It’s 1961. You’re a 24-year-old pilot. You’re additionally considered one of 13 girls chosen to endure the rigorous testing that the Mercury 7 astronauts went by. You and all of your friends move, enormously defying everybody’s expectations. Most individuals would dine out on this story for the remainder of their lives. Gene Nora (pronounced Jenora) Stumbough Jessen, nevertheless, isn’t “most individuals.”
Known as the Girl in House Program, the testing was performed independently by Dr. William Randall “Randy” Lovelace and Brig. Gen. Donald Flickinger, to check feminine pilots for astronaut health. Regardless of the optimistic outcomes, the Lovelace Program was cancelled. To Jessen this was merely one fascinating week out of a life filled with many such weeks. For it to nonetheless generate such curiosity was, effectively, a bit disconcerting to her. In response to a trainer’s letter asking her concerning the expertise, Jessen writes that it was “no particular accomplishment. I used to be younger and match and the timing was proper… The truth is, it’s somewhat embarrassing to cope with the hoopla generated about that long-ago program.” She was additionally fast to level out that that they “have been a analysis group – undoubtedly not ‘girls astronauts’” and generally even referred to herself as an “astroNOT.”
A title that Jessen would proudly declare, nevertheless, was that of pilot. And never simply any pilot, an extremely achieved one. Born in Springfield, Illinois, in 1937, Jessen joined the Civil Air Patrol whereas in eleventh grade, finally incomes her non-public pilot license at age 19. She paid her tuition on the College of Oklahoma by instructing flying classes, turning into the primary feminine flight teacher on the faculty. Unable to get time without work work, she was compelled to give up her job to take part within the Lovelace Program. As soon as the coaching was over, she landed her “dream job of all dream jobs” at Beech Plane in 1962. There, she flew “model new airplanes, your entire line of subtle gear.” One in all her first duties was to fly the most recent mannequin, the Musketeer. Jessen, together with pilots Joyce Case and Mike Gordon, flew the planes in formation for 90 days, overlaying over 40,000 miles in all 48 contiguous states. They have been marketed as “The Three Musketeers.” Jessen and Case have been the one girls pilots flying for an plane producer on the time. There, she additionally met and married Leland Robert “Bob” Jessen (1925-2020), a B-29 pilot throughout World Struggle II. They relocated to Idaho and opened their very own Beech dealership and had two youngsters, Briana and Taylor. The couple later established an aviation insurance coverage firm.
Jessen was additionally a prolific writer. She wrote 5 books about aviation, together with The Fabulous Flight of the Three Musketeers, Amelia Was Proper, and Sky Ladies: The True Story of the First Girl’s Cross-Nation Air Race. She was additionally a daily columnist for The Northwest Flyer and The Idaho Statesman. Within the latter e-book, she interviewed most of the authentic pilots who flew on this historic race in 1929.
Regardless of her humility, feminine astronauts did think about her a pioneer. Astronaut Barbara Morgan wrote, “Gene Nora, you’re sitting on my shoulder right here every single day. Thanks.” She additionally corresponded with shuttle astronaut Linda Godwin, (who flew on STS-108, STS-76, STS-59, and STS-37) and was invited by Eileen Collins to attend the launch of STS-63. Jessen saved an in depth scrapbook of the thrilling day. This, together with 8 cubic ft of fabric from Jessen’s life, is now obtainable for analysis on the Smithsonian’s Nationwide Air and House Museum Archives.
