Amelia Earhart (right) standing with University of Illinois President Arthur Willard during her 1935 trip to campus.
“Woman Flier Makes a Hit” reads the title of an article printed in the March 22, 1935 Champaign-Urbana Courier. That “woman flier” was Amelia Earhart, who visited the University of Illinois campus as a lecturer sponsored by the Sigma Delta Phi sorority. Earhart is said to have charmed the audience at the University of Illinois Auditorium with “grace and humor.” During her lecture, Earhart discussed her reasons for flying, preparations for long flights, life-saving equipment, and her preference for liquid snacks while in flight. Amelia Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean July 2, 1937 during an attempt to circumnavigate the globe.
“Woman Flier Makes a Hit.” Champaign-Urbana Courier. March 22, 1935, page 2.
-Donica M.