Solange was born in Chicago in 1915 and moved with her family to Rockford, Illinois in 1917 across the street from what became Machesney Field in 1927. She graduated from Muldoon High School and attended the College of St. Teresa at Winona, Minnesota, and Rockford College. While at Rockford College she was a member of the Catholic Woman’s League and employed in the civilian personnel office at Camp Grant. In 1935, Solange developed her interest in aviation through the Junior Birdmen, a club created by Hearst Newspapers, to boost junior interest in flying by building model airplanes. She learned to fly at Machesney airport, where she earned her private pilot’s license and was active in the CAP. Solange aspired to be a commercial pilot which required 200 hours of flight time, a wide knowledge of navigation, meteorology, and flying regulations.
Solange began a 50-year career as a licensed Realtor and a member of the social sorority Beta Sigma Phi. She was a charter member of the Las Vagas chapter of the 99’s in the late 1940s and the first woman on the Clark County Commission’s Aviation Committee overseeing airport operations and expansion.
Written by: Ann Haub | Collections Director
Photos courtesy: National WASP WWII Museum Archives
Archives Contact:
Partner with the WASP Archive in achieving its mission to collect, protect, preserve, and provide access to materials that chronicle the WASP story, its legacy, and the personal and professional lives of its pilots. New artifacts are always welcome. Please call Ann Haub at 325-235-0099 or by emailing her at ann@waspmuseum.org.