins, WASP Flight Instructor

Reginald Jack Robbins, 87, of Conroe went west, in QB terms, on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010, as his heavenly Father called him home following complications from a fall. Graveside service: 2 p.m. Wednesday in Garden Park Cemetery with the Rev. John Singleton officiating.

Jack was born in Everman on June 18, 1923, to Gladys and Reg L. Robbins. After graduating from Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth, Jack attended Texas Tech until Pearl Harbor.

In 1942, he became a flight instructor for the Army Air Corps in Fort Stockton. In 1943, he married Kathryn Word, rose to the rank of flight commander instructing WASPs at Sweetwater, and then joined his father in the fledgling aviation business in Houston in 1944. The two of them were instrumental in formatting Houston Executive Air Service.

Jack retired in 1983 to travel, buried Kathryn in 1984, married Bobbie Hughes in 1985 and moved to Panorama Village in 1987 to play golf and relax. He was a 62-year member of Quiet Birdmen in Houston and Conroe Hangars, member of Park Place Masonic Lodge and Arabia Shrine Temple.

Survivors: Wife, Bobbie Robbins of Conroe; son, Robin B. Robbins; daughter, Rebecca Kay Carlson, both of Fort Worth; grandson, Heath Smith-Robbins of Deer Park; stepsons, Kevin and Kim Hughes, their wives, Cindie and Gayla, and their children, Kaitlyn, Evan, Chelsie and Lexi of Albuquerque, N.M.; and sister, Jeanene Connor of Wimberley.

Published in Fort Worth Star-Telegram on October 6, 2010

WASP Patricia Collins Hughes, 44-6

WASP Patricia Collins Hughes, 86, of Charles Town, West Virginia, passed away on September 29, 2010.  Although her voice is now silent,  during the WASP fight for veteran status in 1977, she was a gallant and vibrant crusader, using her newspaper column  to provide ammunition to help win the WASP their rightful place among World War II veterans.
___

Born  in Bethesda, Maryland, Patricia was the daughter of Capt. and Mrs. J.P. Collins.  She attended George Washington University and later worked as a draftsman with the Army Air Forces at Bolling Field for two years.  During World War II, while her father served in the US Marines in the Pacific Theatre,  Patricia learned to fly and built up her flying time to  over 65 hours, eventually  applying to enter the WASP.

Patricia was accepted into Army Air Force flight training, paying her own way from Washington, DC  to  Sweetwater, Texas, where the 2563rd Army Air Forces Base Unit was located.  She and 135 other young women pilots arrived  just ahead of a blue norther on January 7, 1944.  Overnight,  the temperature dropped 35 degrees and the west Texas wind dumped two feet of snow on the new arrivals.

After seven months of AAF flight training, on August 4, 1944, Patricia and 75 other members of her class successfully completed training and earned their silver WASP wings.  The high that day was 104.
 
After graduating, Patrica was sent to Foster Army Air Field in Victoria, Texas, just off the Gulf Coast.  Foster was an advanced training base, where the WASP would have flown training missions in AT-6's, as well as instrument instruction, administrative and ferrying missions.  Selected WASP at Foster also towed targets in AT-6's to help train Mexican fighter pilots in air-to-air gunnery.

Over thirty years after her service as a WASP, Patricia stepped forward again, this time to help fight for WASP Veteran status.   As the WASP Militarization Committee began their lobbying efforts in Washington, DC, Patricia began writing a column in the Stars and Stripes  that spelled out the struggle and spoke the truth.

In her column entitled "11 Bills Pending for Veterans Status," in the September 1, 1977 edition of Stars and Stripes, Patricia laid out a simple argument:    "The crux of the current argument against militarization apparently is that the WASP do not meet the VA definition of veterans despite the fact that they were sworn in and served as part and parcel of the military, because a formal SOP discharge was never issued. They were disbanded, ergo, they were not categorized as veterans and can not be considered as meeting the veteran definition."
"Gentlemen and gentlewomen, that's what we've been saying for 33 years!  That's why we are STILL petitioning! Your predecessors dumped us ingloriously. We kept our commitment up to the letter of our sworn oath ... they wrote us off as if we never existed. Give us a discharge based on the criteria used to qualify men for a discharge during the same war in the same MOS and the argument is settled."

As Molly Merryman wrote in  "Clipped Wings,'  "Besides providing details about the 1944 bid for militarization, congressional hearings, and subsequent disbandment of the WASP program, Hughes's columns also provided detailed updates about activities on Capitol Hill."  During the committee hearings, Patricia Hughes fearless reporting 'outed' the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and Chair, Senator Alan Cranston, for deliberate delay of the WASP bill.  She also quoted a Veterans Administration representative stating that President Carter had specifically ordered him to testify against the bill and publicized a statement by Rep. Herbert Roberts, Chair of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, that "I will never let this bill come out of Committee."


Thanks to Patricia and  many other WASP champions, the Women Airforce Service Pilots were finally awarded the veteran status they had earned.  Thirty three years later,   on March 10, 2010,  Patricia, dressed proudly in her WWII Santiago blue WASP uniform, along with over 175 WASP,  was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, highest civilian award -- to an overflow crowd of over 2,500 -- largest gathering inside the capitol in history.   

 Thanks to an opportunity given to her by the Stars and Stripes,  her legacy lives on as a shining example of what one woman can do when she believes it is the right thing and she puts her mind to it.

WASP Patricia Collins Hughes did just that. It is on the record.

Respectfully posted by Nancy Parrish
Sept. 30, 2010

_____________

Following information was sent by Patrica's family and posted online at the Journal News:

 Patricia Collins Hughes, 86, of Charles Town, WV, departed this life on September 29, 2010.    She was Managing Editor of Stars and Stripes newspaper, Director of Flight Safety, AOPA, Director of Flight Safety, Flight Safety Foundation. She was a graduate of McKinley Tech, Washington, D.C., class of 1942; and of the U.S. Coast Guard SARS School.

During WWII Patricia joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), graduating class 44-W-6. Awarded Congressional Gold Medal in 2010. She was a major in the Civil Air Patrol.  She also served as a volunteer of St. James Roman Catholic Church, Charles Town; and a member of the West Virginia Gabriel Project. She was 15 years active in local Harpers Ferry river clean-ups and environmental awareness and was a founding member of the Potomac Chapter Canoe Safety Patrol.  Mrs. Hughes was an accomplished commercial and fine artist. Also she was the owner of Hughes Studios Writer.


She is survived by sons, Michael Hughes, of Wardensville; Stephen Hughes and wife, Kristina Anttila, of New York, N.Y., Kevin Hughes, of Charles Town and Padraic Hughes and wife, Brigid, of Chevy Chase, Md.; eight grandchildren, Mary Hughes, Jesse and Jenna Anttila-Hughes, Zachary Hughes, Liam and Fergus Hughes, and Robert and Scott Dielman; and one brother, John Paul Collins, of South Carolina.  In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by one daughter, Carol Dielman, of Arlington, Va.; and two sisters.

Viewing on Friday, October 1 from 6 to 8 at Melvin T. Strider Colonial Funeral Home, 200 N. George Street, Charles Town, WV (304) 725-7068.   Mass of Christian Burial, Saturday, October 2, 12:30 pm at St. James Catholic Church, 49 Crosswinds Drive, Charles Town, WV with interment to follow at St. Peter's Cemetery, Harpers Ferry, WV.

printed obituary online: Journal News

reprinted from the Anchorage Daily News, Sept 21, 2010

Margaret Cook

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World War II pilot and longtime Anchorage resident Margaret Anne Cook died Sept. 18, 2010, at the age of 92, after a life that embraced friends, family and adventure in equal measure. Margo died at home, surrounded by family and friends.

A celebration of life will be held at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at First Presbyterian Church, 3300 Wyoming Drive.

Margo was born June 23, 1918, in San Antonio, Texas, to Dr. Ernest Dale Cook and Julia Yost Cook. Her family moved to the Los Angeles area in 1925. After graduating from Occidental College in 1939, she began her teaching career. She came to Alaska 57 years ago to work as a teacher and then counselor at Anchorage high schools until her retirement in 1982.

Always up for challenges, she also began learning to fly. As soon as the Women's Air Service Pilots (WASPs) was organized to help in the war effort, she joined. An ear injury forced her to leave the WASPs, so she joined Stinson Aircraft Corp. as a test pilot. After the war, she continued flying for Stinson and also did stunt flying for movies.

In 1953 Margo decided to come to Alaska. She worked for the Anchorage School District, taught college classes at Alaska Pacific University and continued flying in her new adopted state. She had a lifelong love of travel and, with her late friend Merritt C. (Ole) Olson, led many tours, collecting wonderful photos and souvenirs from all over the world.

She was a charter member of the Alaska 99s and was also active in the WASP, the Pioneers of Alaska, the Retired Teachers Association, the Salvation Army, APU President's Forum, PEO Chapter K, First Presbyterian Church and the Alaska Republican Party.

Margo was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Mary Elizabeth Merriam; and her fiance, Lt. John Hutchinson, killed during World War II.

She is survived by her nieces, Julie Dalrymple (Mark) and Alison Wells (John Marvin); her great-nephew, Connor Wells Marvin; her adopted sister, Leah Hoffman; and a host of friends, all of whom will miss Margo's indomitable spirit, sense of adventure, and fun.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary or the Central Alaska Retired Teachers Association Scholarship Fund. Her family is very grateful to the CareNet staff who provided excellent home care.

Arrangements are with Janssen's Evergreen Memorial Chapel, www.janssenfuneralhomes.com.

Read more: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/adn/obituary.aspx?n=margaret-cook&pid=145527584#ixzz10DhqomLy

Iola "Nancy" Virginia Magruder, 44-7

"I took flight lessons at Stevens Airport in a rural hayfield
in Frederick County, Maryland"

Iola "Nancy" Virginia Magruder, 90, of Frostburg, died Monday, Sept. 6, 2010, at the Devlin Manor Nursing Home.

Born March 31, 1920, in Montgomery County, Maryland, Nancy was the daughter of  Joseph William Clay and Grace Virginia (Warfield) Clay. 
She  graduated from Damascus High School and Towson State College with a B.S. in Elementary Education.   She also received a Master's in Education from the University of Maryland.

Nancy took her first flying lessons in Frederick County, Maryland.  After reading about Jacqueline Cochran recruiting female pilots for her experimental Women's Flying Training Program, Nancy flew the required number of hours, applied and was accepted into WASP training.

Nancy and 97 other young women pilots, paid their own way to travel to Texas, raised their right hands, took the military 'oath,' and became members of class 44-W-7.  59 of these young women graduated on September 8, 1944, and received their silver WASP Wings.  After graduation, Nancy's Army Air Force orders sent her to Enid, Oklahoma, where she flew Bt-13's, BT-15's, AT-6's, PT-17's and managed to fly a few hours in a B-18.

After the WASP were deactivated, Nancy Joined the American Red Cross, trained as a staff assistant, and worked in USO canteen clubs.  She was stationed briefly at Annapolis and, after  physical exams and immunizations... went, via train cross-country and boarded a Victory Ship in San Francisco, California.  From that point, she traveled to Ascom City with the Armed Services Command, between Inchon and Seoul, Korea.

At the end of her tour with the Red Cross, she returned home on a Victory Ship, and traveled to New London, Connecticut, where she was hired as a pilot for a textile consultant.  Later, she returned to Montgomery County and to teaching.

She married Samuel Wade Magruder, and raised 2 daughters.  In 1977,  Nancy lost her husband.  She kept busy volunteering in a local senior center and wrote 4 books, including several childrens' books.

In the mid-1990s, Nancy moved to Frostburg to be near her eldest child and grandchildren. For the past four years, she resided at Devlin Manor Health Care Center in Cumberland.

On March 10, 2010, Nancy, along with all the WASP of World War II, was awarded the CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL, the highest award Congress can bestow on a civilian -- for their groundbreaking, pioneering, patriotic service during World War II.



Respectfully posted by Nancy Parrish
from Nancy Magruder's own words, p 443 "Out of the Blue and Into History" by WASP Betty Turner.

________________

The following reposted from the Frederick News:

Mrs. Magruder is survived by her two daughters, Barbara Arnone of Frostburg, and Katharine Magruder of Frederick; two grandchildren, Katrina Opel and Lynn Hovatter, both of Frostburg; four great-grandchildren, Seth Arnone, Dylan Hunt, Rylee Hovatter and Chase Opel. She is also survived by her sister, Hilda Wells of Sparks, Md.  Nancy was also preceded in death by her husband Samuel Wade Magruder, and one sister, Ruby Purdum.

Friends were received  Thursday, Sept. 9, at the Molesworth-Williams, P.A., Funeral Home, 26401 Ridge Road, Damascus. Services were held Friday, Sept. 10, at the funeral home. The Rev. Joseph Pierce officiated.

Interment was held privately at the convenience of the family in St. Mary's Church Cemetery, Rockville, Md.

The family would like to thank all of the staff at Devlin Manor for the excellent care they provided.

The family requests the omission of flowers and that contributions be made to St. Paul's Catholic Church, 9250 Damascus Road, Damascus, Md., 20872 and/or St. Michael's Catholic Church, 1200 St. Michael's Road, Mount Airy, Md, 21771.

Online condolences may be expressed to the family at molesworthwilliams.com.

WASP Ruth Clifford Hurbert, 44-8

WASP Ruth Clifford Hurbert, 93, found her final peace on Saturday, August 28, 2010.
_____


Ruth Clifford was born March 25, 1917, in Lakeland, Florida.  After graduating from high school, while working as a student photographer, she took a ride in a small plane to take some aerial photographs and 'fell in love with flying’.

Ruth and her sister, Mary (WASP 43-4),  learned to fly at the same time as students of Walter Haldeman.  In 1942, Ruth joined the Civil Air Patrol, and, with over 450 hours of flying in her logbook, Ruth was accepted into WASP training as a member of Class 44-8.
 She later wrote in her scrapbook, "training was climaxed by graduation, where we received our beautiful silver wings and Santiago blue uniforms."

After graduation, Ruth was stationed at Cochran Field, Macon, Georgia, where she flew as an engineering test pilot for AT-6's and as a maintenance pilot for slow timing engines.

After the WASP were deactivated, she returned to Lakeland and became a flight instructor at Johnson Flying Service, Winter Haven, Florida. She later moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, where she flew as a flight instructor at US Airlines.  While in St. Petersburg, she married Peter Hubert, one of the founders of US Airlines, and an Army Air Forces veteran pilot—Pacific Theatre.

In the mid 1940's Ruth was Chairman of the Florida Chapter of Ninety-Nines and helped stage the first "All Women Air Show”  in Tampa, Florida, March 1947.  Many WASP participated in the show and went on to fly in the First Transcontinental Air Race for Women (later named the Powder Puff Derby) from Palm Springs, California to Tampa, Florida.

She participated in other air shows and assisted Pete in the operation of US Air's flight school before retiring to raise their two children,  Clifford and Linda.

After loosing her husband, Pete, in 1963, Ruth became an active pilot in the CAP and remained active until the mid 1990's, earning the rank of Lt. Colonel.  She served as Commander of the Pinellas Senior Squadron for six years and worked in the emergency services flying activities as a mission pilot and observer, participating in many searches for missing aircraft.

Ruth flew as a part-time corporate pilot for a large development corporation from 1978 to 1983.  At 80, she was still flying and had logged over 2,300 hours. As she wrote in  2001,  "My aviation career has been long, interesting and very rewarding."

 ___________________

Respectfully posted by Nancy Parrish-- with thanks to WASP Betty Turner's, "Out of the Blue and Into History" and The St. Petersburg Times. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SENT VIA EMAIL:

Ruth is preceded in death by her husband,  Peter,  and leaves behind her son Clifford, daughter Linda, granddaughter Samantha Hubert, grandson Patrick Benson, Nancy Benson and great granddaughter Bridget Ruth Benson.

All are invited to join in a Celebration of Ruth’s life on Sept ll from 2-4 PM at the Hangar Restaurant at Albert Whitted Airport in Downtown St. Pete. Casual dress,  please.  In lieu of flowers,  please make a donation to the charity of your choice.

“Goodbye,  Ruthie.   Now,  with Pete at your side, ‘Off you go into the wild blue yonder.’ “

WASP Flight Instructor J.C.Pace, Jr

J.C. Pace, Advance Flight Commander, 318th AAFFTD

INSTRUCTOR  

by Alberta Head

When bloody war and urgent need for haste is gone,
And economic chaos holds us still,
We shall not soon forget his shape along the street,
Or near the half-deserted hangars on the hill.

His shoulders forward bent against the weight of wind and 'chutes
The lagging step to match his slow, insistent word,
The  wisdom and the patience on his face,
The pride behind the stinging comment that we heard.

We shall remember well the scarf he wore
Of white silk stuff, the juanty cap which set him quite apart,
His summer's tan, his winter pinks,
The fleece-lined hood and other heavy trappings of his art.

But do not think he will be loath to go--for look!
Beyond the steady gaze of his blue eyes
His heart is fastened on some lovely, distant dream,
Some fairer view than sandy Texas skies.

( WASP Classbook 43- 4/5)

+++++++++++++++

Although I never had the opportunity to meet him, WASP Flight Instructor,  J.C. Pace,  was a name that made 'folks' in West Texas smile when they heard it.  His kindness and generosity to the place and the people were part of his personality--and the mark of a true 'Texas Gentleman'.  The young women,  whom he instructed in flying military aircraft at  Avenger Field, who then graduated and became WASP,   remember how much he loved to fly!   Today, he is truly flying higher.

To Gary and the whole Pace family,  including Brenda, may our prayers and God's amazing love surround you all.
v/r posted by nancy parrish

+++++++++++++++++

The following reposted from the Fort Worth Star Telegram


J.C. Pace Jr., co-founder of Buddies Super Markets and Fort Worth civic leader, dies at 93
_____________

By David Casstevens

dcasstevens@star-telegram.com

FORT WORTH -- On the day J.C. Pace III received his pilot's license, he took his grandfather flying.
After the little Cessna climbed to altitude, the pilot turned to his passenger and asked if he wanted to take the controls.

J.C. Pace Jr., who had trained Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II, accepted the invitation. He made lazy circles above Fort Worth -- the city he loved and promoted, and where he earned his fortune -- until it was time to land.

"I got it now," J.C. III said as they descended.
His passenger pretended not to hear.
With the runway looming now, the 19-year-old pilot spoke up again.
"OK, I've got it."
The older man ignored him. "Are you going to land it?" the grandson asked.
"That's right!" J.C. Jr. said, and that's just what he did, bringing the plane down gently, perfectly until the wheels kissed the ground at Meacham Field, and his nervous grandson sighed with relief.

It was no small feat for an exhilarated 81-year-old who hadn't flown a plane in a quarter-century. But those who knew the man shouldn't have been surprised by the performance.

J.C. Pace Jr. achieved most everything he set his mind to during his 93 years. The longtime businessman and civic leader, who co-founded Buddies Super Markets, served two terms as president of the Fort Worth Area Chamber of Commerce and played a key role in building the Kimbell Art Museum, died Thursday at his home, surrounded by his family.

"My father loved flying. He loved his life," said daughter Margaret Pace Sykes.

Mr. Pace was born June 13, 1917, in Alto, the son of Joe and Novelle Pace. He moved with his family to Sweetwater at age 2.

At age 21, he bought a grocery store in Sweetwater with a bank loan guaranteed by his father. In 1956, Mr. Pace bought five grocery stores in Fort Worth and moved to the city, where he founded Buddies Super Markets with Kay Kimbell.

After 16 years as the chain's president and CEO, Mr. Pace sold his stock to Tandy Corp.

Mr. Pace was a member of the Kimbell Art Foundation and served on the board for 40 years. He was president of the United Way of Tarrant County and the Fort Worth Chamber Development Corp.

In 1975, Mr. Pace, who at age 30 served as mayor of Sweetwater, ran unsuccessfully for the same office in Fort Worth against Clif Overcash Sr.

His wife, Joan Hendrix Pace, died in 1995 and son Joe Kelly Pace in 2009. Other survivors include son Gary Hendrix Pace; five grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. The funeral will be private.

David Casstevens,
817-390-7436