Honor the WASP
Women in Aviation International (WAI) members and friends will honor the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) by visiting their graves and leaving an appropriate decoration in the form of flowers or other remembrances. In its sixth year, the #HonorTheWASP program will be celebrated by Chicago’s Leading Edge Chapter.
Instructions: Outreach Director, Colleen La Plata, and Secretary, Sandra Krueger, will be meeting CLE members at the Cemetery entrance at 10:30am. Please consider bringing a flower to place at the gravesite. They do allow both real and silk flowers to be placed at the site. We will be bringing something with the above memoriam badge. To further spread the WASP recognition WAI asks us to take pictures and post to #Honorthewasp or email pictures to kmurphy@wai.org Contact Colleen at 630-338-6226 or Sandra at 773-742-3530 if you have any questions. We hope to see you there!
When: Monday, May 29, 2023 at 10:30am
Where: Bowmen Memorial Garden
(Kenilworth Union Churchyard)
211 Kenilworth Ave, Kenilworth, IL
Who: Caryl “Suds” Jones Stortz; Class 43-W-5
PLEASE JOIN YOUR CHAPTER FOR A PICNIC AFTER!!
CHICAGO’S LEADING EDGE PICNIC
When: Immediately following the burial site visit
Where: Gillson Park
Gillson Park, Wilmette, IL
Instructions: We will meet at the Gillson Beach House (circled in red on map). There is no admission price into the lakefront park, however, if you would like to go on the beach it is $16 a person. We will gather at a picnic area once everyone is there. Parking within the park is $20 for the day at General Parking (circled in red on map). There is street parking just outside the park for no cost. It is Memorial Day, so we do expect crowds. We may reserve a picnic area, but if unable please be prepared to bring chairs or picnic blankets. We will provide final details closer to Memorial Day. The following link will provide additional information about the park. https://wilmettepark.org/lakefront-gillson-park/
Please bring your own picnic lunches, snacks, drinks, etc.
Help WAI honor the WASP!
We have partnered with Texas Woman’s University to create a database of the WASP gravesites. Every known resting spot of a WASP has been added to a Spreadsheet and placed on a Google Map. Our team updates this document as we receive new information.
WAI members honor the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) every Memorial Day weekend by visiting their graves and leaving an appropriate decoration in the form of flowers or other remembrances.
In 2022, the National WASP WWII Museum marked its 80th birthday! We encourage members and chapters to post images on social media and use the hashtag #HonorTheWASP. and learn more about this annual WAI event.
