Speaker
Today's speaker and member of the Ninety-Nines, Mayetta Behringer, has been flying airplanes since 1946. In her program, she shared some tidbits about women in aviation.
The Ninety-Nines is an international organization of licensed women pilots from 35 countries - they currently have over 6,000 members. Virtually all women of achievement in aviation have been or are members of The Ninety-Nines.
The organization came into being November 2, 1929, at Curtiss Field, Valley Stream, Long Island, New York. At the time there were 117 American female pilots and they were all invited to assemble for mutual support and the advancement of aviation; 99 of them attended. In 1931, when Amelia Earhart was elected as first president, the group was named for those 99 charter members.
Today Ninety-Nines are professional pilots for airlines, industry and government; they are pilots who teach and pilots who fly for pleasure; pilots who are technicians and mechanics. But first and foremost, they are women who love to fly!
Guests
Dave G. brought a guest, and potential member from the Bank of Santa Clara, Margaret Lee. And, Doc was once again with us.
Joker - Joker
Brian won Joker-Joker and took $10 home.
Have You Heard The One About.......???
One day David was rummaging through the collection of old photos in the attic when he came across one that he hadn't seen in years. It was an old faded picture of his school chum, Eddie White. They'd run together for most of their growing years, but the school system sent them to different high schools and that was the last they'd ever seen of each other. David wondered how Eddie was doing and for the days and weeks that followed he just couldn't get Eddie out of his thoughts.
He explained the waves of nostalgia that kept rolling over him to his neighbor one day, and his neighbor suggested that he take the time to look Eddie up. It took him months and months of careful research, but finally he traced Eddie to a cotton mill in Atlanta. His parents had moved there shortly after David and Eddie had started high school and that was why they'd never seen each other in all those years.
Eddie had done well for himself. David learned that he had worked his way up to chief cotton buyer for the mill, and so with great anticipation David boarded the train to Atlanta. The following day, he went to the mill and asked the receptionist to inform Eddie that an old pal was waiting downstairs to see him. The receptionist simply smiled and David's heart sank as she informed him that Mr. White had gone abroad to buy cotton for the mill and that he wouldn't be back for at least four weeks. It was a tremendous disappointment, but David said that he'd try again in four weeks.
And that was how it went on and on. Every time David went to the mill to see Eddie, he was informed that he'd just left to buy cotton. But one day, the receptionist took pity on him and said to David, "Look, I've just spoken to Mr. White's secretary. She assures me that he is very eager to meet you again after all these years and that he'll definitely be in his office on the 18th of next month to see you. He made that a very firm promise. He'll not go anywhere that day to buy cotton!"
The weeks went by and, finally, the 18th arrived. On that morning, David walked into the mill with a spring in his step, when suddenly the receptionist's face told him that he'd be disappointed yet again. "But this is dreadful," moaned David, "please don't tell me that he's gone off to buy more cotton. "No," said the receptionist, "it's worse than that. You see, Mr. White dropped dead in the car park the other day." "What?" cried David, "My friend Eddie, dead? I don't believe what I'm hearing!" "I know how you must be feeling," sympathized the receptionist, "but perhaps you'd like to see the monument that the company set up over his grave. It's just across the road in that cemetery."
So David sadly dragged his tired feet over to the cemetery and walked up to the huge black marble monument that was erected over Eddie's grave. Through his tears he began to read the magnificent gold lettering carved on the front of the monument:
"Here lies Eddie White. Gone, but not for cotton."
