Evelyn Sharp (aviator)

Evelyn Genevieve "Sharpie" Sharp (October 1, 1919 – April 3, 1944) was an American airplane flier.

 Early life 
She was born Lois Genevieve Crouse on October 1, 1919 in Melstone, Montana. She was adopted by John and Mary Sharp two months later, on December 22, 1919 and her name was changed to Evelyn Genevieve Sharp. 

The Sharps moved to Ord, Nebraska in 1924. They opened a grocery store.

 Introduction to flying 
In 1935, Jack Jefford opened a flying school in Ord and rented a room from the Sharps. At one stage, he could not pay his rent. He taught Evelyn how to fly.Sharpie: The Life Story of Evelyn Sharp, by Diane Ruth Armour Bartels

Sharp received her commercial pilot's license when she was eighteen years old. She started teaching other people to fly when she was 20 years old. She helped over 350 men learn to fly.

She was one of the first American women to fly airmail. She delivered letters and other mail by flying it from place to place. The first American female airmail pilot was Katherine Stinson.http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/stinson_bio.html

 Death 
Sharp died on April 3, 1944 in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Her plane lost an engine on takeoff and crashed. She was 24 years old.

She is buried in Ord, Nebraska, where a public airfield, the Evelyn Sharp Field Airport, has been named for her. Every June, Ord celebrates Evelyn Sharp Days in her honor.

In 1992, Sharp was inducted into the Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame.

 Related pages 
 Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP)
 United States Army Air Forces

 References 

 Other websites 

Category:1919 births
Category:1944 deaths
Category:Accidental deaths in Pennsylvania
Category:American aviators
Category:People from Montana