Iron Age Commemorates the Death of Mary Holmes Howson and the WASPs

On April 16, 2005, Theatre honors World War Two female Pilot on the anniversary of her sacrifice. The drama “Sky Girls, about women pilots in the war follows ceremony

On April 16, 1944, Mary Holmes Howson, a young woman from Wayne Pennsylvania, was killed in a mid-air crash during a training flight. Mary was one of the one thousand American women who trained to become a WASP, Women Air Service Pilots, in order to serve her country.

Compounding the tragedy, when her body was recovered it was shipped to her parents in a pine box, paid for by her classmates. The women in the WASP program were not given any military honors or privileges because a few chauvinists in congress blocked the vote to make them an official part of the country’s military. A simple telegram was sent ahead of the body stating: “Your daughter has died, where do you want the body sent?”

Mary was one of 38 women in the WASP who lost their lives in the service of their country. On April 16, 2005 a ceremony honoring Mary and all the WASPs will be held before the drama “Sky Girls,” at the Centre Theatre. The play, the East Coast premier about the women pilots during the war, is running at the Centre Theatre in Norristown.

The ceremony starts at 7:50 p.m. in the Centre Theatre. The Norristown Area High School women’s JROTC color guard will join the cast of the play to celebrate the women in the WASP program. There will be a presentation of the colors to actual surviving WASPs who will be attending the play as well as friends of Mary Holmes Howson.

Also in attendance will be Bee Haydu. Bernice "Bee" Falk Haydu was a WASP during WWII and has been a technical support to the production. Between 1976 and 1977 she appeared on over 14 TV and Radio programs including Good Morning America and To Tell The Truth. Finally with the invaluable help of Col. Bruce Arnold,and Sen. Barry Goldwater, while she was president of the WASP organization, Congress voted to have the WASPs declared as veterans of WWII. President Jimmy Carter signed this bill into law in 1977. Haydu married a WWII flight Instructor, Joe Haydu, had 3 children, while remaining a pilot throughout her life. She has written a book entitled "LETTERS HOME 1944-1945" detailing her life as a WASP and thereafter.

The audience will then enjoy the stirring story of these women brought to life on the stage. Showtime is 8 p.m. Call 610-279-1013 for tickets and information or visit the web at www.artscc.org or www.ticketleap.com.

According to director John Doyle the ceremony is a natural extension of the play. “As the cast and crew have researched this story, including talking to many WASPs who are still living, we have developed a real appreciation and respect for these women and the fight they took on.” According to Doyle the ceremony on the 16th is a way for the cast and crew to formally honor the real heroes who sacrificed for their country and struggled for women’s rights.

In the play the final class of trainees at Avenger Field fight to earn their wings and join male pilots in the sky. They battle chauvinism, internal sabotage and each other to prove women can fly as well as men. The characters in the play train under aviation legend Jackie Cochran who rose from a poverty stricken childhood to set flying records around the world. She created the WASP program in 1943 to help the country win the war.

As Cochran struggles to win military recognition for her pilots, the trainees learn to be true to themselves and the causes they are fighting for. In the play trust, honor, community and bravery become real issues as the young women learn just what they are made of in the hardest, yet most exciting time of their lives.

The story of the WASPS is one that should be told as the nation hails its World War II veterans in filmed tributes such as Band of Brothers and books like The Greatest Generation. “Sky Girls” is a soaring play that embraces the sky, pulling the audience into the clouds with the daring young aviatrixes, reminding them of the mysterious attraction flight holds for humanity.

The play runs through April at the Centre Theatre. Showtimes are at 8 p.m. with Friday matinees at 10 a.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 to $16.

Working together, the Centre Theatre and Iron Age Theatre have been one of the most critically acclaimed companies working in the Philadelphia Area. Their spring 2003 show “Terra Nova” was nominated for a Barrymore Award for outstanding ensemble. The company also produced the critically acclaimed revival of Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men, “ and most recently “The Elephant Man.”
April 1,2,3,8,9,10, 15,16,17,21,22,23, 24, 2005
Friday - Sunday

with
Lori-Nan Engler as Jackie Cochran
Susan Paige Lane as Bishop
Kate McLenigan as Mags
Sara Pauley as DeLang
Adina Sherman as Breeney
Janice Rowland as Lil
Jered McLenigan as MovieTone Announcer