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Museum celebrates women in aviation on March 7

In honor of Women in Aviation day, the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum has invited Col. Virginia Thompson and aviation artist Sharon Rajnus to speak about their experiences in the aviation industry on Saturday, March 7.

Col. Virginia Thompson, who joined the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) in 1968, was the first female commander of a wing in the CAP’s Pacific Region, and currently serves as the Oregon Wing Inspector. Throughout her career, Thompson has been awarded the Meritorious Service Award, the Commander’s Commendation Award, the Find Ribbon, the Gill Rob Wilson Award, the Chuck Yeager Aerospace Award and the Distinguished Service Medal.

Sharon Rajnus, author and artist of Stars of the Sky, was introduced to the aviation industry at an early age by her father who was a project administrator for the P-38 at Lockheed during World War II. Rajnus is a member of the Ninety-Nines and the American Society of Aviation Artists, and has won numerous artistic awards from organizations like the National Museum of Naval Aviation and the Women in Aviation, International, among others.

Rajnus will speak at 10 a.m. and Thompson at 11 a.m. in the Aviation Museum under the tail of the Spruce Goose. The Museum’s education department will be providing kid crafts activities from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visitors will receive $2 off admission price to the Museum if they mention Women in Aviation day.

For more information regarding Women in Aviation day, please call 503-434-4185 or visit www.EvergreenMuseum.org .

The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum is best known as the home of the world’s largest wooden flying boat, the” Spruce Goose”, SR-71 “Blackbird”, the Titan II SLV Missile and the Grumman F6F-3 “Hellcat”.  In addition, there are more than 150 historic aircraft, spacecraft and exhibits on display, along with artwork, traveling displays, the Spruce Goose Café, the Cosmo Café, the Rotors, Wings & Things store, the Right Stuff Store and Oregon’s largest IMAX® 3D theater.  The hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily except when it is closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and Easter. The Museum facility is located at 500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way, across the highway from the McMinnville Airport and about three miles southeast of McMinnville, Ore., on Highway 18. Regular visitor admission is required. Call 503-434-4180 for more information, and visit www.evergreenmuseum.org .