White Cliffs of Dover FemWings salutes WASPs Women Airforce Service Pilots Memorial 3 The 38 female pilots who died flying military planes during the war, received no military recognition. The army didn't even pay for their burial expenses because the women were considered civilians. MARIE MICHELL ROBINSON Class: 44-W-2 Born: Michigan Graduate: National Park Junior College, Washington, D. C. Marie began her flight training to become a WASP at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas in September, 1943 and graduated on March 11, 1944. She was stationed with the 5th Ferrying Group at Love Field, Dallas, Texas, and later transferred to the Bombardier Training School, Victorville, California. On October 2, 1944, Marie was killed when the B-25 she was co-piloting crashed in the mountains near Victorville, California. BETTIE MAE SCOTT Class: 44-W-3 Born: July 26, 1921 Monrovia, California Graduate: Arcadia-Duarte High School Attended: Pasadena Junior College Bettie Mae entered flight training to become a WASP in October, 1943 at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas and graduated on April 15, 1944. She was stationed at Waco Army Air Field, Waco, Texas, a Basic Flying Training School. She was killed while flight testing a BT-13 on July 8, 1944. DOROTHY E. SCOTT Class: WAFS Born: February 16, 1920 Seattle, Washington Attended: University of Washington Dorothy entered the WAFS in October, 1942. She was first assigned to the 5th Ferrying Division, Love Field, Dallas, Texas and later transferred for pursuit training to Palm Springs Army Air Base, California. While flying with her instructor in an AT-6, she was killed in a mid-air collision on December 3, 1943. Top MARGARET JUNE ‘PEGGY’ SEIP Class: 43-W-5 Trainee Born: June 24, 1916 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Graduate: Lawrence College, Appleton, Wisconsin Margaret entered flight training at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas on April 6, 1943 to become a WASP. She, together with her instructor and a fellow class-mate, was killed in the crash of a UC-78 near Big Springs, Texas, August 30, 1943, on a routine training flight. HELEN JO ANDERSON SEVERSON Class: 43-W-5 Trainee Born: November 2, 1918 Marvin, South Dakota. Graduate: South Dakota State University University of Illinois Helen Jo reported to Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas on April 6, 1943 to begin her training to become a WASP. She, together with her instructor and a fellow class-mate, was killed on a routine training flight in a UC-78 near Big Springs, Texas, August 30, 1943. MARIE ETHEL SHARON Class 43-W-4 Born: April 21, 1917 Forsythe, Montana, Graduate: Jefferson High School, Portland, Oregon Marie began her training to become a WASP on February 14, 1943 at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas. She graduated from Avenger Field on August 7, 1943. She was then stationed at Long Beach Army Air Base, California and assigned to the 6th Ferrying Group. She and her instructor were killed on April 10, 1944 near Tecumseh, Nebraska, while flying a B-25 on a night flying instrument training mission. Top EVELYN SHARP Class: WAFS Born: October 20, 1919 Melstone, Montana. (Grew up in Ord, Nebraska.) Everyn entered the WAFS in October, 1942. She was assigned to the 2nd Ferrying Group, New Castle Army Air Base, Wilmington, Delaware. She was killed on April 3, 1944 when an engine on the P-38 she was ferrying failed on take-off at New Cumberland, Pennsylvania (Evelyn was one of the most experienced women pilots in America, with 2,968 hours of flying time when she entered the WAFS.) BETTY PAULINE STINE Class 44-W-2 Trainee Born: Fort Worth, Texas Attended: University of Arizona Betty entered training to become a WASP at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas in September, 1943. On February 25, 1944, during her last cross-country flight before graduation, she was killed when she was forced to bail out of her AT-6 over the mountains near Tucson, Arizona. MARIAN TOEVS Class: 43-W-8 Born: Aberdeen, Idaho Graduate: Albion State Normal School Eastern Washington State College. Marian began her training to become a WASP at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas on July 10, 1943 and graduated December 17, 1943. She was stationed at a Basic Flying Training School at Lemoore Army Air Base, Lemoore, California. She was killed near San Jose, California, while flying a BT-13 from Lemoore to Fresno, California on February 18, 1944. Top GERTRUDE TOMPKINS-SILVER Class: 43-W-7 Born: October 16, 1912 Jersey City, New Jersey, Graduate: Private School, Summit, New Jersey Pennsylvania School of Horticulture. Gertrude reported to Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas in June, 1943 to begin her training to become a WASP. She graduated on November 13, 1943. She was stationed at Love Field, Dallas, Texas, with the 5th Ferrying Group. After departing on a ferrying mission from Los Angeles, California in a P-51 for the East Coast, she never arrived, and no traces of her were ever found. (She is the only WASP not accounted for.) BR> Born: Dec. 31, 1920 Louisville, Colorado. (Moved after grade school to: Wilburton, Oklahoma). Graduate: Eastern Oklahoma A&M College Mary reported for WASP training at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas on February 21, 1943, and graduated on August 7, 1943. She was stationed at Love Field, Dallas Texas, with the 5th Ferrying Group. She  was killed on November 7, 1943, when the PT-19 she was ferrying crashed southeast of Blanchard, Oklahoma. MARY LOUISE WEBSTER Class: 44-W-8 Born: June 30, 1919 Ellensburg, Washington Attended: Central Washington State College Mary Louise went into training to become a WASP at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas in March, 1944 and graduated on October 16, 1944. She was stationed with the 33rd Training Wing of the AFTS SE at Frederick Army Air Field, Frederick, Oklahoma. She was killed on December 9, 1944, while flying as co-pilot in a UC-78. Top BONNIE JEAN ALLOWAY WELZ Class: 43-W-6 Born: June 22, 1918 Bridgeport, Washington Attended: UCLA Bonnie reported for training to become a WASP on Easter Sunday, April 25, 1943 at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas. She graduated and became a WASP on October 9, 1943. Bonnie was sent to Dodge City, Kansas for B-26 training, and was then stationed at Harlingen Army Air Field, Harlingen, Texas, (a B-26 Flexible Gunnery School ) She was killed in the crash of a BT-13 near Randado, Texas, while on an administrative flight. BETTY TAYLOR WOOD Class: 43-W-4 Born: March, 1921 New Berlin, Illinois Graduate: Sierra Junior College, Auburn, California Betty began her training to become a WASP at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas on February 14, 1943, and graduated at Avenger on August 7, 1943. She was assigned to Camp Davis Army Air Field, Camp Davis, North Carolina, an Anti-Aircraft Artillery School. She was killed in the crash landing of an A-24 attack bomber on September 23, 1943. Top source: 1. "The Young Dead Soldier" by Archibald MacLeish. Reprinted from "Articles of WAR , A Collection of Poetry About WWII" edited by Leon Stokesburg. University of Arkansas Press, 1990, p. 8. 2. WASP Class Yearbooks, 43-1 thru 43-3, 44-4 3. "On Final Approach" by Byrd Granger 4. "In Memoriam -- researched and written by WASP Dawn Seymour, 43-5, Clarice I. Bergemann, 44-2, Jeanette J. Jenkins, 44-1, and Mary Ellen Keil, 44-2. Published by Texas Woman's University Press, 1996. | WINGS ACROSS AMERICA