Wings Across America
Archival Website
2009 Commemorative Paperback
In 2009, I completed *WASP IN THEIR OWN WORDS: An Illustrated History*. It was a labor of love and a thank you to all of the WASP who had participated in our interviews. Filled with their own words, photographs and memories, it gave the WASP a chance to tell their stories themselves.
Thanks to Texas State Technical College in Waco, Texas, the book was printed as a commemorative paperback. In 2010, it was given as a gift to every WASP who attended the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony in Washington, D.C.
After the ceremony, copies were shipped to those WASP who could not attend. The book was later reprinted and offered to family members and WASP fans for a donation to Wings Across America, until that printing sold out as well.
2010
Hardback
When the commemorative paperback sold out, I decided to publish WASP IN THEIR OWN WORDS as a hardcover edition. We found a publisher, made the investment, and there was real excitement when we finally held the finished book in our hands.
We fulfilled online orders for several years, eventually selling out once again. I began imagining a digital version that could be made available for far less money and reach many more people. At the time, however, the files were simply too large to make downloading the book practical.
Click on the book to see sample pages.
2025
Paperback
& Digital
By 2024, the digital world had changed. New technology made it possible to compress large files and photographs without sacrificing quality, and the digital version I had imagined years earlier was finally within reach.
I went back to WASP IN THEIR OWN WORDS, added an additional phrase to the title and added color photographs. In 2025, a new edition was published on Amazon in both digital and printed versions, making the stories and photographs of the WASP available once again — and to a much wider audience.
In memory of my sister, I created a children’s book, Bishop Flies with the WASP of WWII. Originally released through the Apple iBook Store, it was not published as a printed book until 2025.
It is the story of a curious bear named Bishop who dreams of flying. His adventure begins when he discovers a World War II Army Air Forces footlocker filled with artifacts that bring the past to life. Along the way, Bishop faces bullying, discovers his own courage, and finds inspiration in the true stories of the Women Airforce Service Pilots.
Best of all, Bishop Flies with the WASP has found its way into the classroom, where it has been used to help teach reading and aviation to fourth graders in the Gilmer School District.
One Fly Girl’s Journey from a Boxcar to a B-26 Cockpit
to Center Stage at the U.S. Capitol
I wrote this book in memory of my mom, WASP Deanie Parrish, who stood onstage at the U.S. Capitol in 2010 and thanked Congress on behalf of all the WASP for their Congressional Gold Medal.
I began with two simple questions: “How did the Gold Medal happen?” and “Whose idea was it?” In trying to answer them, I found myself telling the story of Mom — from her unlikely beginnings to becoming the WASP who helped start the effort that ultimately led to the Congressional Gold Medal. And I was able to say a long-overdue thank you to the incredible TEAM WASP whose determination, hard work and persistence helped make that victory possible.
WIings Across America
Archival Website
Questions about the Wings Across America
Oral History Collection?
