Chestnut Mountain native Lelia Pearl Bragg was born in 1909 and became a pioneer pilot. In the early part of the 20th Century, few women became licensed pilots, but Pearl was one of them. The aviatrix learned to fly in 1933 in a biplane and held a pilot’s certificate until she was 97. A member of the Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) trainer during WWII and, later, in 1945 she lived her dream of becoming a pilot and became the first woman to solo a single-engine airplane up the Alaska Highway and the recipient of the Wright Brothers Award for Excellence in Aviation.
The Summers County Historical Society is dedicating a Highway Historical marker on Route 20 at Sandstone to honor Lelia Pearl Bragg Laska Chamberlain on Saturday, April 3, at 1 p.m. Members of her family are arriving from different parts of the country for the ceremony. Parking is limited at Richmond’s Store everyone is encouraged to share rides or carpool to attend the dedication ceremony.
