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[[newspaper clipping]] AIRWAY AGE Betsy Ross Corps First Meet at Washington May 9 Creation of a reserve corps of American women pilots for non-combatant aviation duty in the event of war or any other national emergency will be completed at a meeting of women fliers from all over the country to be held in Memorial Continental Hall, Washington, D. C., on May 9th. Mrs. Opal Kunz, well known New York pilot, is national commander of the corps, which will be known as the "Betsy Ross Corps." [[image - black & white portrait photograph of Opal Kunz Commander Betsy Ross Corps.]] Training camps are planned in various parts of the country, arrangements having already been made for a west coast camp to be commanded by Mrs. Florence L. Barnes, noted California flier, and plans being made for one in New York. The Army corps areas will be the divisions followed for sectionalizing the camps. [[image - black & white portrait photograph of Margery Doig Adjutant Betsy Ross Corps.]] The purpose of the organization is to make woment fliers available for ambulance, transport and other planes of a non-combatant status, although the women are ready to relieve men as combat fliers in case of necessity. It is proposed to pattern the organization after the Women's Auxiliary Corps of Great Britain, which served with non-combatant status on ground duty during the world war. [[image - black & white portrait photograph of Florence Barnes]] Uniforms have been selected, and will be worn at the May 9th meeting, which will be attended by Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, chief of the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics; Maj. Gen. James E. Fechet, chief of the Army Air Corps, their wives, and Mrs. Lowell Fletcher Hobart, president general of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The uniforms consist of belted military coat, riding breeches and dress boots. The women will be sworn in by the Rev. G. Rob Wilson, who will be the corps chaplain. He was a member of the Lafayette Escadrille and is now pastor of the Fourth Presbyterian Church, of Trenton, N. J. The Betsy Ross Corps was first announced in January of this year when invitations were sent to all women pilots in the United States. At the organization meeting it is expected that the officers of the corps will be announced as follows: Commander Opal Kunz, New York, N. Y. Adjutant Margery Doig, New York, N. Y. Quartermaster Jane Dodge, Germantown, Penn. Directors Phoebe Omlie, Memphis Tenn., Lola Lo Lutz, Minneapolis, Minn., Jean La Rene, Dallas Texas., Mary Goodrich, Weathersfield, Conn., Marjorie Stinson, Clarendon, Va., Maurice Ames, Boston, Mass., Mildred Morgan, Beverly Hills, Calif., Manila Davis, Hatwoods, West Va., Ruth Elder Camp. Members of the Betsy Ross Corps sign a members oath as follows: "Subscribing to the ideals and objects described in the Preamble to the Constitution of the Betsy Ross Corps, I do hereby take solemn oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, to maintain law and order; to foster 100% Americanism; to inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the Community, State and Nation; to assist in any and all matters pertaining to the welfare and advancement of the Corps; to co-operate with every and all departments of the National and State Governments, and with worthy and reputable patriotic societies; clubs and organizations; to at all times and all places so guard and guide my personal behavior, manners and dress, as to bring honor and respect to the Corps, and to increase the honor and respect due to American Womanhood generally to answer the call of my country in any emergency, and to offer my services and any ship of which I may be the sole owner; and to support the Constitution and By-Laws of the Corps and to abide by them." "It is our intention to weld the women fliers of the country together in an organization that will be able to function in emergencies," Mrs. Kunz told a representative of AIRWAY AGE. "We are particularly proud of the work done by Mrs. Phoebie Omlie, one of our members, in the recent emergency during the Mississippi floods. "In co-operation with the Red Cross Mrs. Omlie carried nurses, doctors and supplies and equipment to stranded settlements in the south and was of tremendous assistance in the emergency, being officially commended for her activities. "We feel that an organization of women pilots can be called on in other national emergencies, and are preparing our data and files so that we can immediately be of assistance whenever our services are required." Leading Women Pilots in Betsy Ross Corps [[image - black & white portrait photographs of six women]] [[caption]] Ruth Elder Camp Manila Davis Jean LaRene Marjorie Stinson Mildred Morgan Phoebe Omlie [[/caption]] [[/newspaper clipping]] [PAGE 73]
