Dawn Seymour

Dawn Seymour
Dawn Seymour at a commemorative event
Born	(1917-07-01)July 1, 1917
Died	July 18, 2017(2017-07-18) (aged 100)
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	Women Airforce Service Pilot

Dawn Seymour (July 1, 1917 - July 18, 2017) was an American pilot and member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots during World War II.[1] She would later lobby for military status for the Women Airforce Service Pilots as well as encourage recognition of their contributions to the war effort during World War II.

Early life

Seymour was born in Rochester, New York on July 1, 1917.

She was the first woman accepted into the Civilian Pilot Training Program at Cornell University.[2] In 1939, she earned a bachelor's degree from Cornell.[3]

During World War II

During World War II, Seymour was a Women's Airforce Service Pilot, or WASP at Buckingham Air Force Base in Florida.[4][5]

Later life

She actively campaigned for military status for the Women Airforce Service Pilots.[6]

Honors

Her 100th birthday party was celebrated at the opening reception of Women in Aviation International’s 2017 annual conference.[7]

Publications

• Seymour, Dawn, Clarice I. Bergemann, Jeanette J. Jenkins, and Mary Ellen Keil. Women Airforce Service Pilots, WWII: In Memoriam : Thirty-Eight American Women Pilots Gave Their Lives in Performance of Duty with the United States Army Air Forces 1942-1943-1944. Denton, Tex: Texas Woman's University Press, 1996. OCLC 34930045

Death and legacy

She died aged 100 on July 18, 2017.[8][9][10][11]

References

1. Sherwood, Julie. "Trailblazing World War II pilot Dawn Seymour dies at Canandaigua Lake home". MPNnow. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
2. Sherwood, Julie. "Trailblazing World War II pilot Dawn Seymour dies at Canandaigua Lake home".
3. "Ezra Update: Dawn Seymour '39 took to the skies during WWII". ezramagazine.cornell.edu.
4. "Ezra Update: Dawn Seymour '39 took to the skies during WWII". ezramagazine.cornell.edu. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
5. "Woman, 98, who flew B-17s in WWII, to appear at Wis. airshow". ABC7 Chicago. 22 July 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
6. Seymour, Dawn, and Rebecca Wright. Dawn Seymour: Oral History Transcript. Davis, CA: TechniType Transcripts, 1999. Part of the NASA Oral History Project at Cocoa Beach, Florida. OCLC 434080212
7. "WAI Celebrates 100th Birthday of WASP Dawn Seymour | Women in Aviation International". www.wai.org. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
8. "Dawn Seymour Obituary, S. Bristol, NY | Johnson-Kennedy Funeral Home, Inc., Canandaigua, East Bloomfield, New York". www.johnsonkennedy.com. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
9. "Female World War II pilot recently honored at air show dies at 100". CBS News. 20 July 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
10. KUCKO, JOHN (20 July 2017). "Remembering WWII veteran Dawn Seymour". ROCHESTERFIRST. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
11. "Dawn (Rochow) Seymour's Obituary on Rochester Democrat And Chronicle". Rochester Democrat And Chronicle. Retrieved 6 October 2017.

External links

• The Boundless Sky by Dawn Seymour. A 97 year old woman describes training young men for WWII combat as a WASP, with Moth Radio Extra: Full interview including photos. Veterans Day Special 2014. The Moth Radio Hour.