Birdie
The True Story of Delta's First In-Air Stewardess
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
I walked back into the empty house and looked around at the clutter. I have my own type of filing system, which means the place is filled with papers, pictures and memorabilia on every table, in every nook and cranny; memories of family, my childhood, nursing, flying with Delta, Dick’s flying with Eastern, the many organizations we belonged to, out friends, the war, and all the years Dick and I lived here, sometimes fussing, but most of the time enjoying each other, always on the go, draining every drop of good times from the life we shared. I thought about a recent talk I had given at the Airport Marriott at a Delta luncheon for its flight attendants. It was quite a gathering. All the flight attendants who had ever flown with Delta were invited. Approximately a hundred and fifty showed up from near and far; fresh-faced young girls, older active attendants and retirees. I started recalling the early days of Delta, when I was one of the ten original stewardesses, the one chosen to go on the inaugural flight from Atlanta to fort Worth, becoming Delta’s first "in-air" stewardess by a crazy, mechanical fluke. I told one story after another to an enthusiastic audience and when the program was over, a number of the young girls crowded around and said, "You ought to write a book about your experiences, so everyone can know what it was like "back then", having to be a registered nurse in order to be a stewardess, living through World War Two and all the things that happened so long ago." I smiled and said, "I’m going to do just that." This was a repeat performance of requests made by many people throughout the country, through the years to put my experiences on paper and share a part of my life: growing up in Vernon, Alabama, the tribulations and rewards of being a nurse in the 1930’s, the continuing joyride of marriage with Dick, and what it was like in the practically prehistoric period of early commercial flight. This book is in response to those countless requests. The first chapters provide a glimpse of my early years, but the main body of the book is devoted to the time I left home in 1933 to become a nurse; my time with Delta, including the exciting inaugural flight of Delta’s stewardess service; my courtship with Dick, our unusual double wedding; his war injury during the invasion of Sicily, and our ultimate return to civilian life in 1945. May those who have survived this former time zone enjoy the memories. May the younger generation join in the laughter and tears as they learn about a by-gone era.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
BIRDIE
From the day she was born in the Alabama countryside, when the doctor was too drunk to function, Birdie’s life has been filled with the unusual. Many newspaper articles have been written about her. Reader’s Digest gave her its Valiant Pioneers Award for her work in the early era of the airline industry. One Delta executive described the book as a "fun read". It is a gentle, humorous life story, touched with pathos, a book about a bygone era, when people devoted their lives to love, honor, integrity, bravery and compassion, the principles that have made America strong.
This is a pleasant, easy-to-read book for young and old alike.
About the Author
BIRDIE
In 1968, she became a real estate agent with Northside Realty, where she met Birdie. Kathryn is currently with Jenny Pruitt & Associates Realtors.
She recalls: "The inspiration for this book arose from sharing office duty with Birdie on a quiet Saturday afternoon when there were few telephone calls and Birdie started talking about her experiences as an airline stewardess. Before the afternoon was over, my sides ached from the exertion of continuous laughter.
I said, "Birdie, you ought to write a book." She responded, "That’s what everybody says."
This book is the result of that delightful afternoon.