Ruth Martin Jefford (July 16, 1914 – January 9, 2007) was an

air taxi An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand. History The concept of air taxis existed as early as the 1910s. This concept goes back as early as 1917 with Glenn Curtiss’ prototype, the auto-plane. Furthermor ...

pilot in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

and the first woman licensed to be a flight instructor out of

Merrill Field Merrill Field is a public-use general aviation airport located one mile (1.6 km) east of downtown Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. The airport is owned by Municipality of Anchorage. It opened in 1930 as Anchorage A ...

. Jefford was a violinist who became a co-founder of the

Anchorage Symphony Orchestra The Anchorage Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is a professional symphony orchestra located in Anchorage, Alaska, US. Randall Craig Fleischer was the music director until his death in 2020. After Fleischer's death during the Covid-19 pandemic, Elizabeth S ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, she entertained at the

United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

in Alaska and transported medical supplies for the Red Cross Motor Corp. She was the first woman in Alaska to receive the

Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award was instituted by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on October 11, 2003, to recognize pilots who have practiced safe flight operations continuously for 50 or more years during the course o ...

. She was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in 2009.

Early life

Ruth Martin was born July 16, 1914, in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

. Her mother arranged flying lessons for the 16-year-old Ruth when they lived in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...

, where she learned to solo in instructor Jim Hurst's

Arrow Sport The Arrow Sport is a two-seat sporting biplane aircraft built in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. Design and construction The plane was designed by Swen Swanson and it was of largely conventional configuration with tailskid undercarria ...

airplane. Fellow pilot Jack Jefford recruited Hurst for a job with the Civil Aeronautics Authority. Jack Jefford moved to Alaska in 1937. Ruth married Hurst, and in 1941 the couple moved to Alaska, where he continued with the CAA.

Alaska

When they moved to Alaska, the December 7, 1941

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

had just happened, and the United States had entered

. Early on, she met

Lorene Harrison Lorene Harrison (1905–2005) was an American educator, singer, choir director, and milliner. In 2009, she was inaugurated into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame. Early life and education Lorene Cuthbertson was born in 1905 in Sterling, Kansas ...

, at the time a choir director for a local church. Harrison, learning that Ruth was a violinist, involved her in the local

(USO) efforts to entertain the military. Harrison would go on to serve on many cultural boards in the state and have a room at the

Alaska Center for the Performing Arts The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts is a performance venue in downtown Anchorage, Alaska. Opened in 1988, it hosts over 200,000 patrons annually, and consists of three theaters: * Evangeline Atwood Concert Hall, with 2,000 seats, is designed ...

named after her. Ruth became part of the Red Cross Motor Corps during the war, delivering medical supplies. Ruth and Jim Hurst bought a 1941 Taylorcraft airplane and began International Air Taxi Service out of

. In addition to carrying mail deliveries and transporting people, Ruth became the first female licensed flight instructor operating out of Merrill Field. The couple continued to be business partners, even after they divorced in 1961. In 1971, Ruth married Jack Jefford, and they formed the Valley Air Transport. In the 1940s, Ruth was one of seven musicians who formed the

. She spent the next 38 years as the symphony's concert master.

Death

Ruth M. Jefford died on January 9, 2007, and was buried at

Anchorage Memorial Park The Anchorage Memorial Park, also known as Anchorage Cemetery, is a cemetery located in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. Covering nine city blocks, the cemetery separates the city's downtown and Fairview neighborhoods. The cemetery was est ...

. Jack Jefford died in 1979.

Awards

Ruth Jefford received the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...

in 2006, the first woman in Alaska to receive it. The award is granted to certified pilots in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

who have been deemed to have practiced safe flight operations for 50 years or more. As of July 2012, there were 38 male Alaskan pilots who received the award, but Jefford has remained the only woman in Alaska so honored. She was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2009, Jack and Ruth Jefford as a team were inducted into the Alaska Aviation Museum's Hall of Fame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jefford, Ruth M. 1914 births 2007 deaths American women violinists Aviators from Alaska Musicians from Anchorage, Alaska American women aviators 20th-century women musicians American women flight instructors American flight instructors 20th-century American women musicians 21st-century American women 20th-century American classical violinists