In recognition of former Zontian and world-renowned avaiator, Amelia Earhart, the Zonta Club of Frankfort invites you to see “Amelia” at the Frankfort Community Public Library on Wednesday, January 10, at 5:30 p.m. Intermission and refreshments will be at 6:35 p.m.
Amelia Earhart, an American aviation pioneer and author, was the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. On January 11, 1935, she embarked on a 2,408-mile trip from Honolulu, Hawaii to Oakland, California. The next day, Amelia became the first person to fly solo to the United States mainland from Hawaii. Since she had flown over the Atlantic Ocean five years earlier, this flight also made her the first person to fly across both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. In July 1937, while attempting to be the first pilot to circle the world by air at the equator, Amelia disappeared over the Pacific Ocean.
Amelia was a Zontian, joining the Zonta Club of Boston in 1928 and at the time of her disappearance, she had been a member of the Zonta Club of New York since 1930.
This month we are celebrating the spirit and impact of Amelia, one of Zonta International’s most famous former members. Zontians around the world celebrate her contributions to the aerospace industry and her empowerment of women in science.
Nearly 88 years after her disappearance, women are still outnumbered in the aerospace industry, making up around 25% of the workforce. As part of our efforts to encourage women to excel in traditionally male-dominated fields, Zonta International annually awards women pursuing Ph.D./doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering and space sciences with the Amelia Earhart (AE) Fellowship. Since the program’s inception in 1938, Zonta has awarded 1,734 Amelia Earhart Fellowships, totaling more than US$11.6 million, to 1,305 women from 77 countries. The AE Fellowship is funded by donations to the Zonta Foundation for Women.
