At the December meeting, Zonta awarded four Virginia Wrage Memorial Grants to deserving women who will use the funds to assist them as they strive to further their education. Rowena Tilton’s 48 year-old husband died of cardiac arrest earlier this year; her goal is to obtain her nursing degree and become a Registered Nurse. The funds will be used for tuition, books, supplies and transportation needs.
Kristi Robinson, a single mother of three sons, is enrolled full time at College of the Canyons (COC) and is working on prerequisites for the nursing program plus organizing a club for single parents on campus. Linda Sonora is the head of household and putting her four children through college, in addition to pursuing COC’s prerequisites for the nursing program. The fourth recipient could not attend the meeting for a formal presentation, but received her grant monies to assist in continuing her education at COC.
Each year in January, Zontians commerate Amelia Earhart for her trailblazing spirit and extraordinary achievements as an aviator. Her example encourages and inspires women to continue breaking gender barriers, explore occupations and hold positions beyond those traditionally held by women. As a famous air pioneer in the 1920s and 1930s and a member of Zonta International, Amelia made her record flight from Hawaii to California on January 11, 1935. In June 1937 during a flight around the world, her plane disappeared while en route from Lae, New Guinea to Howland Island and no trace of her nor her navigator was ever found. Locally, during the 1930s Earhart would land her airplane at the Newhall International Airport, which was located at what is now Granary Square in Valencia. She was often a guest of movie star William S. Hart at his hilltop mansion in Newhall.
Zonta International offers annual graduate fellowships in aerospace-related sciences and aerospace related engineering, and has awarded over 1,000 fellowships to women from countries all over the world. Fellow Zontian, Dr. Sharon Langenbeck, was an Amelia Earhart Fellow twice during her Ph.D studies in mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. The awards allowed her to concentrate on her research and complete her degree in three years, graduating in 1979 from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Sharon is Section Manager of Mechanical Engineering at JPL. Her team has contributed to the ongoing Mars mission, and her engineering staff work on the mechanical engineering design and development of spacecraft and instruments.
For information regarding Zonta, please contact Phyllis Walker at 213-922-1084 or 661-251-1172.