Amelia Earhart, 1897-1937 born Atchison, Kansas
(presumed dead following her disappearance)
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 own mother, who, born in 1907, learned she could do anything with her life and that her own choice
mattered. Amelia sent that message to thousands of young women in the U.S. and the world. Her reality? She
dared to dream … and to fail.
Many women were as good or better pilots than Amelia Earhart: Louise Thaden, Bessie Coleman, and Ann
Morrow. What Amelia had was 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 REAL. She spoke at
colleges and universities across the country and mentored young women, encouraging them, “Have a dream and
follow it.”
(presumed dead following her disappearance)
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 own mother, who, born in 1907, learned she could do anything with her life and that her own choice
mattered. Amelia sent that message to thousands of young women in the U.S. and the world. Her reality? She
dared to dream … and to fail.
Many women were as good or better pilots than Amelia Earhart: Louise Thaden, Bessie Coleman, and Ann
Morrow. What Amelia had was 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 REAL. She spoke at
colleges and universities across the country and mentored young women, encouraging them, “Have a dream and
follow it.”
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