Nellie Zabel Willhite
Eleanor "Nellie" Zabel Willhite (Born November 22, 1892 in Box Elder, South Dakota – 1991[1]) was the first deaf woman to earn a pilot’s license,[2] as well as South Dakota’s first female pilot.[3] Willhite became deaf at age two due to measles.[4] She earned her pilot's license in 1928.[5] She was a founding member of the Ninety-Nines, an organization which was founded in 1929 with 99 female pilots as founding members, and is dedicated to the advancement of aviation and support for women in aviation.[6] Willhite started the first South Dakota chapter of the Ninety-Nines in 1941.[7] She worked as a commercial pilot until 1944 (the first and last deaf person to do so), carrying airmail.[3] She also worked as a barnstormer, specializing in flour bombing and balloon racing.[8] She was inducted into the South Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame shortly before her death in 1991, and her plane the Pard is now on display at the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham, Alabama.[3]
References
- ^ Thomas D. Griffith; Dustin D. Floyd (1 October 2006). Insiders' Guide to South Dakota's Black Hills and Badlands. Globe Pequot. pp. 20–. ISBN 978-0-7627-4192-2. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
- ^ Gannon, Jack. 1981. Deaf Heritage–A Narrative History of Deaf America, Silver Spring, MD: National Association of the Deaf, pp. 194–195 (PDF)(PDF)
- ^ a b c Nellie Zabel Willhite. Deafpeople.com. Retrieved on 11 November 2011.
- ^ Insiders' Guide to South Dakota's ... – Thomas D. Griffith, Dustin D. Floy. dGoogle Books. Retrieved on 11 November 2011.
- ^ Powered by Google Docs. Docs.google.com. Retrieved on 11 November 2011.
- ^ Amelia Earhar. tGoogle Books. Retrieved on 11 November 2011.
- ^ South Dakota's First Century of Flight – Norma J. Kraeme. rGoogle Books (25 August 2010). Retrieved on 11 November 2011.
- ^ Gladys Roy. Womenaviators.org. Retrieved on 11 November 2011.