Penny Thompson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Penny Thompson
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Thompson in civil air patrol uniform, 1964
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| Born | October 17, 1917 |
| Died | September 22, 1975 (aged 57) |
| Monuments | [Larry and Penny Thompson Memorial Park] ([Miami-Dade County], Florida) |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | American aviator; promoter of women's intercontinental air races-air shows; publisher-editor for Southeast Aviation News; founder of Miami-Dade Mother's of Twins Club and Twins Easter Parade |
| Awards | Florida Aviation Hall of Fame; Bertram Trophy Race 1946 |
Gladys "Penny" Thompson (October 17, 1917 – September 22, 1975) was an American pilot who loved flying. She was known for helping women get more involved in aviation, especially through air races and shows in the 1940s and 1950s. Penny also published an aviation newspaper. Later, she started a club for mothers of twins and a fun Twins Easter Parade in Miami.
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Becoming a Pilot
Penny Thompson was born Gladys Rhodes in Sylvania, Georgia. As a young girl, she loved watching planes fly over her family's farm. She also admired the famous pilot Amelia Earhart. These things made Penny want to fly herself.
In 1936, Penny earned her private pilot's license. She then moved to Miami, Florida, where the aviation industry was growing fast. In 1940, she married a pilot named Roy Pennington. That's when she became known as "Penny." From 1945 to 1950, she published and edited her own aviation newspaper, called Southeastern Aviation News.
Flying for the Civil Air Patrol
During World War II, Penny joined the Civil Air Patrol. This was a group of volunteers who helped during the war. She flew over the Gulf of Mexico, looking for German submarines. These submarines were attacking Allied ships.
On September 15, 1945, Penny's plane was destroyed in a fire. This happened at the Naval Air Station Richmond near Miami. Many other planes were also destroyed that day. Today, the Larry and Penny Thompson Memorial Park is located on the same land.
Joining the Ninety-Nines
In 1946, Penny won the Bertram Trophy Race. This race was organized by the Ninety-Nines. This special group for women pilots was started by Amelia Earhart. Penny won the race at the Florida Air Pilots Association Meet in Orlando.
That same year, Penny became the vice chairman of the Ninety-Nines' Florida chapter. In 1947, she became the chairman. Later in 1947, she helped lead an effort to rename the Miami Municipal Airport. They wanted to call it the Amelia Earhart Field. This was to honor Amelia Earhart, who started her round-the-world flight from that very airport in 1937.
The First All-Woman Air Show
After World War II, big aviation events started again. In 1947, women pilots were told they could not join the main air show. So, the women of the Florida Ninety-Nines decided to create their own event. They organized the world's first All-Woman Air Show.
Penny was chosen to lead this amazing event. It took place on March 15–16, 1947, in Tampa, Florida. The show included a long air race from Palm Springs, California, to Tampa. Money raised from the show helped young women get advanced pilot training. This was done through the Amelia Earhart Scholarship Fund.
The show helped people see how important women were in aviation. It also led to more women's air races across the U.S. Penny played a big role in helping women pilots get back into the main All-American Air Maneuvers the next year. This was largely because her All-Woman Air Show was such a success.
In 1948, Penny also helped organize the 2nd Annual All-Woman Air Show. This show was held at the Amelia Earhart Field in Miami. It also featured another transcontinental air race for women pilots. Again, money was raised for the women's scholarship fund. The event ended with the women pilots flying from Key West, Florida, to Havana, Cuba. This trip helped promote women in aviation even more.
Flying a "Flying Car"
In 1949, Penny and Ellen Gilmore flew a special experimental "flying car." It was called the Roadable Ercoupe. They flew it as part of the Montreal-Miami All-Woman's Air Race. This race ended with the 3rd Annual All-Woman Air Show in West Palm Beach, Florida.
When they landed in Jacksonville, Florida, at sunset, they folded up the car's wings. Then, they drove on the road to Daytona Beach, Florida, at night. The next morning, they unfolded the wings and flew the rest of the way to Miami. They didn't win any prizes because the rules said flying had to be during the day. However, they achieved their goal of getting national attention for women pilots and the air show.
Their trip was even featured in a popular aviation comic strip called Smilin' Jack. The comic strip showed "Miss Penny-Ellen" in the flying car.
Life with Larry Thompson
A few years later, Penny was interviewed by Larry Thompson. He was a humor writer and reporter for the Miami Herald newspaper. He was writing a story about women in aviation. On February 13, 1953, Penny and Larry got married.
Around that time, Larry started writing a daily humor column for the Herald. For the next 20 years, until his death in 1973, Penny was often mentioned in his column. It was called "Life With Larry Thompson." She also appeared in three books Larry wrote. He never used her name in his writings. He simply called her his "good wife." Penny and her family were sometimes shown in a comic strip that went with the column on weekends.
Mothers of Twins Club and Easter Parade
On April 1, 1954, Penny had twins, Carl and Evellen. The story of their birth was on the front page of the Herald. The next year, Penny invited all the twins in Florida to her twins' first birthday party. More than 200 sets of twins showed up! Life Magazine even covered the event with a three-page photo story.
That year, Penny started the Miami-Dade County Mother's of Twins Club. This was a support group for mothers who had twins or more babies at once. In 1956, instead of a birthday party, she organized a parade for her twins. It was called the Twin's Easter Parade. This parade became an annual event for about 20 years, until Penny's death in 1975. The parade received national attention every year. Hundreds of twins would march through downtown Miami on Easter Sunday. Famous people like singer Paul Anka and the Wrigley Doublemint Twins were often parade marshals.
Later Years and Legacy
After Larry's death in 1973, Penny spoke at many tree planting ceremonies. These events honored her husband's love for trees and nature. Two years later, in 1975, Penny died at age 57.
In 1977, Miami-Dade County honored Penny and Larry. They named the largest park and campground in the county after them. It is called the Larry and Penny Thompson Memorial Park.
