Florene Miller Watson

Florene Miller Watson boarding an AT-6 Texan at Love Field in February 1943. Florene Miller Watson (December 7, 1920 – February 4, 2014) was an American aviator and educator from Texas. Watson was one of the first Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) volunteers. She went on to fly for the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) throughout World War II. During that time, she worked as a trainer, ferried aircraft and was a test pilot.

Biography Watson was born as Florene Miller in San Angelo, Texas on December 7, 1920. Her first airplane ride was at the age of 8 when she had the chance to ride in a WWI Barnstormer. She and her father both enjoyed airplanes and when she was in her second year of college, her father bought a Luscombe airplane so he and his family could learn to fly.

When Pearl Harbor was attacked, she volunteered for the Army Air Corps. In January 1943, she became the Commanding officer of the WASPs stationed at Love Field, Dallas.

After the war, Watson chose not to fly again. She felt that she had flown every plane she wanted to and that being a pilot would take money away from her family. She earned her MBA from the University of Houston (UH). She became the first woman to be inducted into the Panhandle Veterans Hall of Fame in 1996. She was inducted into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame in 2005. She died on February 4, 2014.