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Mary Aquinas Kinskey

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Mary Aquinas Kinskey
Washington, D.C. Sister Aquinas, "flying nun," applying a little glue to the model P-38 which hangs from the ceiling of her classroom at Catholic University. A veteran of fifteen years' teaching experience, the Sister is giving a summer Civil Aeronautics Authority course for instruction
Personal
Born
Mary Aquinas Kinskey

(1894-05-27)May 27, 1894
DiedOctober 20, 1985(1985-10-20) (aged 90–91)
ReligionCatholic
NationalityAmerican
Organization
InstituteFranciscan

Sister Mary Aquinas Kinskey, OSF was an expert and teacher of aerodynamics and aviation.

Biography

Mary Kinskey was born in 1894 in Zanesville, Ohio.

She entered a Franciscan convent in 1911 at the age of 17.

She then graduated from the Catholic University of America in 1926 and started work as a high school teacher. According to the Notre Dame Archives and News, “She became a teacher and her interest in aviation stemmed from the enthusiasm for the subject from her students.”

She retired to the Manitowoc convent after suffering a stroke in 1977. There she remained until her death in 1985. [1]

She was referred to as "Spike" and "Flying Nun". The latter moniker caused speculation about her possible influence on the TV show The Flying Nun. [2]

Awards

1957, Special citation from the United States Air Force for her “outstanding contributions to the advancement of air power in the interest of national security and world peace.” [3]

External Links

References