Penn State celebrates Amelia Earhart

Levittown - More than 70 years after her disappearance over the central Pacific Ocean in 1937, Amelia Earhart has soared back into the American consciousness through the recently released biopic, "Amelia," starring Hilary Swank.But what the film fails to reveal to audiences is before the aviation legend earned her wings as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932, she earned a degree at the Ogontz School in Abington.Well almost. Earhart actually became an honorary graduate of the Class of 1930 after studying at the school from 1916 to 1918. It was in February of 1918 when she moved to Toronto to join in the war effort which helped launch her iconic career in the clouds. The learning institution turned into Penn State's Ogontz campus in 1950 and is now called Penn State Abington.And in an effort to capitalize on the film's release, the campus will present a program called, "Amelia Earhart: From the Ogontz School to Worldwide Fame" on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the Woodland Building.The free presentation will feature a discussion of the motion picture by Dr. Moylan C. Mills, a faculty member and film critic and professor emeritus of integrative arts. Visitors will be allowed to see archive photos of Earhart, her report card, and other documents related to her life and times at the finishing school.Two staff library staff members are also available to answer questions and elaborate on her life as a 20-year-old student. Before joining the faculty of Purdue University's acclaimed aviation department in 1935, Earhart studied general subjects at the Ogontz School like languages and literature. An excellent student, Earhart also played field hockey and basketball and served as senior class vice-president and secretary of the Ogontz Red Cross chapter. Library assistant Lil Hansberry, who is the archive coordinator for the event, said in addition to Earhart's passion for planes, she was also an independent thinker, willing to challenge established policies at Ogontz. In particular, Earhart fought against exclusionary sororities, as well as "secret sorority societies," that she felt excluded some students and went against the school's code.In response to Earhart's efforts, Abby Sutherland, headmistress and owner of the school, decided to disband the societies entirely. Earhart's was subsequently appointed to the Honor Board, created in part to prevent the sorority girls from disobeying the rules and continuing to meet. Entering her senior term in the fall of 1917 Earhart began planning for graduation, and composed the class motto: "Honor is the foundation of Courage." Earhart eventually went on to become the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross from Congress awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.But even after achieving worldwide fame, Hansberry said Earhart often returned to the Ogontz School for various events."I just think she was a trailblazer and woman of great honor and courage," said Hansberry. "It's also special that Ogontz got to contribute to her early years."However, it was Earhart's disappearance that turned the pilot into an icon. During her attempt to circumnavigate the globe in a Purdue-funded Lockheed L-10 Electra, Earhart mysteriously vanished over the Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. And for those who still wonder what happened on her tragic trek, Mills will also be retracing the flight to help shed some light on some of the theories and misconceptions about her disappearance.Rich Pietras can be reached at 215-345-3119 or rpietras@phillyBurbs.com. On the Weblibraries.psu.edu/digital/ogontz/alumnae.html#earhartIf you goWhat: "Amelia Earhart: From the Ogontz School to Worldwide Fame"When: Sunday at 2:30 p.m.Where: 112 Woodland Building, Penn State AbingtonOn the heels of a recently released biopic, Penn State Abington will celebrate its connection to the famed aviatrix with a program Sunday called, "Amelia Earhart: From the Ogontz School to Worldwide Fame."

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