Born: 28 September 1921, United States
Died: 24 June 2017
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Mary Jean Barnes
The following is republished from HistoryLink.org, in line with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Mary Barnes Sturdevant (b. 1921) was born and raised in Tacoma. Because she was poor, the women’s pilot program represented a great opportunity for her to become a pilot. Her wartime flying experience included surviving a crash in a basic trainer. She was flying with another trainee when the plane’s engine died. The aircraft broke apart and crashed. The other trainee was permanently disabled while Mary Barnes recovered from her injuries.