Foil: 17 Panel: 1 Column: 3 Line: 44

Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:

In 1940, Birdie Perkins Bomar, a registered nurse from Alabama, became one of nine nurses in Delta's first "stewardess'' training class. Hiring nurses was a marketing initiative to ease the concerns of fearful flyers and to provide care for those customers who experienced air sickness due to unairconditioned, non-pressurized cabins. Birdie served Delta's inaugural passenger flight, March 16, 1940, Atlanta to Ft Worth, onboard a 14-passenger DC-2.

During her lifetime (1913-2004) she created a legacy of dedication, enthusiasm, and service for six decades of Delta flight attendants. She was graceful, professional, adaptable, and proud of her work -- a real pioneer in aviation.