Elizabeth L. Gardner (1921 – December 22, 2011) was an American pilot during
World War II who served as a member of the
Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). She was one of the first American female military pilots[1] and the subject of a well-known photograph, sitting in the pilot's seat of a
Martin B-26 Marauder.[2][3]
Gardner was born in
Rockford, Illinois,[9] in 1921. She graduated from
Rockford High School in 1939.[10] She was a mother and housewife before the war started.[11] After she married, she took the last name Remba.[10]
Military career
Upon enlisting as a WASP member, Gardner "had two days of training under Lieutenant Col.
Paul Tibbets, who later commanded the
B-29 that dropped
the first atom bomb on Hiroshima".[9][11] She was the subject of an often-reproduced historical photo when she was about 22; the original is held at the
National Archives.[12][13][B] The photograph became emblematic of the place of women in the service of their country.[2][3]
Gardner flew
Martin B-26 Marauder medium bombers,[15][16] including the AT-23 trainer version of the bomber.[1] One of her stations was in
Dodge City, Kansas.[17][18] She was trained as a test pilot and flight instructor,[9] and she also flew aircraft that towed aerial targets.[9]
After years of fighting for recognition of their military service,[19] WASP members were recognized with the
Congressional Gold Medal in 2009.[5][20]
Later life and legacy
In December 1944, the government disbanded WASP, and Gardner returned to the private sector. She was a commercial pilot after World War II, flying for
Piper Aircraft Corporation in Pennsylvania.[10][21] In that capacity, she became involved in public relations, using her piloting skills to ferry Piper customers, meeting with the Department of Defense, and writing all of
William T. Piper's speeches.[21]
Gardner worked as a test pilot after the war, including for
General Textile Mills, which was working on an aircraft parachute that was intended to safely land aircraft that became disabled in flight. She participated in at least two tests with the device in December 1945, both of which forced her to bail out of the aircraft when the parachute became tangled in the test aircraft. During the second incident, the aircraft entered a dive when its
elevators were jammed by the parachute; Gardner escaped from the cockpit, but she was only 500 ft (150 m) from the ground when her own parachute opened.[22]
She died in New York on December 22, 2011.[10][23]Rockford, Illinois held a mural festival downtown in 2019 and included a mural by Ohio artists Jenny Roesel Ustick and Atalie Gagnet based on Gardner's time as a WASP.[10]
^
abGordon, Kelli D. (December 28, 2014).
"Veteran of the Week". WASP – Women Airforce Service Pilots – World War II. Texas, US. Archived from
the original on April 9, 2016 – via web.archive.org.
^"Teachers's Classroom Study Guide"(PDF). George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. 2011.
Archived(PDF) from the original on February 18, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
^"Paid Notice: Deaths GARDNER, ELIZABETH (LIBBY)". The New York Times. January 6, 2012.
Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2019. ...WASP aviator during WWII, brave and caring social justice activist, writer, computer programmer, autodidact with a vast range of curiosities and pursuits.