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2710 4TH AVE W
BRADENTON FL 33505
January 3, 1982

Ms. Claudia M. Oakes
National Air and Space Museum
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, D.C. 20560

Dear Ms. Oakes:

Please excuse the lateness in answering your letter of November 19, 1981. I had gone visiting for a couple of days; then, two of my boys visited me just before Christmas; then the Holidays.

It was certainly in the decade of the '30's that flying really showed what it was "all about". It was in this period when women in aviation garnered any number of interesting aviation prizes. It was then when more women took to the air, entered in races, flew the oceans, and put their names in the history book. I like to think that I added a little to that part [[strikethrough]]part[[/strikethrough]] of aviation history. 

I was born, one of twins, in Bostin in Boston, Mass on April 28, 1920. As far back as I can remember I was always interested in airplanes. It was in the '30's that we could buy wooden model airplane kits. The kit included balsa blocks to be shaped into fuselages, stamped out wings, rudder, stabilizer, propellor, wheels, glue, and two colors of paint all for ten cents. Can you believe that? It was a challenge to whittle the fuselage with the use of templates, glue the wings and sruts if they were called for, with the proper angles, the tail assembly, and then paint your own designs, if desired.