Opal Kunz

Opal Kunz , (born November 6, 1894 in Arkansas - † May 15, 1967 in Auburn , California ), born Opal van Zandt Giberson , was an early American aviator , first president of the Ninety Nines , a female aviation organization that founded in her living room became and an early feminist .

Life

In 1923 she married George Frederick Kunz , a gemstone expert and vice president of Tiffany & Co. After seven years together, George Kunz told the press that the marriage had been annulled in January 1930. The request to annul the marriage originally came from Opal Kunz, but since the documents are still not public, the details of the divorce are not known either. In order not to lead to a public trial, the annulment was pronounced by a judge of the Supreme Court . As part of their amicable settlement, Opal Kunz stayed in the marital apartment, looked after her former husband and continued to play the role of hostess. In his will, he bequeathed half of the apartment in New York City and his stake in Tiffany & Co. As a frequent aviator, Opal Kunz said of herself that her long absence made it impossible for her to be a good wife.

Even when they were divorced, George Kunz was still proud of his ex-wife. A few months after the breakup, he suggested that she fly her plane to a member of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh so that he could photograph a partial solar eclipse.

She died alone in her Auburn home on May 15, 1967 and was buried in the Old Auburn Cemetery .

Although her social security card says she was born in 1894, her death certificate says that she was born in 1896.

Act

As an aviator, she invested a lot of time and money in this activity. “I learned to fly as an athlete in the interests of national security [sic]. My planes were always called Betsy Ross . My husband was a gemstone expert and Vice President of Tiffany & Co. in New York City. I have never flown for any other company as my husband was able to fund my journey ... I have a large collection of newspaper clippings from all the newspapers in this country ... All of this advertising was given by the press voluntarily - It was no advertising agencies employed. I was the first woman to compete with a man. It was the American Legion Air Meet in Philadelphia. I had the fastest airplane and won the competition ... ”In another letter she wrote:“ I was the first woman to benefit from the American Legion's open competition with men Air Meet launched on April 7, 1930. I won first place. "

Betsy Ross Air Corps

She was also the organizer of two other women's aviation clubs, the Betsy Ross Air Corps and the Lady Birds. The Betsy Ross Air Corps was established as a semi-military service to support the Army Air Corps and to help in times of need, floods, earthquakes, etc.

Powder Puff Derby

“The First Women's Transcontinental Air Derby”, also known as “Women's Air Derby”, started at Clover Field in Santa Monica , California , with its destination Cleveland , Ohio . At that time there were only 70 licensed female pilots in the United States. Only 40 of them were eligible to take part in this competition. More than 500,000 tickets were sold for this race and the air show lasted ten days. Flights were only allowed to take place during the day. The pilots navigated by dead reckoning and using commercial street maps.

From the beginning there was sexism against the women who started. One of the conditions was that the planes had to have a performance level that was "adapted to women". Kunz owned and flew her own machine. This was not allowed because the judges found the plane too fast for a woman. She was told that her plane was too fast and difficult to handle for a woman and that she had to get another one or stay out of the competition. So she bought a machine with a lower performance because she wanted to win the $ 25,000 prize money. Kunz achieved eighth place. Louise Thadden won the race.

Second World War

Shortly before the start of World War II, Opal Kunz renewed her pilot's license. She began training student pilots at Arkansas State College. She later moved to Rhode Island, and with the start of World War II, she became an instructor at the Rhode Island State Airport for Navy cadets and the government-paid Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) . During the war she trained over 400 young men.

After the war she became an inspector for the Aerojet General Corporation in California. She did not remarry and lived alone in her house with three dogs.

Literature on Opal Kunz

• Canton, Ray. Personality in the News: Woman Flier Who Volunteered for Space Flight, is Full of Surprises. Sacramento Bee, June 4, 1961, page B4.
• Betsy Ross Corps Adds Members. New York Herald Tribune. April 16, 1933.
• Is there a Women's Air Reserve? Evening Star (Washington, DC). June 6, 1933. Describes the Betsy Ross Corps as the Women's Air Reserve.
• Johnson, JC Women's Flying Corps, Named After the Creator of the First United States Flag, Stands Ready to Meet Any Emergency that May Confront the Nation. Washington Post. June 11, 1933. Review article on the formation and activities of the Betsy Ross Corps.
• Women Reserve Pilots to Train: Construction of Eastern Center is Under Way at Orange City, Florida. Evening Star (Washington, DC). January 19, 1932. A new center of women air reserve pilots to train is announced. Also announced will be the commission of a new anthem for the Betsy Ross Corps to be composed, and a famous artist will "perpetuate the corps on canvas."
• Opal Kunz, Famous Flier, Gets Million: Will of Divorced Husband Gives Aviatrix Half Interest in the Estate of Dr. George F. Kunz. Washington Daily News. July 12, 1932.
• Girl Flyers Ready to Aid Army: Opal Kunz Heads Betsy Ross Corps, Formed as Military Auxiliary Unit. New York Sun. January 2, 1931. Opal Kunz was elected "Commander" of the organization.
• Women Fliers Military Club Organized by Mrs. Opal Kunz. Newark Evening News. January 3, 1931.
• Mrs. Opal Kunz, Organizer of 99's Club for Women Pilots, was one of the first women to take instruction at Newark Airport. Sunday Call (Newark, NJ). April 5, 1931.
• Altick, Sherman B. Betsy Ross Air Corps to March: Girl Flyers Will Meet in Washington to Plan Military Auxiliary Work. Sun (New York). April 20, 1931. Describes organization, history, intentions, uniforms and plans of the Betsy Ross Corps, also described as "The Lady Bugs."
• Women's Air Reserve Will Organize May 9: Heads of Army and Navy Services Will Attend Founding of the Betsy Ross Corps. New York Times. April 26, 1931.
• Flying Skill Saves Life of Mrs. Kunz. New York Sun. April 30, 1931. Raw gasoline poured on her face from a broken fuel line while flying, blinding her and hindering her landing at the Washington-Hoover Airport.
• Mrs. Opal Logan Kunz Burned by Gasoline in Plane Crash. New York Times, May 1, 1931, page 2: 2.
• Woman Flier, Blinded By Gasoline, Crashes; Mrs. Opal Kunz Escapes Serious Injury as She Hits Fence Groping for Capital Field. Special to The New York Times. New York Times. New York, NY: May 1, 1931. p. 2.
• Dr. George F. Kunz Announces Annulment of Marriage. New York Times. November 21, 1930. Annulment granted on November 21 (1929), announced January 25, 1930, page 3: 3. GF Kunz Marriage Annulled Nov. 21: Tiffany Official and His Wife Agreed in Court Action, She Reveals: Still Live in Same Home. "Hope to Remain Friends for the Rest of Our Lives," she says- Were Married in 1923. New York Times. January 25, 1930.
• Balloon-Buster Argues for Equality in the Air. New York Sun. March 19, 1930. Mrs. Opal Kunz argues that women aviators must be accepted as equal to men, she says as a speaker before the Manhattan Chapter of the Reserve Officer's Association.
• Thrilled the Groundsmen at the Legion's Aerial Derby: Mrs. Opal Kunz, Who Won the Ten-Mile Race in a 300 Horsepower Plane at the Joint Aviation Show and Carnival of Unity Post, American Legion, of Roselle, and Aviation Post of New York, at the Westfield Airport. New York Times. June 29, 1930.
• 99 Club in Protest at Bar on Women by Air Race Heads: Agitation by Mrs. Kunz Bears Fruit in Resolution Adopted at Meeting. Newark Ledger. August 28, 1930. (NASM) Opal Kunz opposed technicalities imposed on women fliers to prevent them from participating in the National Air Race held at Curtiss-Reynolds Airport in Chicago.
• John O. Donaldson, Noted Ace, Dies As His Plane Crashes: Greenville [SC] Man Killed When Plane Crashes at Philadelphia Airport; Machine Went Into Fatal Tail Twirl; Body Badly Mangled As Ship is Demolished- Had Great Record in the War. Greenville, South Carolina News. Monday September 8, 1930. Pagination unknown. Opal Kunz is also quoted in the text, as a witness to his unfortunate death.
• 25,000 Watch Racers Die in Midair Crash. Plane at Trenton Clips Tail Off Another in Rounding Pylon: Pilots are Forced to Wait for Death. Machines Plunge Slowly; One Flier Had Tossed Coin to Use Ship. Mrs. Opal Kunz hits Back at Criticisms; Handled Her Craft Rightly, She Says; Harry K. Thaw's Son Wins Prize. Washington Post. October 20, 1930, page 1.
• Mrs. Kunz in Crash Piloting Her Plane: Wife of Tiffany Official Escaped Injury in Wreck at Morris Plains, NJ- Got License 2 Weeks Ago- Encountered Fog While Returning with her Mechanic from Wilkes-Barre, Pa .. New York Times. June 24, 1929. (NASM) Mrs. Kunz "badly smashed" her Travelair biplane, and no identification was available to the police except the identification number on the fuselage, C-9827, and her initials, "OGK" for "Opal Giberson Kunz. "
• O'Sullivan, Arthur. Gem Man's Wife Crashes on Night Flight with Gob. Daily News. June 24, 1929. Sensationalized account of the crash of Pilot Opal Kunz and passenger Verne E. Moon. Several photos of her airplane before and after the crash. (NASM)
• Flying Fashions. Sunday News. July 7, 1929. Mrs. George Kunz, prominent society aviatrix, wore this unique costume at opening of new air country club in Hicksville, LI (NASM)
• Mrs. George F. Kunz Buys New Plane. New York Times. July 11, 1929, page 4: 6. The new airplane was a sport model of the Travelair biplane, suitable for cross-country work and powered by a new Wright J-6 motor. The plane was to be named "The Betsy Ross." At the christening of the airplane, the pilots and guests would wear evening dress.
• Mrs. George F. Kunz Christens New Plane. New York Times. July 12, 1929, page 23: 1. She named her airplane the "Betsy Ross," in honor of the woman who sewed the first American flag. Mrs. Thomas Edison broke a bottle of mineral water over the fuselage, sprinkled some on the propeller and christened the airplane. Moonlight flights over New York City were given to some of the guests.
• Mrs. George F. Kunz Speaks on Radio Urging Women to Fly. New York Times. Aug 7, 1929, page 2: 5. Opal Kunz spoke on WABC to a national audience, saying that women pilots should enter the field of aviation with the idea of ​​being accepted on an absolutely equal footing with men.
• Mrs. Kunz Deplores Lack of Girl Fliers. "It is Humiliating to Admit Our Women Cannot Compete With Foreigners," She Says. Asks Support of Parents: Fears of Families Often Imperil Young Aviators, She Declares in Address Over Radio. New York Times. Wednesday, August 7, 1929. Mrs. Kunz advised women to enter the field of aviation with the idea of ​​being accepted on an absolutely equal footing with men. "Above all things," she urged them, "do not try to flirt with the pilots. Flying is a serious business."
• Dr. George F. Kunz and Opal L. Giberson Announce Engagement. New York Times. Page 19: 1. May 9, 1923.
• Dr. George F. Kunz and Opal L. Giberson Married. New York Times. Page 19: 1. May 16, 1923.
• Dr. GF Kunz Weds Miss Opal Giberson: Ceremony at Tarrytown Church Where Washington Irving Worshiped: They Sail for Bermuda. New York Times. May 16, 1923. Opal Logan Giberson, daughter of the late Mr. And Mrs. Edward F. Giberson of St. Louis, were married at Christ Episcopal Church in Tarrytown where the bride was baptized and prepared for confirmation. "Mrs. Kunz, who is about 30, is of old Dutch and Kentucky ancestry. She is a graduate of Dana Hall, Wellesley, and with which she was officially connected for some time. She did relief work during the war and engaged in Liberty Loan campaigns and work connected with visaing passports. She has been much interested in politics, social economics and music, and made her home at the Three Arts Club for a considerable period. "

Web links

• Register of the Davis-Monthan Airfield, Tucson, AZ.

Individual evidence

1. ^ "Dr. GF Kunz Left Estate of $ 114,109.00." New York Times. November 7, 1932.
2. ↑ Patrick Rizzo. "A History of the First Forty Years of the Amateur Astronomers Association." ( Memento from December 31, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
3. ↑ Kunz, Opal. Letter to Carol Craig of the 99's. July 24, 1963. The letter describes her experiences and early days of flying.
4. ↑ John F. Kennedy Library, Boston, "White House Central Name File, Box 1532, Folder: KUNZ." Letter from Opal Kunz to President Kennedy, dated April 14, 1961.
5. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from May 19, 2009 in the Internet Archive ). Jessen, Gene Nora. The 1929 Air Race. The ninety nines.
6. ^ University of New Hampshire