VIRGINIA MAE HOPE:
An Inventory of Her Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Hope, Virginia Mae, 1921-1944, creator. | |
| Title: | Virginia Mae Hope papers | |
| Dates: | 1941-1946. | |
| Abstract: | Clippings, orders, letters and memorabilia documenting the World War II service of this WASP (Women's Air Service Pilot), who few airplanes for the Army Air Forces Weather Wing out of Patterson Field (Fairfield, Ohio) in 1943-1944, and who died in a plane crash in December 1944. Also included are two student pilot rating books (1941), flight training photos and memorabilia (1943), and her flight log (1941-1944). | |
| Quantity: | 0.5 cubic feet (1 box, including 4 volumes). | |
| Location: | See Detailed Description section for shelf location. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Virginia Mae Hope was born August 17, 1921, the daughter of Robert Q. and Adaline A. Hope of Winnebago, Minnesota. Early in 1941, during a term at Northwestern University, she enrolled in a flight training course and obtained a pilot's license. In 1943 she enrolled in the Women's Air Service Pilots (WASP) and spent six months at its training camp in Sweetwater, Texas.
The WASP was part of the Army Air Forces' World War II civilian pilot recruitment program, instituted to free military pilots for combat duty. In September 1942, its Air Transport Command had created the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS), made up of experienced pilots, and also initiated a women's pilots' training program. On August 5, 1943, these two programs were merged as the WASP, under the direction of Jaqueline Cochran. After completing their training, most WASPs were assigned to the Air Transport Command, their main task being to ferry aircraft and supplies from base to base in the United States, although they eventually participated in other service missions. The WASP was deactivated on December 20, 1944, when military victories freed male pilots for non-combat missions.
Virginia Hope was assigned to Army Air Forces Weather Wing, 69th AAF Base Unit, at Patterson Field, Fairfield, Ohio, in November 1943. The Weather Wing at that time supervised all weather units assigned to the Army Air Forces. Her duties included ferrying Weather Service personnel and planes on military missions.
In November 1944, she secured a position in Oklahoma City ferrying surplus army planes to civilian airports for resale. On December 7, 1944, she and 16 other pilots were killed in a plane crash at Omaha, Nebraska.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Virginia Mae Hope Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 11,168; 12,263.
Processing Information:
Catalog ID number: 990017155150104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| Box | |||||||||||
| P1549 | 1 | Folder 1. Unbound papers, 1941-1946. | |||||||||
| The unbound papers consist of newspaper clippings and letters of commendation regarding Virginia Hope's flight training and her service with the AAF Weather Wing. There are orders and letters regarding her position as a WASP, which document her work as a military pilot. The papers also contain Hope's individual flight records. In addition, there are letters of condolence and official reports regarding her death, including a December 16, 1944, letter from Colonel W.O. Senter to Virginia's parents notifying them of her death, as well as letters and a certificate from officials of Northwestern University regarding its Gold Star Honor Roll memorial for alumni war dead. There is a letter to Hope from a friend at Patterson Field, and a letter to her parents reminiscing on her days at the WASP training camp in Texas. | |||||||||||
| Folder 2. Scrapbook, 1943. | |||||||||||
| Contains a scrapbook (largely undated) of photographs and memorabilia from her training period at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas. It consists largely of snapshots of camp students and personnel, most of them captioned. | |||||||||||
| Volumes 1 and 2. Student pilot rating books, March - June 1941. | |||||||||||
| Student pilot rating books evaluating Hope's flight training at Northwestern University. | |||||||||||
| Volume 3. Flight log, March 1941-July 1944. | |||||||||||
| Hope's flight log (with flight regulations) recording all her flight time from training days through July 1944. | |||||||||||
| Volume 4. WASP roster, June 20, 1945. | |||||||||||
| A roster of WASP pilots. The volume contains a dedication to WASP pilots killed in service, and lists the name of Virginia M. Hope. | |||||||||||
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Aerial operations.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Women
- Places:
- Women Airforce Service Pilots (U.S.).
- Avenger Field (Sweetwater, Tex.).
- Organizations:
- United States -- Army Air Forces -- Weather Wing.
- Occupations:
- Air pilots.
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