Amelia Earhart, 1897-1937 born Atchison, Kansas
(presumed dead following her disappearance in the Pacific Ocean)
The life of the beloved "daughter of Atchison" has been celebrated every July since 1997, the
Centennial of her birth. Atchison, Kansas, (fifty miles from my home) comes alive with her spirit
Instrumental in establishing the Ninety-Nines, an international organization of women pilots
started in 1929 by Amelia, Louise Thaden, Pancho Barnes and ninety-six other licensed women
pilots in the United States, Amelia was the first president. She has touched the lives of women for
generations, including mine.
The influence of Amelia Earhart on the lives of ordinary women has infused my own family. She
inspired my mother-in-law, a young secretary, who saw Amelia in an open-car parade in
downtown Boston. Her spirit infused my mother, who, born in 1907, decided she could do anything
with her life and that her own choices mattered. Amelia sent that message to thousands of young
women in the U.S. and the world: Follow Your Dream. Her reality? She dared to dream … and even
dared to fail.
George Putnam, Jr. Amelia's step-son remembered in 2008 that she was not only a great pilot but
that "she could take a plane apart and put it back together again."
Many women were as good a pilot as Amelia: Louise Thaden, Bessie Coleman, Ann Morrow
Lindbergh. What made Amelia outstanding was her courage and a sense of adventure. She secured
her place in history less by the mythology surrounding her disappearance and more by what she
did while alive. Amelia was a REAL person. She designed luggage and clothing; she was a nurse in
her early adult life. She spoke at colleges and universities across the country and mentored young
women, encouraging them to “Have a dream and follow it.”
(presumed dead following her disappearance in the Pacific Ocean)
The life of the beloved "daughter of Atchison" has been celebrated every July since 1997, the
Centennial of her birth. Atchison, Kansas, (fifty miles from my home) comes alive with her spirit
Instrumental in establishing the Ninety-Nines, an international organization of women pilots
started in 1929 by Amelia, Louise Thaden, Pancho Barnes and ninety-six other licensed women
pilots in the United States, Amelia was the first president. She has touched the lives of women for
generations, including mine.
The influence of Amelia Earhart on the lives of ordinary women has infused my own family. She
inspired my mother-in-law, a young secretary, who saw Amelia in an open-car parade in
downtown Boston. Her spirit infused my mother, who, born in 1907, decided she could do anything
with her life and that her own choices mattered. Amelia sent that message to thousands of young
women in the U.S. and the world: Follow Your Dream. Her reality? She dared to dream … and even
dared to fail.
George Putnam, Jr. Amelia's step-son remembered in 2008 that she was not only a great pilot but
that "she could take a plane apart and put it back together again."
Many women were as good a pilot as Amelia: Louise Thaden, Bessie Coleman, Ann Morrow
Lindbergh. What made Amelia outstanding was her courage and a sense of adventure. She secured
her place in history less by the mythology surrounding her disappearance and more by what she
did while alive. Amelia was a REAL person. She designed luggage and clothing; she was a nurse in
her early adult life. She spoke at colleges and universities across the country and mentored young
women, encouraging them to “Have a dream and follow it.”
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