Group planning fly-in at Bucyrus airport wants to preserve memory of Lauretta Schimmoler

A second-annual fly-in planned at the Port Bucyrus-Crawford County Airport on Oct. 15 is part of an effort to preserve the memory of the woman who founded the airport − in a era when women didn't do that sort of thing.

Lauretta Schimmoler was living in Bucyrus when she learned to fly in the 1920s. She was one of the first women in the country to earn a pilot's license, according to previous Telegraph-Forum reports. She convinced the owner of an airport in Sycamore to move it to Bucyrus and became the first American woman to manage an airport. She was the first woman in the county to own a plane, too.

Later, she was the first secretary of the International Organization of Women Pilots, known as The Ninety-Nines, and was good friends with fellow aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. She had the idea to train nurses to fly into help in the wake of a disaster and established the Aerial Nurse Corps, which became the precursor of flight nurses. That led to her appearance in the movie "Parachute Nurse" in the role of Capt. Jane Morgan.

She died in 1981 and is buried in Bucyrus' Holy Trinity Cemetery.

"She was a good friend of Amelia Earhart and did all these other things, so we just want to start to promote that a little bit," Fischer said. "This is it; this is how this airport got started, because of her. It's pretty cool."

In addition to making the fly-in an annual event, event planners incorporated a nonprofit, the Lauretta Schimmoler Museum, said Fred Fischer, a spokesman for the group. It's in the process of seeking 501(c)3 status.

"We just want to let this be an annual event to promote the historical significance of the airport and her accomplishments, which are many," he said.

See flight suit, uniform, letters at Historical Society

The Bucyrus Historical Society has a good collection of items relating to Schimmoler, including her flight suit with "Bucyrus Institute of Aviation" on it, a nursing uniform she wore and an early 1960s letter from Department of Defense making her an honorary flight nurse and recognizing her as the founder of flight nurses in the armed services, Fischer said.

"We hope at some point to be better able to display some of that information and make people aware of the significance of our airport and promote it and the community," he said.

At this point, the Lauretta Schimmoler Museum exists only in name, though it has a website, www.laurettaschimmolermuseum.org.

"We're hoping to do something in a small display, here at the airport, maybe," Fischer said of immediate plans. Long-range, they'd like to see some sort of monument constructed at the airport.

The airport's administration building will have to be replaced at some point in the next few years; the nonprofit might be able to raise money to have a museum room included in that project.

When they planned the 2021 fly-in as part of the Bucyrus Bicentennial Celebration, organizers were considering whether to make it an annual event, Fischer said. He did three air shows at the airport in the 1980s, "but that's pretty complicated, with the way the airport's laid out."

"So we thought the fly-in would be really nice," he said.

Fly-in will include pancake breakfast

A full day of events has been planned for Oct. 15.

The Bucyrus Kiwanis Club will have a pancake breakfast 8 a.m.-noon in the Hord Family Farms Hangar. Cost is $8 per person, and children younger than 10 can eat for free.

Later in the day, bratwurst and other food will be offered by the Sons of American Legion and other food vendors.

A B-25, Champaign Gal, is scheduled to arrive at 9 a.m. For $5, people can tour the aircraft, he said. A TBF Avenger, a World War II Navy bomber, also is expected to be on hand.

Helicopter rides will be offered, and radio controlled planes will be on display. Hot air balloons will be on display, with a launch at 4 p.m. if the weather cooperates.

Informational presentations for pilots are scheduled. There also will be a presentation about Schimmoler and a screening of the movie featuring her.

"There's going to be a lot of activities," Fischer said. "It's an all-day event. We're hoping with the new taxiway and the weather cooperating, we'll get a little more fly-in traffic."

ggoble@gannett.com

419-559-7263

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Bucyrus fly-in, new nonprofit honor memory of Lauretta Schimmoler