Betty Chambers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Elizabeth Maxine Cramsey August 25, 1920 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | May 11, 1961 (aged 40) Los Angeles, California U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Elizabeth Black |
| Occupation | Women Airforce Service Pilots |
Elizabeth Maxine Chambers (August 25, 1920 − May 11, 1961)[1] was one of the first female pilots in the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program in which women took on non-combat flying duties so more male pilots were available for combat.[2][3] She was in WASP Class of 44-W-3 as part of the 318th Army Air Forces Flying Training Detachment.[4][5] She became a pilot shortly after her husband lost his life while flying, despite the fact that she had a new baby,[2] and was the only recent widow and mother to have served as a WASP.
Chambers was born in Los Angeles, California, to Samuel Cramsey and Gertrude Cramsey (née Hulse).[6] She grew up in Hollywood, California.[7][8][9]
Prior to World War II Chambers worked for the Walt Disney Company and Universal Pictures, where she did post-production work that involved inking outlines for cartoon celluloid cells in preparation for painting during the picture process stage of film production.[3][7][10]
Chambers was married to Robert William Chambers, a United States Army pilot who had previously worked at Lockheed in the engineering department.[11] Later, during her service as a WASP, Chambers would be sent on a mission to tour a Lockheed plant.[12]
In 1942 during the war, Robert was killed in an aircraft crash.[13] After his death, Chambers and her baby moved in with her parents and she got a job as a telephone operator at Southern California Telephone Company.[3]
Chambers applied to be a WASP. She said: "Just the day before [my husband's] accident Bob had heard about the WASPs and he wanted me to fly ... in fact, he wanted to teach me, but it didn't work out that way. I love flying as he did, and I hope to be able to replace a man to do the job that Bob wanted to do."[10] She entered training on October 4, 1943, and graduated on April 15, 1944.[14]
Chambers trained at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas, and then was sent to Turner Field in Albany, Georgia. She then attended the Army Air Force Tactical School in Orlando, Florida.[2][3] Chambers was stationed at Greenwood Army Air Field in Greenwood, Mississippi.[15] At Greenwood, Chambers accrued over 420 hours of flight time up until December 20, 1944.[16]
As a pilot she flew North American AT-6 advanced trainers, PT-17 biplane primary trainers, Beechcraft AT-10 twin-engineer trainers, and the BT-25.[17]
Chambers' service ended when the WASP program was disbanded at the end of 1944.[2]
After the war, Chambers worked at American Airlines at LaGuardia Airport in New York City until 1946. She eventually lost touch with the WASP community, a close-knit group who often held reunions and get-togethers.[18]
On November 2, 1977, President Jimmy Carter passed Public Law 95-202, which gave those that served in the WASP program military veteran status. They were previously considered civilians.[2] In July 2009, President Barack Obama signed a bill that gave the WASPs the Congressional Gold Medal.[19][20]
In 1941, Chambers married Robert William Chambers, a United States Army pilot.[11] Their son, Robert Michael "Mike" Chambers, who was born in 1942, was in the 1943 movie Heaven Can Wait, playing Don Ameche's character as a baby.[10][21][22]
In 1947, she married Robert Edward Black, a lumberman.[6] She died in 1961.
