Seized by the Sun

by Ure, James W. ; Ure, James W. ;

  1 Small alarm clock (Baby Ben)

  1 Booklet of needles

  1 Card of knitting needles

  1 Ring box, empty

  1 Pencil sharpener (Don. Duck)

  1 Napkin, blue

  1 Shoehorn

  1 Radio, Emerson, portable

  1 Compact

  1 Photo

  1 Book, PAAF Personnel

  1 Book, 5th FG Love Field Personnel

  1 Purse, leather, black, initials GVT, containing

  1 small change purse with $.50

  1 Bond application

  1 Penny

  1 Handkerchief

  1 Box Eversharp lead

  1 Pack Midol tablets

  3 Leather name bands

  2 Wooden pencils

  1 Purse, white, zipper, containing:

  1 Change purse

  2 Wooden pencils

  1 Small brass plate bearing inscription Bev S

  1 Dead Reckoning Computer and case

  1 Pilot’s log book

  1 Notebook

  3 Photographs

  1 Leather purse containing:

  1 1000 Reis Brazilian coin

  1 Coral Bagles (sic) car token

  1 Netherland 5¢ coin

  1 6¢ air mail stamp

  1 Computer

  2 Books, “Sex Habits” and “The Sex Technique in Marriage”.

  1 Silk scarf, white

  4 Slips

  3 Neckties

  1 Bathrobe

  3 Dresses, 2-black, 1-purple, 1-pastel multi-colored

  1 Wash cloth

  1 Shirt, rayon

  1 Housecoat, rayon

  3 Pr. Heavy wool socks, white

  1 Belt, blue

  1 Large straw hat

  1 Button, green

  1 Pr. shoes, low black

  The above items will be found in the trunk (footlocker).

  (Page 2)

  1 Pr. Silk Stockings

  1 Sm. alarm clock, portable (case)

  1 Belt, cloth, black

  1 Tin can, round, containing:

  1 checkbook on Rep. Nat. Bk. of Dallas

  1 Necktie

  1 Tobacco pouch

  1 Sm. Brass plate initials MLD

  1 Identification tape

  1 Sewing kit

  1 Lapel wings insignia

  1 Measuring tape

  3 Spools thread, brown

  1 Thimble

  1 Pr. small scissors

  1 Ribbon, purple, ½”

  3 A. C. Insignias

  1 Pr. Breast wings

  2 ATC Insignia

  79 Pennies (white) in blue pack

  1 Under jersey

  1 Under drawers

  1 Cosmetic carrying case, leather, zipper

  1 Can tennis balls (Duncan)

  11 Photographs

  2 Pilot’s log books

  1 Pr. high leather boots

  7 Brassiers

  5 Balls of yarn, khaki

  1 Towel, bath

  1 Kerchief

  1 Wool sweater, white

  1 Laundry bag

  1 Pr. slippers

  1 Pr. leather gloves

  1 Small haircomb

  1 card bobby pins

  1 Leather carrying case (shoulder strap)

  1 Small nail file case

  1 Hair comb

  2 Hair brushes

  2 Silk panties

  2 Night gowns, flannel (pink, blue)

  1 Cotton panties

  1 Pr. white gloves

  6 handkerchiefs

  2 Silk slips

  1 Blouse, blue

  1 Sweater, button

  1 Bathing suit

  1 Bag, straw

  1 Pr. moccasin

  1 Pr. Bedroom slippers, blue

  1 Pr. green shoes

  1 Pr. black shoes (in mittens)

  1 Pr. shoes, black

  1 Pr. white gloves

  1 Leather bag, zipper, containing lotions, creams, perfumes, etc.

  1 Raincoat

  1 Leather belt

  1 Coat, black, with pilot’s wings’

  2 Blouse, white

  3 Slips

  1 Skirt, multi-colored

  2 Dresses, multi-colored

  1 Skirt, blue

  1 Blouse, green

  1 Dress, black & White stripes with red belt

  1 Dress, upper white, lower multi-colored

  1 Dress, green, with belt

  1 Trousers, riding, khaki

  1 Brassiere

  1 Canvas carrying bag with zipper

  1 Argus model C2 camera with case

  1 Weston light indicator for camera case

  1 Kodak film

  1 Argus yellow filter lens accessory for camera

  1 Coverall, WASP Flying Suit

  1 Raincoat with cap

  1 Housecoat

  1 Necktie

  1 Book, “The Apostle”

  1 Photograph frame

  1 small luggage bag with snaps

  1 Pr. socks, wool, white

  1 shoe brush

  8 Books

  1 Straw weave suitcase containing Costume jewelry, Mexican hats

  1 Book o Psalms

  1 Prayer Book for Soldiers and Sailors

  4 Photos

  2 Books

  1 Pr. wool socks

  2 Handkerchiefs

  1 Air rifle, pump

  1 Umbrella, lady’s

  1 Lady’s purse, black

  2 Shirts, green

  1 Pr. trousers, green

  (Second letter of air force inventory, undated)

  1 Certificate of Complete of WASP Training Courses

  1 Diploma from 568th AAFBU, 4th OUT, Brownsville, Texas

  November and December bank statement from Republic National Bank, Dallas, Texas

  1 Letter from Chief of Police, Summit, New Jersey

  1 Letter from Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company

  1 Series E War Bond, $25.00 denomination, in gift folder

  1 Series E War Bond, $50.00 denomination, p.o.d. Miss Margaret P Whittall

  1 Letter from H. D. Tompkins containing a check dated 26 Oct., 1944, in amount of $75.00 drawn by Harold D. Tompkins payable to the order of Gertrude V. Tompkins

  1 Letter from Harriet J. Wade containing Cashiers Check NO. T-7277, dated 19 Oct., 1944, on the Central Hanover Bank and Trust Co., New York, in amount of $15.00, payable to the order of Gertrude V. Tompkins

  1 Letter from Suzanne Van Dulun containing check dated 21 Oct., 1944, in amount of $10.00, payable to the order of Gertrude V. Tompkins.

  7 Letters from various persons

  4 Letters from H. M. Silver

  1 War Department Form No. 58; 1 Treasury Department Form W-2; 1 Class A Pay Reservation.

  1 Flying V, 29 September, 1944 issue

  1 Clipping containing picture of 3 WASPs, including Gertrude V. Tompkins

  2 Keys, one of which is to the footlocker which has been previously shipped.

  $1.15 in cash

  GENERAL BARTON YOUNT’S TRIBUTE TO WASPs KILLED IN SERVICE

  On December 7, 1944, at the last graduation of WASPs, General Barton K. Yount, commanding general of the army air forces training command, recognized the women who were killed while flying for their country.

  Let us acknowledge the measure of their sacrifice by honoring them as brave women, and by honoring them as women who served without thought of glory which we accord to heroes of battle. The service pilot faces the risk of death without the emotional inspiration of combat. Men who battle in the sky have the grim, triumphant knowledge that their bombs and bullets are destroying the enemy, and their courage is sustained by the emotions of conflict.

  These women have given their lives in the performance of arduous and exacting duties without being able to see and feel the final results of their work under the quickening influence of aerial action. They have demonstrated a courage which is sustained not by the fevers of combat, but the steady heartbeat of faith—a fait
h in the rightness of our cause, and a faith in the importance of their work to the men who do go into combat.

  Let us pay tribute to these women by honoring their memory…. Let us treasure their memory as women whose sacrifice has brought honor not only to their country, but also to their organization.

  We shall not forget the accomplishments of our women fliers and their contributions to the fulfillment of our mission. And we shall always keep and remember the brave heritage of the women who gave their lives. It is the heritage of faith in victory and faith in the ultimate freedom of humanity.

  NOTES

  PROLOGUE: LOST WINGS

  in spite of a haze: Jim Radcliff, untitled article, South Bay Daily Breeze, September 2, 1997.

  It was brand new, one of 45 Mustangs: Brig. Gen. Bob E. Nowland, US Army Air Force, letter marked CONFIDENTIAL to Commanding General, Air Transport Command, 31 October 1944, author’s collection.

  As a former test pilot, Gertrude, or Tommy: Federal Aviation Administration, Policies and Regulations, 1995, Preflight checklist for pilots (formalized by FAA in the 1930s, exact date unknown).

  Gertrude placed her small leather flight bag: Granger, On Final Approach: The Women Air Force Service Pilots of World War II, 27.

  She knew how this plane would perform: US Army Air Force, First Motion Picture Unit, Flight Characteristics of the P-51 Airplane, 1944, www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com.

  Factory-new airplanes often experienced problems: Pat Macha, interview by author, 2003.

  Since she was going to get a late start: US Army Air Force, Report of Major Accident, Form 14, October 26, 1944.

  1: IT’S AWFUL HAVING A STUTTER

  She came from a wealthy family: Whittall, From There to Here, 9.

  The Vreeland farm: Robert F. Tompkins and Claire F. Tompkins, “The Tompkins Genealogy,” undated document.

  “She was very strong minded”: Elizabeth Tompkins Whittall, telephone interview by author, November 20, 2002.

  They married on May 18, 1904: Whittall, From There to Here, 16.

  Their first child, Stuart, died at birth: Tompkins Whittall, telephone interview by author, November 20, 2002.

  By age four: Whittall, From There to Here, 19.

  Friends and family volunteered explanations: Tompkins Whittall, telephone interview by author, November 20, 2002.

  “The child was frightened as a baby”: Elizabeth Tompkins Whittall, telephone interview by author, January 4, 2003. See also Judith Maginnis Kuster, “Folk Myths About Stuttering,” The Stuttering Home Page, Department of Speech, Hearing and Rehabilitation Services, Minnesota State University, Mankato, last updated November 14, 2014, www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/Infostuttering/folkmyths.html.

  Vreeland took a special interest: Whittall, From There to Here, 18–20.

  “S-s-someone else always said”: Tompkins Whittall, telephone interview by author, January 4, 2003.

  The definition of stuttering: The Stuttering Foundation website, www.stutteringhelp.org.

  The doctor put Gertrude through: Tompkins Whittall, telephone interview by author, January 4, 2003. See also Judith Duchan, “History of Speech-Pathology,” State University of New York at Buffalo, May 12, 2011, www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~duchan/new_history/overview.html.

  “If we do this every time”: Tompkins Whittall, telephone interview by author, January 4, 2003.

  She became close to the household’s: Whittall, From There to Here, 2.

  “this dear, sweet” African American couple”: Whittall, From There to Here, 2.

  Christmas brought excitement: Whittall, From There to Here, 13.

  Gertrude sang, “Things are seldom”: Tompkins Whittall, telephone interview by author, January 4, 2003. The song is from the comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan.

  The family continued to search: Tompkins Whittall, telephone interview, November 20, 2002.

  2: CHILDHOOD UPS AND DOWNS

  Jersey City is home to: Whittall, From There to Here, 3.

  “so it was wise”: Whittall, From There to Here, 4.

  “The mile walk to school”: Whittall, From There to Here, 4.

  “My n-n-n-name is Little Gertrude”: Elizabeth Tompkins Whittall, telephone interview by author, October 2002 and January 4, 2003. See also Vicki Benson Schutter, “For Richer, Poorer, or Fluenter,” April 7, 1997, www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/PWSspeak/schutter2.html.

  “Our whole family revolved”: Whittall, From There to Here, 8.

  Rosaline was said to be: Whittall, From There to Here, 10.

  Entertainment, 1920s Style: Digital History website, www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3397.

  severe headaches: Whittall, From There to Here, 15.

  While visiting Laura one weekend: Whittall, From There to Here, 23.

  “How blessed we were”: Whittall, From There to Here, 24.

  “We catched fish and talked”: Tompkins Whittall, telephone interview with author, January 4, 2003. Elizabeth said her sister loved reading Mark Twain, especially Huckleberry Finn.

  In 1926 Grandmother Rosaline died: Whittall, From There to Here, 10; Tompkins Whittall, telephone interviews with author, October 2002 and January 4, 2003.

  Elizabeth, who was said to have a “way” with hair: Whittall, From There to Here, 10.

  “When I reached the appropriate”: Whittall, From There to Here, 17.

  She felt shamed by her inability: Whittall, From There to Here, 20.

  3: CONFIDENCE GROWS

  Spring brought a flush: Tompkins Whittall, telephone interviews by author, October 2002 and January 4, 2003.

  “Give her enough books”: Tompkins Whittall, telephone interviews by author, October 2002 and January 4, 2003.

  “It was a disaster”: Whittall, From There to Here, 54; Elizabeth Tompkins Whittall, interview by author, 2003.

  In the spring: Ronald L. Heinemann, “The Great Depression in Virginia,” Encyclopedia Virginia, September 14, 2012, www.encyclopediavirginia.org/great_depression_in_virginia.

  “And you want to be a farmer?”: Tompkins Whittall, telephone interviews by author, October 2002 and January 4, 2003.

  Gertrude arrived on the Ambler campus: Tompkins Whittall, telephone interview by author, January 4, 2003.

  The Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women: “Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women Historical Marker,” ExplorePAHistory.com, 2011, http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-130.

  The Great Depression was spreading: Manchester, The Glory and the Dream: A Narrative History of America, 1932–1972, 35–82.

  “Yes,” he said, “it was called the Dark Ages”: Manchester, Glory and the Dream, 35.

  “terrible all over” and all quotes through “I made a compost pile”: Gertrude Tompkins, letter to Elizabeth Tompkins Whittall, 26 October 1930; Elizabeth Tompkins Whittall, telephone interviews by author, 2002 and 2003.

  However, there were still many rich people in America: History Detectives, PBS, season 7, episode 7, August 10, 2009.

  The Depression and Music: “The Music Industry,” The Great Depression—A Dupuis Web Quest, http://dupuisdepression.weebly.com/music.html; Kelly Mitchell, “Swing Music,” Music During the Great Depression (blog), http://musicduringthegreatdepression.blogspot.com/p/swing-music-of-great-depression-kelly.html.

  Vreeland’s Smooth-On Business: Tompkins Whittall, interview by author, January 4, 2003. Predictions of replacement of cast iron were made as early as February 8, 1888, in the American Engineer, 50. Cast iron still finds some application in industry, as well as in cookware.

  After Ambler, Gertrude made: Tompkins Whittall, interview by author, January 4, 2003; Heinemann, “The Great Depression in Virginia.”

  Politically, Gertrude found herself: Tompkins Whittall, interview by author, January 4, 2003.

  In spite of President Herbert Hoover: Manchester, Glory and the Dream, 83.

  “Take a method and try it”: Franklin D. Roosevelt, speech to Oglethorpe University, May 22
, 1932, http://newdeal.feri.org/speeches/1932d.htm.

  “One Roosevelt was one too many”: Tompkins Whittall, telephone interview by author, January 4, 2003.

  4: TRAVELING ABROAD

  For young women of wealth: Gertrude’s travels through Europe are from memories of Tompkins Whittall, interview by author, January 4, 2003.

  5: FINDING HER FOOTING

  True to her dream, she bought two Saanens: Whittall, From There to Here, 20.

  “GOATS AS A HOBBY”: New Zealand information is contained in an undated newspaper clipping in possession of Elizabeth Whittall’s granddaughter, Laura Whittall-Scherfee.

  In 1936 polio struck Elizabeth: Whittall, From There to Here, 75.

  She still considered goats her passion: Gertrude’s move to NYC was described by her sister Elizabeth Tompkins Whittall, interview by author, January 4, 2003.

  To help her father, and to “keep the money in the family”: Tompkins Whittall, interviews by author, 2002 and 2003.

  Why Gertrude Loved Goats: Cleon V. Kimberling, “Introductory Information on Pet Goats,” Goat World, www.goatworld.com/articles/goatsaspets/petgoats.shtml.

  Gertrude went apartment hunting: Manhattan telephone directory, 1939.

  The owner of her building, a Yale graduate: Ann Vreeland Wood, adopted daughter of Henry Silver, interview by author, January 15, 2003.

  “Deceit is a place to sit down”: Elizabeth Tompkins Whittall, interview by author, January 6, 2003.

  Henry wooed her ardently: Tompkins Whittall, interview by author, January 6, 2003.

  6: TAKING FLIGHT

  Reading the pages of the New York Times: “Historical Events in 1940,” On This Day, www.historyorb.com/events/date/1940.

  While America was struggling: Gilbert, A History of the Twentieth Century, 159–259.

  Japan’s government was under: Manchester, Glory and the Dream, 150.

  In the 1930s a majority of Americans: Manchester, Glory and the Dream, 207.

  Some American pilots: Merryman, Clipped Wings: The Rise and Fall of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) of World War II, 10.

  President Franklin D. Roosevelt convened: Manchester, Glory and the Dream, 290.

  It was probably at a dance: Elizabeth Tompkins Whittall letter to grandson Paul Whittall, 2010.

  her sister’s “one and only” love: Tompkins Whittall, interview by author, January 4, 2003.

  Gertrude’s first flight must have been: Cole, Women Pilots of World War II, 7.