Katharine Stinson
Katharine Stinson (1917-2001) was an American aeronautical engineer and the Federal Aviation Administration's first female engineer. Early life Born in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, 14 years after the Wright Brothers made their first flight on North Carolina's Outer Banks, Stinson loved airplanes. A ride from famed aviator Eddie Stinson (no relation) when she was 10 years old solidified her goal of learning to fly. While working as a mechanic's assistant at the Raleigh Municipal Airport at age 15, Stinson met Amelia Earhart. When Stinson told Earhart about her flight training, Earhart encouraged her to study engineering instead, telling her that she would never make enough money as a pilot. Education Stinson took Earhart's advice, and enrolled in physics classes in high school and applied to the engineering program at North Carolina State College. Stinson's 1936 application to the engineering school was declined by Dean Wallace Riddick who met with her explaining that the college would not accept women as freshmen. Stinson responded by accepting a scholarship to nearby Meredith College where she completed all 48 required credit hours in a single year. Women engineer supporter Blake R Van Leer accepted admitted her and encouraged other women to join the engineering program.