Ila Loetscher
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Ila Fox Loetscher (30 October 1904 – January 4, 2000), also known as the "Turtle Lady", was an American female aviation pioneer and noted advocate for the care and preservation of
sea turtles Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerh ...
.


Early life and aviation

Ila Marie Fox was born on 30 October 1904 in
Callender, Iowa Callender is a city in Webster County, Iowa, Webster County, Iowa, United States. The population was 368 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History From 1866 to 1870, the Des Moines Valley Railroad Company constructed tra ...
as one of a pair of twin girls, her sister was named Olive. Their parents were Eliza Anne née Sharr (known as Sally) and Charles Irwin Fox. They also had younger twin brothers. Their father was a country doctor. She received her early education in
Pella, Iowa Pella is a city in Marion County, Iowa, United States, with a population of 10,464 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census. Founded by immigrants from the Netherlands, it is forty miles southeast of Des Moines. Pella is the home of Central Colleg ...
, before ultimately graduating from the
University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...
. From her early life, Loetscher had developed in interested in engines and
aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...
, and she became, at the age of 25, the first licensed native Iowa female pilot. At the invitation of her friend
Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( ; July 24, 1897 – January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. During her li ...
, Loetscher was one of the 99 charter members of the
Ninety-Nines The Ninety-Nines: International Organization of Women Pilots, also known as The 99s, is an international organization that provides networking, mentoring, and flight scholarship opportunities to recreational and professional female pilots. Foun ...
, an organization founded in 1929 to promote fellowship and support for female pilots. By the 1950s, her focus had changed from flying to family. However, when David Loetscher, her husband of 32 years, died in 1955, Loetscher opted for a new beginning and moved to
South Padre Island, Texas South Padre Island is a resort town in Cameron County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Brownsville, Texas, Brownsville–Harlingen, Texas, Harlingen Brownsville-Harlingen metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population w ...
.


Her work with sea turtles

Shortly after moving to South Padre Island, Ila Loetscher developed an affection for and interest in
sea turtles Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerh ...
, which would come to define the latter half of her life. From 1963 to 1967, she accompanied fellow island residents on trips to
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
to get eggs for the endangered
Kemp's ridley Kemp's ridley sea turtle (''Lepidochelys kempii)'', also called commonly the Atlantic ridley sea turtle, Kemp's ridley turtle, and Kemp's ridley, is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae. ''L. kempii'' is the rarest species of sea tur ...
turtle that they would plant and protect on the island, and she received a state license to care for sick and injured sea turtles. In 1977, Loetscher founded
Sea Turtle, Inc. Sea Turtle, Inc. is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation center in South Padre Island, Texas, South Padre Island, Texas. It is a popular regional ecotourism center, seeing about a quarter million visitors per ye ...
, a non-profit corporation focused on protecting and preserving sea turtles, particularly the
Kemp's ridley Kemp's ridley sea turtle (''Lepidochelys kempii)'', also called commonly the Atlantic ridley sea turtle, Kemp's ridley turtle, and Kemp's ridley, is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae. ''L. kempii'' is the rarest species of sea tur ...
. Her activities on behalf of the turtles gained her the nickname, "The Turtle Lady".


Awards and appearances

*Ila Loetscher was inducted into the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame in 1991. *In 2005, she was the first nominee to the
Rio Grande Valley Lower Rio Grande Valley (), often referred to as the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) of South Texas, is a region located in the southernmost part of Texas, along the northern bank of the Rio Grande. It is also known locally as the Valley or the 956 (the ...
Walk of Fame. *Loetscher appeared in
National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...
documentaries and on numerous television shows, including ''
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show was the third installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Johnny Carson, it aired from October 1, 1962 to May 22, 1992, replacing ''T ...
'', ''
Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the first installment of the '' Late Night''. Hosted by David Letterman, it aired from February1, 1982 to June 25, 1993, and was replaced by ...
'', the ''
Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'') is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television ...
'', and ''
Real People Real People may refer to: * Human, a species ** People, or all humans as a whole * ''Real People'' (TV program), a 1970s television show that aired on NBC in the United States * ''Real People'' (album), a 1980 album by funk/disco group Chic ** " ...
''.


References


Further reading

*


External links


Sea Turtle, Inc website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loetscher, Ila American environmentalists American women environmentalists Aviators from Iowa 1904 births 2000 deaths University of Iowa alumni People from Webster County, Iowa People from Pella, Iowa American women aviators 20th-century American women 20th-century American people Conservationists