It has been 80 years since Amelia Earhart disappeared while attempting to become the first woman to fly around the world. Despite extensive search efforts and investigations, her plane was never found, and her fate remains a mystery to this day. However, the legacy of Amelia Earhart has lived on through her beloved sister, Grace Muriel Earhart Morrissey, affectionately known as “Pidge.”
Pidge was just two years younger than Amelia and idolized her older sister. As children, the two sisters would often play together, exploring their grandparents’ property in Kansas and dreaming of adventure. It was Amelia who sparked Pidge’s interest in aviation, taking her on her first plane ride when she was just six years old. From that moment on, Pidge was hooked.
Despite the challenges that women faced in the male-dominated field of aviation, Amelia Earhart became a trailblazer, setting records and inspiring generations of women to follow in her footsteps. However, her disappearance on July 2, 1937, while attempting to fly around the world, left her family and the world devastated.
Pidge, who had always been close to her sister, was especially affected by Amelia’s disappearance. She spent years searching for any clues or evidence that might shed light on what had happened to her sister. She even wrote a book, “The Search for Amelia Earhart,” detailing her efforts to find answers.
Despite the lack of conclusive evidence, Pidge believed that her sister had survived the crash and may have even lived for a time on a remote island in the Pacific. In the years following Amelia’s disappearance, Pidge would travel to the region multiple times, searching for any signs of her sister or her plane.
Pidge’s dedication to her sister’s legacy did not end with her search efforts. She continued to work tirelessly to promote aviation and inspire young women to pursue their dreams. She established the Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship Fund, which has provided financial support to hundreds of women seeking careers in aviation.
Pidge also worked to preserve Amelia’s legacy, collecting and archiving materials related to her sister’s life and career. She donated much of this material to Purdue University, where Amelia had been a faculty member and where the Amelia Earhart Archive now resides.
Pidge passed away in 1998, but her legacy lives on through the countless women she inspired and the ongoing efforts to solve the mystery of Amelia Earhart’s disappearance. In recent years, there have been new developments in the search for Amelia’s plane, including the discovery of potential wreckage on the ocean floor near the Pacific island of Nikumaroro.
Early and Later Lives of Earhart Sisters:
Amelia Mary Earhart was born in Atchison, Kansas, in 1897, and was the second child of Samuel “Edwin” Stanton Earhart and Amelia “Amy” Otis Earhart. Her younger sister, Grace Muriel Earhart, who went by the nickname “Pidge,” was born in 1899. The two sisters were close, and Pidge was often Amelia’s confidante and supporter throughout her life.
Amelia had a love for adventure from a young age, and her interest in flying was sparked when she attended a stunt-flying exhibition with a friend in 1920. She took her first flying lesson in January 1921 and earned her pilot’s license just six months later. In 1928, she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, earning her international fame.
Meanwhile, Pidge had pursued her own passions, becoming a social worker and then a businesswoman. She married Albert Morrissey in 1931 and the couple had two children. Pidge remained close to Amelia, and the two sisters frequently corresponded and visited each other despite living on opposite coasts of the United States.
In 1937, Amelia embarked on a historic round-the-world flight with her navigator, Fred Noonan, but their plane disappeared somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, and they were never found. Pidge was devastated by the loss of her sister and spent the rest of her life trying to preserve Amelia’s legacy. She founded the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum in Atchison, Kansas, and worked tirelessly to promote Amelia’s achievements and to find answers to the mystery of her disappearance.
In the years following Amelia’s death, Pidge continued to be a trailblazer in her own right. She became one of the first women to serve on the New York Stock Exchange, and she worked to support women’s rights and promote the advancement of women in business. She also remained involved in aviation, serving as a member of the board of the Ninety-Nines, an organization of female pilots founded by Amelia.
Pidge died in 1998 at the age of 98, but her legacy and dedication to preserving Amelia’s memory lives on. The Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum is still open to visitors, and the search for answers to Amelia’s disappearance continues to this day.
In conclusion, the enduring mystery of Amelia Earhart has captured the imagination of people around the world for decades. Her pioneering spirit and determination continue to inspire women to break barriers and pursue their dreams, just as she did. And thanks to the dedication of her beloved sister, Pidge, her legacy will continue to live on for generations to come.
