DONNA MYERS 1946 - 1954 EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, CORPORATE SECRETARY, CORPORATE ASSISTANT SECRETARY DEN Been meaning to write you but...you know how that goes. Regretfully, the Gone West of Donna Myers - wife of John Myers. She was the first licensed woman pilot in Colorado. She solo'd in a 1928 Curtiss "Fledgeling". Her flight instructor was Ray Wilson who started Monarch Air Lines (FAL predecessor). She was, at one time, the National Sec. of the 99's (a Womens' pilot group.) -Ace Avakian (1/30/03) Donna T. Myers died on Jan. 23, 2001 in Aurora, CO at age 85. She had been executive secretary to Ray Wilson and others. She was born Mar. 22, 1915 and started work at Monarch on Jan. 1, 1946. Her husband John was one of Monarch's original pilots. -Ken Schultz Database (8/9/03) A LITTLE HISTORY about Johnnie Myers" wife Donna DONNA MEYERS nee DONNA TRACEY In 1927, when a woman airplane pilot was called, "aviatrix", Donna Tracey received her pilot certificate. Donna was the first woman in the state of Colorado to be awarded this certificate. In those days, a lady pilot wore helmet and goggles and slacks. Later, she was happy that she could fly an airplane wearing a pretty flower dress. Donna was petite - five feet tall and weighing 95 pounds. She was the wife of our own Captain John A. Meyers, better known as Johnnie Meyers and incidentally… was six feet four inches tall. Donna learned to fly before Johnnie and was a member of the Ninety -Nines... the group of women pilots whose first president was Amelia Earheart. Donna served as International Secretary and International Membership Chairwoman of this group. The original roster was composed of Ninety-Nine when the group was formed in 1929...hence the name, "Ninety-Nines". When the Ninety-Nines would convene in San Diego to kick off the "Powder Puff Derby", Donna would he there to ‘see the race off". . . which was her way of saying that she was there in the cheering section, when the Powder Puff Derby got underway. The Powder-Puff Derby was/is the official All-Womens" Transcontinental Air Race and is a Ninety-Nines event but is open to non-members. At one time the Colorado Chapter was represented at the annual affair by Mrs. Peggy Ong, Mrs Mary Frenzel and Mrs. Pauline Meighen. Donna was a native of Colorado and began her airborne life in 1936 while working for the Ray Wilson Flying School. (The same Ray Wilson that started Monarch Air Lines.) Hard times made cash hard to come by so she received part of her pay of secretarial salary in flying lessons. To finance her ground training at the University of Colorado School of Aviation, she helped teach an airplane model building class at the Opportunity School. Donna credited her father with encouraging her interest in Aviation while she was still a youngster in Fort Morgan, Colorado. He, himself learned to fly after World War II. Donna"s mother was her first passenger. It was at the Ray Wilson Flying School that Donna met her husband Johnnie who was an Aerial Photographer for the U.S. Forest Service. After Johnnie became a pilot, he stayed on with Ray Wilson when Ray started Monarch Air Lines and later with the merger of Challenger Air Lines and Arizona Airways to become Frontier Air Lines. Ray Wilson was Donna"s flight instructor and the airplane she learned to fly and solo"d in was a Curtiss "Fledgling"… a biplane powered by a J6 Curtiss engine of 165 horsepower with a wingspan of thirty-nine feet first manufactured in 1929. This airplane was originally designed as a trainer for the United States Navy. -Ace Avakian in the Nov 2008 FARPA newsletter (11/22/08) JOHN A. MYERS Director - Special Operations in 1/1/70 FL Phone Directory Special operations were charters, etc. His wife Donna not shown in the directory. Nor is she in the 11/4/55 or 6/12/67 directories. I suspect she left the company when Ray Wilson did in 1955. -Jake Lamkins (11/11/08) I have been researching the aviation background of Donna Tracy Myers with the specific goal of determining when she obtained a pilot certificate and if she was the first women in the State of Colorado to obtain a Private License or among the first, since a number of publications claim different firsts. I contacted the Colorado Aviation Research Center, which is located in the Library/Archives of Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum located in the old Hangar No. 1, on the former Lowry Field, Denver, Colorado. Researcher Don Wipperman sent me information and documentation regarding Donna T. Myers which corrects some of the information found in various publications. I suggest that you contact Don Wipperman regarding her aviation career and request any information and documentation which could be entered in her web site comments section. I have included a copy of the letter Don sent to me. -Ken Schultz (11/22/08) Hi Ken, Thanks for the additional info on Donna. Am I right that she left FL when Ray Wilson did in 1955? -Jake Lamkins (11/22/08) Donna Tracy Myers.: CORPORATE POSITION RESUME Ray Wilson Inc. Incorporated January 24, 1938, in Colorado. Officers; Ray Wilson, President. Major F.W. Bonfils, Vice President. Donna Tracy, Secretary. Donna was Corporate Secretary of Ray Wilson Inc., until July 2, 1946, when the name of the Corporation was changed to Monarch Air Lines Inc., and Donna continued as Secretary of Monarch Air lines. 1947 - Annual Report. Monarch Air Lines. DIRECTORS: Frederick W. Bonfils, Chairman of the Board. Ray Wilson. Hal S. Darr, Frank Beiser, Emil N. Levin. OFFICERS: Hal S. Darr, President. Ray Wilson, Executive Vice President. Fredrick W. Bonfils, Vice President & Chairman of the Board. Emil N. Levine, Secretary & Assistant Treasurer. Jack M. Lewis, vice President of Operations. Donna Tracy Myers, Assistant Secretary. C.A. "Mac" Myhre, Treasurer. 1948 - Annual Report. Monarch Air Lines. DIRECTORS: Fredrick W. Bonfils, Chairman of the Board. Ray M. Wilson. Hal Darr. Frank Beiser. Emil N. levine. OFFICERS: Hal S. Darr, President. Ray M. Wilson, Executive Vice President. Fredrick W. Bonfils, Vice President & Chairman of the Board. Jack M. Lewis, Vice President of Operations. Emil N. Levine, Secretary & Assistant Treasurer. C.A. "Mac" Myhre, Treasurer. Donna Tracy Myers, Assistant Secretary. 1949 - No Annual Report issued. 1950 - Annual Report. Frontier Airlines. The Merger-Consolidation of Arizona Airways, Challenger Airlines, and Monarch Air Lines formed the new Corporation - Frontier Airlines - Incorporated in Nevada March 20, 1950. DIRECTORS: Hal S. Darr. Emil N. Levine. Glenn C. Taylor. Ray Wilson. Fredrick W. Bonfils. Fred Manning. Walter Walker. Del E. Webb. Matt Baird. Frank D. Beiser. William Felton. Sam Snead. OFFICERS: Hal S. Darr, President. C.A. "Mac" Myhre, Executive Vice President & Treasurer. Ray Wilson, Vice President of Operations. Donald A. Duff, Vice President of Sales & Public Relations. H.O. "Rocky" Nelson, Vice President, Regional. Emil N. Levine, Secretary. E. William Sexton, Assistant Treasurer. Donna Tracy Myers, Assistant Secretary. 1951 - Annual Report. Frontier Airlines. DIRECTORS: Hal S. Darr. Emil N. levine. Glenn C. Taylor. Ray Wilson. Fredrick W. Bonfils. Fred Manning. Walter Walker. Del E. Webb. Lo W. Linville. William Felton. C.A. "Mac" Myhre. OFFICERS: Hal S. Darr, President. C.A. "Mac" Myhre, Executive Vice President & Treasurer. Ray M. Wilson, Vice President of Operations. Emil N. Levine, Secretary. E. William Sexton, Assistant Treasurer. Donna Tracy Myers, Assistant Secretary. Donna Tracy Myers resigned as an Officer of Frontier Air Lines in 1951, Hal S. Darr being the President of Frontier. 1952 - Annual Report. Frontier Airlines. DIRECTORS: Hal S. Darr, Emil N. Levine, Glenn C. Taylor. Ray M. Wilson. Fredrick W. Bonfils. Louis E. Leverone. Walter Walker. Del E. Webb. Lo W. Linville. William Felton. C.A. "Mac" Myhre. E. b. "Ted" Slocum. OFFICERS: Hal S. Darr, President. C.A. "Mac" Myhre, Executive Vice president & Treasurer. Ray M. Wilson, Vice President of Operations. Emil N. Levine, Secretary. Joe E. Wagner, Assistant Secretary. E. William Sexton, Assistant Treasurer. John D. Lindsay, Manager of Traffic and Sales. L. Preston Blatter, Comptroller. -Ken Schultz (11/22/08) So interested in reading the latest Frontier News and, in particular the article and comments about Donna Myers. I went to work for FAL in 1953 and Donna was there then. Maybe she was just helping out in Flt. Control or Operations. I don't recall how far into 1954 she was around. -Marian Wells Badgley (6/2/09) Posted at FLacebook and the FL Club: DEN secretary Donna Myers' memorial webpage has been updated. http://FAL-1.tripod.com/Donna_Myers.html Post your remembrances of Donna. -Jake Lamkins (9/20/12) FLacebook and the FL Club: DEN executive secretary Donna Myers' memorial webpage has been updated. http://FAL-1.tripod.com/Donna_Myers.html Added a few items and updated the HTML. Donna may have worked for FL after her 1954 retirement date. The FL CU article from 1960 shows her. Perhaps she was a volunteer. -Jake Lamkins (11/16/15) FLacebook - FL Club Frontier Memorial Webpage Updated DONNA MYERS 1946 - 1954 EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, CORPORATE SECRETARY, CORPORATE ASSISTANT SECRETARY DEN http://FAL-1.tripod.com/Donna_Myers.html Added a photo and did some webwork. Post your remembrances of Donna. -Jake Lamkins (5/14/20)