Mary Elizabeth Owens, of Ft. Worth, TX, was one of the first women in the nation ever to hold the coveted Air Transport rating; was a qualified Civil Aeronautics Administration inspector; and a member of the Ninety-Nines. Mary learned to fly as a teenager, when common trainers were fabric-covered bi-wingers. She competed five times for a Women-Fliers Endurance record in 1934 at the Chicago World’s Fair. She taught trainees for the Army, Navy and Marine Corps during WWII, and on the ground found time to be an accomplished concert pianist in the Southwest.