A Road Scholar Program by Leslie Goddard

The first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart became America’s most famous female aviator in just a few years. Her numerous records and daring exploits, along with her charisma and striking looks, made her a media darling, while newsreels, newspapers, and magazines kept her constantly in the public eye. Her mysterious disappearance in 1937, just three weeks shy of her 40th birthday, enshrined her name in legend, but the emphasis on her disappearance in subsequent decades has obscured many of the most intriguing aspects of Earhart’s biography. Presented in first-person, this program not only introduces audiences to Earhart’s life story (including her graduation from Chicago’s Hyde Park High School), but also explores missing aspects of her story, including her frustration with constrictive gender norms, her relentless optimism, and her aptitude for succeeding in a man’s world without losing the adoration of the public.

This event is Free and Open to the public. For more information, please contact Linda Kurth or Sheila Johnsen, 815.699.2342.