Betty Jane Williams

Betty Jane Williams (1919 – December 8, 2008) was an American aviator. She worked in various fields in the aviation industry throughout her life and became a Lieutenant Colonel by the time she retired from the United States Air Force Reserve in 1979. Williams also served as one of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) in 1944. She was also noted for her military and industrial film-work.

Biography Williams was born in Kingston, Pennsylvania, in 1919. She became interested in flying after witnessing a barnstorming pilot perform a stunt in 1939.

Williams earned her pilot's license in June 1941 from the Civilian Pilot Training Program. After the United States entered World War II, she was unable to fly and went on to be a flight attendant with the Canadian Colonial Airlines.

She worked as a motion picture coordinator for the Lockheed California Company between 1954 and 1974. In 1966, Williams was honored by the California Federation of Business and Professional Women for her work writing, producing and directing both industrial and military films. Williams continued to serve in the military for 28 years, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel by the time she retired in 1979.

In 2006, Williams was inducted into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame. Williams died on December 8, 2008, from complications related to a stroke at the Providence Tarzana Medical Center.