Foil: 62 Panel: 3 Column: 4 Line: 53

Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Bonita Coffin

Flying became a part of Jeanne's life when she was just a young girl. Her father, Raymond Rauch, was a pilot, and he, his wife and Jeanne lived in a small house on the grounds of an airport on the south side of Chicago back in the early 1930?€™s.

It wasn't until the summer of 1963 however when Jeanne, a wife and mother to three children, decided to rekindle her love of flying. She began taking flight lessons at Wings Field in Richton Park, Illinois, and to pay for her lessons, she worked the desk and radio part-time at the small two runway airfield. Initially she was met with smirks from the men who questioned her abilities, but as time passed and she got her license, she gained their respect as a person who took flying seriously and was a heads-up pilot.

One flight showcased her pilot savvy. Asked by a fellow pilot to go up with her and another friend in the pilot's plane, Jeanne agreed. As they were gaining speed down the runway, Jeanne saw that they were fast approaching a grove of trees ahead and weren?€™t climbing quick enough to get over them. Jeanne sternly told the pilot to climb, but the pilot froze at the controls. Jeanne immediately took over and got them safely over the trees.

Jeanne's airplane of choice was either the Cessna 150 or 172. She so enjoyed taking members of her family or friends up to sightsee in the skies. Jeanne continued to fly up until the early 1980's and loved every moment of being a pilot.