Born in Booneville, Missouri, February 16, 1929, Vera Lou (Ohlendorf) Yoest became the first woman to "solo" at the Sullivan, Missouri, Municipal airport. The flight took place on October 22, 1961, in a Cessna 150. In reporting the event, the Sullivan Tri-County News stated that she was also "believed" to be the first woman in Franklin County, Missouri, to have accomplished the feat. Though there was another woman resident of the county who was a licensed pilot, she would not have accomplished her initial solo flight there, as there had been no airports in Franklin County up to the time. In fact, the Sullivan airport was actually located in Crawford County, though Ms. Yoest was a resident of Franklin County. Vera Yoest died on June 20, 2014, at her home in Sullivan. She was 85.