Adela Louise Riek Scharr
This story is about Adela Louise Riek Scharr. In a broader sense, much like her books, it is about the WAFS (Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Service) and the WASP (Women’s Airforce Service Pilots). Our thanks to her family for permission to use the contents of her books and collection in the library.
Editor’s note: Much of the story is in Adela’s own words.
Adela “Del” Louise Riek Scharr was born 10-AUG 1907 in Clayton, Missouri. Her parents wer Max August Riek (1878-1960) and Clara Augusta Leuenberger Riek (1877-1957). Adela had three brothers: Edward (1905-1989), Hiram (1910-2001, and Oliver (1911-1981). She had one sister: Ruth (1913-1998).
According to the 1910 Federal Census, the family was living on Garfield Avenue in St. Louis. Adela was 3. Adela would attended Arlington Grade School in St. Louis. Arlington School, located at 1617 Burd Avenue in St. Louis, was a prominent educational building in the 1930s.
In 1926, Adela was attending Harris Teachers College in St. Louis, Mo. In 1926, the institution, now known as Harris-Stowe State University operated as two separate, segregated, city-run colleges: Harris Teachers College (for white students) and the predecessor to Stowe Teachers College (for Black students). The yearbook states, she was a member of the International Round Table in 1928. Adele Riek obtained her Bachelors Degree from Harris Teachers College. Soon, Adela became a teacher at Baden Elementary School in North St Louis in 1929.
According to the 1930 Federal Census, the family was living together at 5631 Lotus Garfield Avenue in St. Louis. Adela was 22, and reported she was a teacher. In 1935, Adela took her first flying lesson at Lambert Field in St. Louis. Five years later she had the distinction of being the first female commercial pilot, the first female ground instructor, and the first female flight instructor at Lambert. Also in 1935, Adela earned her Masters from Psychology from the University of Missouri.
In 1939 Adela married Harold Nathan Scharr, a naval officer (1906-1975). Because she was now married, she could no longer teach in school. In the United States women teachers were largely restricted from being married while employed. The widespread, systemic “marriage bar” was finally abolished in 1964 via the Civil Rights Act. While some regions lifted restrictions earlier, especially during teacher shortages in the 1940s, many districts enforced bans on hiring or retaining married women through the 1950s to focus on “traditional” gender roles.
Fight Instructor
Adela, no longer able to teach, got a job teaching ground school at Saint Louis University under contract with Brayton Flying Service for the Civilian Pilot Training program three hours per evening, five evenings per week. Soon Adela had a flight instructors rating. Then, as civilian aviation boomed prior to our entry into the war, she had her own evening ground school in the administration building at Lambert Field.
Women’s Pilot Groups
At that time, there were two groups lobbying for women to join the Army Air Corps as pilots. In the WFTD (Women’s Flying Training Detachment) Jackie Cochran was appointed head of the squadron, and Nancy Love was appointed commander of the WAFS (Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron). While their goals were the same, to ferry airplanes freeing men to fight, the origin and later merger was marked by ongoing tension.
Nancy (nee Harkness) Love was the first American women to begin ferrying airplanes in the United States. Nancy earned her flying license at age 16. Later when her husband Robert M. Love’s company won a contract to ferry American airplanes, to the Canadian border. In 1940, Nancy would take off from a U.S. city and land right at the Canadian border. She taxied the plane to the border, cut the switch and climbed out. Then some Canadiens pushed and shoved the plane across the border. She was America’s first unofficial women ferry pilot for moving military airplanes.
On Saturday 5-SEP 1942 General Arnold directed that immediate action be taken to form a women’s ferrying group. The recruiting of women pilots began 24 hours later. On Labor Day, 7-Sep 1942 the Air Transport Command (ATC) of the United States Army Air Corps asked 89 experienced women pilots to volunteer for ferrying duty. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson made the invitation public on September 10th. Adela received a telegram on Monday September 7th Labor Day asking her to join.
Del did not hesitate. This is her story and the story of the WASP.
Click on the pdf below for the rest of the story.
