July-October, 1977
FfieofTwafj/rae
page five
m
United
Way
work
starts
Vickie Pitts and Jim Taylor were the chairman and vice chairman of Piedmont's
1977 United Way campaign.
The pacesetter departments
for the fund drive were
inflight services and flight
operations. Captain Wayne
Throckmorton distributed
the cards to, from left,
Frank Barnes from main
tenance, Nancy Thomas
representing inflight ser
vice and Jeanette Watson
from central res.
food services; T. L. Martin — director customer
relations; Janet Royall — administrative secre
tary ; and Lionel Anders — director sales. Don
Shanks, assistant vice president, customer rela
tions, will serve as an advisor.
All airline personnel are eligible to receive
TOPS awards.
And a special TOPS award has already been
given. Judy and Don Holloman of Norfolk re
ceived the first TOPS recognition — the stock
and plaque. The award to the Hollomans was
based on a letter from a Louisville mother who
had taken her son to Norfolk for surgery. Judy
not only helped the mother and son in-flight
but on arrival Don joined her in assisting them
all during their stay.
Can you help caller?
Do you know anything about a “Lucky
Lindbergh” coin or medallion? We had a call
not long ago from someone who had found one
and wanted to know what it was and if possible,
the value of it. The caller described the “coin”
as being dated May 20, 1927 on one side and
May 21, 1927 on the other. It looks very much
like a penny.
If you know anything about this mysterious
“Lucky Lindbergh” item and would like to share
your information we’ll be glad to pass the word
along to the caller.
She is glad to be on the list, even at the bottom
She introduces herself as Maggie, her given
name being more princess-than-pilot-like.
Officially, she is M. R. Stryker, number 443,
the very last name and number on the new
pilot system seniority list.
In October, Maggie Stryker joined Cheryl
Ritchie and Denise Blankinship to become Pied
mont’s third female pilot.
While female airline pilots are no longer
a novelty, they are still pretty special. Their
newness may not be as newsy as it was just a
year or so ago, but they are interesting people
to know.
Maggie is the daughter of Richard and
Rogene Stryker. He is the Federal Aviation
Administration’s chief of airways facilities
for the southwest region. Maggie’s mother is
a psychologist. Maggie is their youngest, of
four, and only daughter. She graduated from
the University of Texas at Arlington in May,
1976 with a bachelor of arts degree in mathe
matics.
Maggie started flying when she was 19.
She took up scuba diving about the same time,
but her interest in flying won when the time
came to decide on a vocation. By the time she
was 24, Maggie had earned her air transport
pilot’s license.
Perhaps because she “refused to type,”
Maggie has a fascinating resume of previous
jobs. Before she got all her pilot’s licenses, she
worked as a dog groomer, a receptionist, a
cashier, and a short-order cook.
Prior to joining Piedmont, Maggie was chief
flight instructor and charter pilot for Alpha
Aviation, Inc. in Dallas. She had been a flight
3
2
instructor for Ed Boardman Flying Service in
Ft. Worth.
Maggie maintains an active interest in
several hobbies. She likes dove hunting, scuba
diving and swimming, and flying radio-con
trolled airplanes. She is also a member of the
99’s Golden Triangle in Dallas. Though she
didn’t admit it, Maggie probably spends some
time explaining flying to her family. Of her
three older brothers, one is a lawyer, one is a
museum curator, and one is a commercial artist.
Maggie is the only pilot in the group.
“I love it!” was Maggie’s reaction when
asked how she liked her job after the first
several months. “Starting in March, I have a
bid in Atlanta and I’m so excited I can hardly
wait. Everybody has been great. The only wise
cracks have been about maybe I need a hair
cut.”
Maggie Stryker, who was born in Alaska
and grew up in Texas, seems quite happy to
be flying in Piedmont’s part of the country.
Maggie learned a lot in her basic pilot training classes
even though the curriculum was short one course. How
To Tie A Tie by Vice President — Flight Operations
Jack Tadlock produced a perfect knot on the first try.
A paycheck, a letter from home or her first uniform
shirts — anything is better than an empty mail box for
a new co-pilot.