Ann Wood-Kelly
Ann Wood-Kelly | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ann Wood 31 March 1918 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Died | 14 May 2006 (aged 88) |
| Occupation | Aviator |
Ann Wood-Kelly (née Wood; 31 March 1918 – 14 May 2006) was an American aviator who flew with the British Air Transport Auxiliary in the Second World War.[1]
Early life
[edit]Ann Wood was born in Philadelphia in 1918 and was educated there and at Namur, Belgium.[1] When she returned to the United States she continued her education at Melrose Academy, Philadelphia and then graduated from D’Youville College, Buffalo, New York with a degree in English literature in 1938.[1]
Aviator
[edit]She gained a place on the Bowdoin College flight training program in 1941 and after eight hours of flying went solo.[1] Wood-Kelly then stayed with the college and became a flight instructor.[1] Jacqueline Cochran a pioneer female aviator tried to form an American auxiliary with female pilots, but with little interest from the authorities she recruited 24 women, including Wood-Kelly to sail to the United Kingdom to join the British Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA).[1]
During her time as a ferry pilot with the ATA she flew more than 900 aircraft of 75 different types ranging from the single-engined Supermarine Spitfire fighter to the four-engined Avro Lancaster heavy bomber.[1] In 1946, she was awarded the King's Medal for Service in the Cause of Freedom for her services to the United Kingdom.[2]
After the war she became an assistant to the United States Air attaché in London before she returned to the United States.[1] She became a public relations manager for Northeast Airlines, and later worked for Pan American Airways, becoming their first female vice-president.[1]
Family and later life
[edit]She married airline executive Jackson Kelly in 1948 and had a son but the marriage was dissolved.[1]
In her last ten years she travelled around the United States giving lectures on her experiences[1] and in 2005 D'Youville College awarded her an honorary doctorate.[2] She died on 14 April 2006 aged 88.[1]