Foil: 25 Panel: 3 Column: 2 Line: 7
Wall of Honor Level: Air and Space Sponsor
Honored by:
Mr. Robert Moody
Darlene Stark Moody Aviatrix
In 1941, as a sophomore at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota, Darlene [1919-1996] learned to fly in an Aeronca and earned her private pilots' license. This was when very few women were licensed pilots. One of her flight school classmates was George McGovern [ later U.S. Senator and Presidential nominee]. Throughout World War II, Darlene... a lifetime aviation devotee... was employed at Randolph Field near San Antonio, Texas. On Cinco de Mayo, 1944, she married 1st Lt. Robert P. Moody [ later Colonel ] in the Randolph Chapel. He was a pilot instructor at Randolph from 1943 to 1946.
Two years before she fell victim to cancer, the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with their three sons, one daughter, and five grandchildren. On the day of her funeral, Darlene was honored with a fly-over by the South Dakota Air National Guard.
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