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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1960)
OPEN MONDAY AND FRIDAY 'TIL 9 P.M. WHITE GOODS H FIRST STEWARDESSES These eight women pioneered stewardess service in 1930 when they began their duties on the San Francisco - Chicago route of Boeing Air Transport, a forerunner to United Air Lines. At top, left, is Ellen Church, who originated the idea. She is now administrator of a hos pital at Terre Haute, Ind. (UPI Telephoto) 1960 Marks 30th Anniversary Of Stewardesses With Airlines Washington-UPD - The air lines should be planning something special in the way of a celebration in 1960 it marks the 30th anniversary of the airlines stewardess. It was in 1930 that Boeing Airlines (later to become United Airlines) hired the first cabin attendant in com merclal aviation. The idea was born in the mind of a Boeing official who was on a rough flight from San Francisco to Reno, Nev. The pilot and co-pilot were busy trying to keep the wings level, so the official took over their job of handing out cof fee and sandwiches to anyone still well enough to swallow, Why not, thought the of ficial, hire stewards to per form this chore? Nurses Proposed He passed this suggestion n to Boeing's top brass. But the brass were busy ponder ing another suggestion this one from a young San Fran cisco nurse named Ellen Church. She had proposed that the airline hire nurses s flight attendants, because of the airsickness problem. . Boeing put the ideas to gether and took the plunge. It told Miss Church to hire nurses for the San Francisco Chicago run on a three-month trial basis. She was to observe certain standards: each girl was to be no more than 25 years old, weigh no more than 115 pounds or be taller than 5 feet, four inches. The salary would be $150 a month for 100 hours of ilying. (The average stewardess now earns about $300 for flying 80 hours a month.) Pilots Stunned If management was skepti cal, the pilots were stunned and furious. Adding a woman to the crew, they argued, was about as sensible as removing one of the wings. But the trial period was ordered anyway. To everyone's surprise except Miss Church's, the stewardess plan was a huge success. There was something about the uniformed girls going about their business calmly and efficiently that made male passengers (air trips in those days were about 98 per cent male) feel ashamed of being afraid. And fear of fly ing was the biggest handicap the infant airline industry had to combat. As the airlines expanded, the supply of registered nurses who also were willing to fly for a living became somewhat short. By the 1940s, most air lines had waived the nurse requirement (Trans - Canada Airlines was the last carrier to drop the rule, in 1957). Also, the airlines were setting up their own stewardess train ing schools in the realization that a girl could be an effi cient cabin attendant without needing the medical knowl edge of a nurse. And finally, airsickness was becoming rarer. Jobs Essential Today, there are about 8,000 stewardesses working for the domestic airlines. Their jobs are officially deem ed essential by the Civil Aero nautics Board whose regula tions include a provision that every plane carrying 10 or more passengers must have 'a flight attendant. Their two-to-four-week training courses include emergency procedures as well as passenger service. Most airlines call their We Give GREEN STAMPS CENTRAL REXALL DRUG Mjm and Central I girls stewardesses, but a few refer to them as hostesses. Un til a few years ago, they had to quit if they got married but a couple of airlines, plagued by the stewardess turnover problem, are letting a few girls who married pilots stay on the job. The average stewardess lasts only about 20 months with an air line, the majority of them leaving to get married. Ellen Church, the nurse who started the whole thing, flew with United for only a year and a half. She is now administrator of the Union Hospital in Terre Haute, Ind. Pilots Concede Pilots, who once put stew ardesses in the same category as engine failure, now con cede the girls are a vital part of commercial aviation. They will play jokes on new "stews" (such as the captain who got the LaGuardia Air port public address system Jobs Abandoned, Newspapers Feel Portland - (UPD - Manage ments of the Oregon Journal and the Oregonian said that they feel members of the Port land Web Pressmen's Union No. 17 have abandoned their jobs. The union disagreed. A letter sent to the union said that because of the ab sence of members since the j start of the strike they were ! no longer employes of the newspapers. Harold D. Bamberg, chair man of the union's negotiating committee, replied by tele gram that the local "empha tically disagrees" its members have termined their employment. to broadcast that "Stewardess Jones is loaded and ready for immediate departure"), but they have a healthy re spect for their feminine crew members. Almost every pilot, for ex ample, knows the story of Stewardess Mary Frances Housley of National Airlines. She was working a flight on a DC-4 that crashed while landing at Philadelphia in 1951. The plane caught fire. The official Civil Aeronautics Board report on the accident contains these words: "One pilot escaped through the front cargo door, the oth er through the sliding cockpit window. Their attempts to as sist the stewardess, still in the cabin, with the evacuation of the passengers were unsuc cessful due to the intense heat already existing in the area of the main cabin exit, which prevented them from ! getting close to it. The stew-' ardess, who opened the main cabin door, advised everyone to remain calm and rendered the utmost assistance to all, was highly praised by the passengers who escaped for her courageous efforts . . ." Rescue workers later found the body of Stewardess Mary Frances Housley in the charred cabin. She never even tried to get out. All UNION BARBER SHOPS Will Be CLOSED SATURDAY JANUARY 2 Local 269 JBIU Your present lenses mounted in new, beautiful frames ... "while you wait" ... and at very little cost, too! Captivating eyeframes from the largest collection ever offered in this area. Newest colors and shapes from European and Domestic designers and craftsmen. Skilled, fashion wise disoensers to help you. Visit the : office nearest you. Wo Appohfnwrt Hft,4 CavMt Credit Wt giv Grt Stanpt 6tt SStH fCAX COLUMBIAN OPTICAL CO. MEDFORD SHOPPING CENTER Phon SP 2-9990 casual shopping with convenient parking A A It's that wonderful time of the year to stock up and save household linens. 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