by Patricia Korzec
Eleanor Watterud Wagner was born November 29, 1914, in Portland, Oregon. After her family moved to Long Beach, California when she was 15, it didn't take long for her and her brother to discover Long Beach's airport, Daugherty Field. During their frequent trips to the airport, they were amid many history-making aviation people, including Gladys O'Donnell, one of the charter members of The Ninety-Nines. This was an era of thrill-seeking moviemakers, and the airport was often filled with stunt pilots and Hollywood stars such as Buddy Rogers, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, who were making movies such as "Hell's Angels" and "Wings."
Eleanor's first airplane ride was in 1932 in a replica of the "Spirit of St. Louis." She always remembered how far down into the depths of the sea she could see as they flew over the ocean. From that day on her head was in the clouds.
She applied for a job with TWA in the communications department and became acquainted with Howard Hughes on the telephone. He would frequently call to make reservations for his friends and the movie starlets he was promoting at the time. Eleanor took a leave of absence from TWA during WWII to get enough qualifying flying hours to join the WASPS (Women Air Service Pilots). She trained as a WASP, but the program was cancelled before her class graduated.
During the post-war time, the private aviation business boomed, and women were needed for management of the burgeoning G.I. schools. Eleanor kept up her own flying while learning about fixed-base operations and flight training techniques.
While working for Alamo Airlines, she borrowed a Cessna to fly to Palm Springs to visit some friends. This was March of 1950 and while parked overnight at the Palm Springs Airport, she felt the 'lure of the desert...the air was crisp and dry." She soon was offered a job in the G.l. Flight Training Program at the Palm Springs Airport. It was nothing but runways, sage brush, and barracks buildings left from the Air Transport Commands wartime operation.
Working with two ex-WASP's, she became coordinator of flight activities. On weekends, Eleanor took flights around the Coachella Valley to get acquainted with its pristine beauty and the then untouched plants and wildlife.
In yet another whirlwind experience, Eleanor left the desert to take a job in Las Vegas as an editor for Las Vegas Life, and to reconnect with Alamo Airways. This was short-lived and she returned to the desert in 1951 to become the manager of the Thermal Airport.
Eleanor was a "lone" woman in the business with little operating money, living in a room in the hangar near her office where she was a fixed-base operator and airport manager. As she worked towards a personal dream of starting a flight school, she gradually made improvements to the original site. The snack bar she added became quite popular with inhabitants of the desert. Monthly meetings were held in the hangar by an Air Force Reserve Unit and the local chapter of The Ninety-Nines. Eleanor also formed a Wing Scout Group for high school girls who learned about aviation and took indoctrination flights. They had hangar dances and flying events that attracted people from as far away as Arizona and Nevada. There was so much camaraderie that she was never lonely.
The Cochran Ranch kept things buzzing. When Jacqueline Cochran and Floyd Odlum came for the winter months, there were always people who flew to meet them on business or to play golf. Jimmy Doolittle, General Chuck Yeager, and General Carl Spatz flew in on a regular basis, and movies were filmed there, including part of the Sky King series and "Hollywood Stunt Pilot."
Most of Eleanor's flying at Thermal was done for photographers, prospectors, fisherman, some of the ranchers looking for lost cattle or horses, or just general sightseeing trips around the Valley. She would take the door off her Aeronca plane, and Roy Gillman, a well-known photographer in Indio, would sit with his foot on the strut. To get a vertical shot, Eleanor would pull her airplane up into a stall and roll over quickly on the side so Roy could take his photographs straight down.
In addition to the general airport operations, Eleanor had to perform such jobs as gassing up the airplanes, sweeping the large hangar, keeping the stored airplanes all clean, she had to do her own office work. Although it was not an easy way to make a living, she was able to keep her head above water for the duration. She credited the Riverside County Board of Supervisors for providing her with much help. "They were considerate of a lone woman who wanted the job just to help keep airports and aviation alive!"
After having lived a life full of adventure, Eleanor died in Palm Springs on November 6, 2011. Everything she did, she did with great heart and soul.
The Periscope, a series available on Amazon:
The Periscope includes a series of engaging publications that detail the rich history of the Coachella Valley. From life as a pioneer, the growth of the date industry, all the way to the Salton Sea saga, and much more, the stories bring to life the desert region of Southern California. Written under the umbrella of the Coachella Valley Historical Society (dba Coachella Valley History Museum), books in the series tell the stories of the innovators who helped to make the vibrant region what it is today.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Dr. Priscilla Porter is the Co-Director of the Porter History-Social Science Resource Center at the Palm Desert Campus of California State University San Bernardino and a volunteer at the Coachella Valley History Museum. A former elementary school teacher, she is the author of many popular curriculum guides for teachers.
Professional gratitude is extended to the contributing authors: Patricia Korzec, Renee Brown, Diana P. Kitagawa, Rod Hendry, Julia Sizek, and Patricia Laflin. Credit is extended to Eduardo Contreras for the cover design.
This is the first book in The Periscope series from the Coachella Valley Historical Society (dba Coachella Valley History Museum). Additional books in the series will be available SOON. To hear about the latest books, sign up for the exclusive New Release Mailing List by sending an email to prisporter@aol.com. You’ll be glad you did!
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