Esther Faulkner is my great aunt and I have chosen her to be honored at the Plaza of Heroines because she has persevered and made outstanding achievements in her career in aeronautical engineering. She has been an inspiration to me in my life and my career.
Aunt Esther was born on January 8, 1922 in Carthage, Illinois. She received a B.A. from the University of Illinois majoring in Mathematics and German. She went on to study Aerodynamics at Washington University in St. Louis and New York University. After completing her education, she was a Junior Engineer in Aerodynamics/Flight Test Section at Curtiss-Wright Corporation where her duties included analysis of flight test data and preparation of reports covering complete performance and flying qualities evaluation of military attack airplanes. She moved on to become a Senior Engineer in the Operational Engineering Department at American Airlines where she was responsible for flight test data analyses, data observation on test flights, preparation of flight crew maintenance and operating manuals, and was a liaison to the FAA. She has also been a Technical Writer working on test flights at Edwards Air Force Base. Starting in 1961, she spent two years in Paris, France to help Grumman International set up a European sales office. From that time on, her career at Grumman Corporation, Gulfstream American Corporation and Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation was in management, overseeing various aspects of flight test operations.
I recall stories she has told of working with Chuck Yeager and other "Right Stuff" test pilots. She recounts how she could only sign her initials, not her full name, to reports because management feared the report would not be taken seriously if readers knew it was written by a woman. She attributes her success in a male-dominated field to her work ethic: diligence, self-discipline and integrity.
Now in her retirement, she volunteer her time at a public library and community theater. She travels, enjoys needle crafts, music, live theater and ballet.
I am proud to have her as my aunt and as a fellow woman engineer.
Saren B. White
Cone E 1989
7/1/96 |
