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WIAA-NY Page 2

included Thea Rasche from Germany, Baroness von Kapri and a few others and we tired to help them all for the sake of promoting aviation.

We always used to have a wonderful Christmas project. One was in 1941, when on December 5 our member Billie Miller in Miami, sent us a telegram at 9 a.m. asking us to meet 150 Canadian Air Force pilots passing through New York at noon, and to do what we could for them. We have always worked closely with the 99s who we admire very much and some of them are also our members. On this occasion we asked the help of the 99s. We got in touch with Mr. Shaw, then manager of Penn Station, and he said there would be 200 airmen arriving. With 5-99s and 5 of us we were on the lower platform when the "Silver Meteor" pulled in at noon. We had collected in 2 hours, candy, cigarettes, post cards, stamps and pencils to distribute to men who looked in some cases, only from 15 to 18 years, and all most polite and grateful. One boy told us we were the first women they had talked to since they left home for training in Florida. By Dec. 7 we were in the war ourselves. Another Christmas project was when we were notified by Idlewild that 70 little refugee children would land at 7 a.m. on Scandinavian Airlines from Europe on Christmas Eve. As they came out of Customs our group presented a toy, book and candy to each child. Another time we met bus loads of young mothers with from 2 to 4 tiny children, each on their way from Fort Hamilton, Port of Embarkation to Europe to meet husbands and fathers. We had toys and useful kits for all of them.

Then there were the gay Parachute parties given by Joe Crane at Roosevelt Field twice a year when the daylight time changed. He would go up at midnight in a plane and jump out and land at 11 p.m.! The dances were on the roof of the hotel where all could see the jump.

We have been most fortunate in having wonderful friends to help us all through the years. From the beginning at Floyd Bennett Field under the City Administration Kenn Behr, manager, Commander Sam Levy, Commander Don Smith, USN, and Commodore J.S. Baylis, USCG, all have been of great assistance. When the Coast Guard Air Station at Floyd Bennett opened in 1935, Commodore Baylis took our officers down in the CG tug Commanche. When the Navy took over F. B. F. in 1941 it was our privilege to be invited to the ceremony and reception. We could not appreciate more our great privilege in holding our annual Presidents' Tea at the Officers Mess at Floyd Bennett Field, and through the courtesy of Jack Smith, we hold our regular meetings at the beautiful Wings Club. 

In September our club and the Woman's Pres Club of N. Y. C. greatly enjoyed a marvelous tour of La Guardia and John F. Kennedy Airports conducted by Herb Fisher, Special Assistant Aviation Industry, of the Port of New York Authority. From the time we met in the luxurious lounge of the new Terminal Building at La Guardia Airport where a continental breakfast was served, all through the tour, Mr. Fisher provided every comfort and with his staff, made it possible to see places and facilities not available to the general visitor. Mr. Fisher, a pioneer pilot and test pilot, has continued to help us in all of our activities and just recently presented our club with a new trophy and history book.

Transcription Notes:
changed "teh" to "the" in the last paragraph "lounge of the new Terminal Building" All else is fine to Mark for Completion