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February 7

Take Flight with "History Alive"

7pm
H. Lee House Cultural Center
3205 Olive Street, Lemon Grove, CA 91945

Featured speaker Alexander D. Bevil will be discussing Angels at 7 o'clock, his illustrated story of pioneering women aviators who made history between World War I and the 1930s when aviation was in its infancy.

"Faced with gender bias, ridicule and sometimes outright sabotage, these 'First Ladies of Flight' had a single-minded determination to fly," said Bevil, who has been a California State Parks historian since 1998 and is the current president of the Congress of History of San Diego & Imperial Counties.

Women aviators flew bombers, carried out spy and rescue missions and tested aircraft, earning their wings alongside male pilots. One aviator, the late Isabelle McCrae, Lemon Grove, began flying in the 1930s and later trained on an AT-6 military plane as a WASP (Women's Airforce Service Pilots). See the attached photograph of McCrae in uniform; the latter is now in the San Diego Air & Space Museum, Balboa Park.

Bevil's own fear of flying -- he takes the train -- impelled him to research and document historic aviation crash sites in California State Parks. One, a World War II bomber crash site in Riverside County was nominated to the California Register thanks to Bevil. He is now working to nominate a 1922 military aircraft crash site at Cuyamaca Rancho State Park to the National Register of Historic Places. The SDSU graduate was formerly associated with the San Diego Architect's office, where he recorded many historic homes in San Diego neighborhoods. He has lectured widely and received numerous awards for his writing from the San Diego Historical Society and other organizations.

Questions and answers and refreshments will follow the presentation. The lecture series is free and suitable for ages 13 and over. For more information, call (619) 460-4353.

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