Dorothy (Hester) Stenzel Collection

Title

Dorothy (Hester) Stenzel Collection

Description

The Dorothy (Hester) Stenzel Collection contains scrapbooks, manuscripts and photographs documenting Stenzel's career as one of the first female stunt pilots. The materials primarily date from 1929-1933, the height of Stenzel's fame.

At the beginning of the collection are several assorted textual materials, including maintenance log books for her Great Lakes (1929) Model 2T-1A (NC315Y) and its American Cirrus engine (serial number 3002). The February 1932-December 1932 maintenance log book includes a note from Tex Rankin on the inside cover that certifies that this book replaced one lost on or around February 20, 1932. Additionally, there is a blue composition notebook [currently on exhibit] used by Tex Rankin and Dorothy Hester during flights. Because of the noise of the engines, the only way to communicate during flights was to write notes to each other in the notebook and pass it back and forth. Assorted documents such as flight planning notes, a promotional brochure for Rankin's flying school, and a letter from Stenzel to her sister, Helen, that discusses completing 62 loops and the death of a fellow barnstormer are also included. There are also two copies of an information packet about the development of the aviation industry sent to both Dorothy Hester and her husband, Robert Hofer, by the Bureau of Air Commerce.

Additionally, there are seven (7) black-and-white photographs, one of which is a very large panoramic group portrait taken at the May 1931 Omaha Air Races. There is an accompanying sheet that identifies several of the people in the shot, including Stenzel. The remaining six (6) are various portraits of Dorothy Hester.

The bulk of the collection consists of seven (7) scrapbooks, six (6) of which were likely created by Stenzel. All but one of the scrapbooks are in various stages of dissassemblage. Four have no cover, but are still bound together, while two include the covers but are not bound. The final scrapbook is fully bound with a cover and was given to Stenzel by Vernon and Dorothy Cady, who created it.

The scrapbooks focus on Stenzel's career, mostly covering the 1920s-1930s, although some later dates appear. The scrapbooks are primarily clippings from a wide array of publications. Duplication of the clippings occurs as many appeared in multiple publications. Also included is correspondence to and from sponsors and vendors, event organizers, and friends, and printed ephemera, such as event passes and tickets, programs, and ribbons. Topics cover aviation events, such as races and derbies, obituaries, news events, and articles primarily focused on Stenzel's aerial stunts, but also touching on other notable aviators, such as Tex Rankin, Ruth Nichols, Wiley Post, Ernst Udet, Boleslaw Orlinksi, and R.L.R. Atcherley, to list just a few.

The last scrapbook covers the 1931 National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio. It includes a total of eighty (80) black-and-white photographs, forty (40) of which are printed with a caption in the front center of the image. The caption relates to the opposing photograph. The photographs depict Stenzel, some aircraft (mostly obscured), and other pilots and participants, such as Alford J. Williams, Mario de Bernardi, and Alois Kubita. There is also an image depicting Stenzel with Dorothy Cady.

At the end of the collection are twenty-three (23) maps and charts used by Stenzel during her aviation career. Many of the road maps and aviation charts were annotated by Stenzel as she prepared for various flights all over the United States. Also included in this box are seven (7) unsigned and undated pen-and-ink drawings of ships created for Stenzel by one of her daughters.

Digitized Materials: The log books, photographs, 1931 National Air Races scrapbook, and assorted documents related to Stenzel's career have been digitized from this collection.

Please note that materials on TMOF: Digital Collections are presented as historical objects and are unaltered and uncensored. See our Disclaimers and Policies page for more information.

Date

circa 1928-1991

Creator

Stenzel, Dorothy (Hester), 1910-1991

Language

All materials are in English.

Rights Holder

The Museum of Flight Archives

Rights

Permission to publish material from the Dorothy (Hester) Stenzel Collection must be obtained from The Museum of Flight Archives.

Bibliographic Citation

The Dorothy (Hester) Stenzel Collection/The Museum of Flight

Identifier

1992-09-26

Collection Organization

Collection Items

[In-flight communication notebook used by Tex Rankin and Dorothy Hester, circa 1930s]
In-flight communication notebook used by Tex Rankin and Dorothy Hester, circa 1930s. Contains handwritten notes between Rankin and Hester, written during their flights together. Passing notes back and forth was their primary means of communication…

"She'll try any death-defying stunt in the air..." [Newspaper clipping]
Newspaper clipping, "She'll try any death-defying stunt in the air, but boys frighten new champ of girl pilots," from The NEA Service (Cleveland, Ohio), May 28, 1931. Article describes Dorothy Hester's flying career, including her upcoming…

[Letter to Helen Hester from Dorothy Hester regarding stunt flying, circa 1931]
Letter to Helen Hester from Dorothy Hester, circa 1931. Discusses Dorothy's stunt flying and the death of a fellow barnstormer. Two handwritten pages.

Train with Rankin [Booklet]
Promotional booklet titled "Train with Rankin," issued by the Rankin School of Flying of Portland, Oregon, circa 1920s. Provides information about the flight training programs offered by the school. 18 pages.

Consolidated schedules and fares for air passengers via commercial air transport lines [Flight schedule, 1929]
Flight schedule titled "Consolidated schedules and fares for air passengers via commercial air transport lines," issued by the American Air Transport Association, revised February 21, 1929. Includes flight and fare information for domestic and…

[Cirrus 3002 logbook #2, October 1932-September 1933]
Aircraft engine maintenance logbook for the American Cirrus engine (serial number 3002) used in Dorothy Hester's Great Lakes Model 2T-1A aircraft (NC315Y), October 1932-September 1933.

[Cirrus 3002 Logbook #1, May 1931-October 1932]
Aircraft engine maintenance logbook for the American Cirrus engine (serial number 3002) used in Dorothy Hester's Great Lakes Model 2T-1A aircraft (NC315Y), May 1931-October 1932.

[NC315Y logbook #2, January 1933-June 1933]
Aircraft maintenance logbook for Dorothy Hester's Great Lakes Model 2T-1A (NC315Y) aircraft, January 1933-June 1933.

[NC315Y logbook #1, February 1932-December 1932]
Aircraft maintenance logbook for Dorothy Hester's Great Lakes Model 2T-1A aircraft (NC315Y), February 1932-December 1932. Includes a note from Tex Rankin on the inside cover that certifies that this book replaced one lost on or around February 20,…

[Aerial view of mountain range]
Oblique aerial photograph of an unidentified mountain range, circa 1931.Caption on adjacent album page: "The Races are ended, the work is done. / The birdmen take to the air, one by one. / Some to the North--the East and South they go, / But this one…
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