Fay Gillis Wells

Fay Gillis Wells (October 15, 1908 – December 2, 2002) was an American pioneer aviator, globe-trotting journalist and a broadcaster.

In 1929, she became one of the first women pilots to bail out of an airplane to save her life

Early career Flying and journalism In August 1929 she began flying. On September 1, 1929, she became one of the first women pilots to become a member of the Caterpillar Club, bailing out of an airplane to save her life when her plane disintegrated during aerobatics over Long Island. She was a founding member of the Overseas Press Club and helped establish the Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarships.

World War II In 1939, at the suggestion of President Roosevelt, she and her husband investigated potential African locations for a Jewish homeland. 1998 Esther Van Wagoner Tufty Award for broadcasting and personal achievement 2001 Katherine Wright Award for outstanding contributions to aviation 2002 Amelia Earhart Pioneering Achievement Award, and the American Women in Radio and Television Lifetime Achievement Award

In 1995, Gene and Carolyn Shoemaker, famous discoverers of comets and asteroids, named Asteroid 4820 in her honor.

In 2009, the Overseas Press Club of America established the Fay Gills Wells Award to honor Wells who was a founding member of the organization in 1939.

Illness, death and legacy Hospitalized in Falls Church, Virginia with pneumonia for six days during late November 2002, Wells died there from complications related to the disease on December 2, 2002. She was 94 years old.

She was survived by a brother Ken Gillis, of Franklin, Michigan, her son Linton Wells II and daughter-in-law Linda M. Wells, of Springfield, Virginia, grandsons Linton Wells III and Frank M. Wells, and several nieces and nephews. The International Forest of Friendship continues as a living memorial to her contributions.