Travelers from Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio and Virginia arrived in Summers County to attend the dedication ceremony honoring Chestnut Mountain native and woman pioneer pilot Lelia Pearl Bragg Laska Chamberlain.
The Summers County Historical Society dedicated a historical marker on Highway 20 at Sandstone Saturday.
Born in 1909 on Chestnut Mountain, Chamberlain learned to fly an airplane — a Kinner Fleet bi-plane — in 1933 and held a pilot’s certificate until she was 97. Among the few chosen for the Women Air Force Service Pilots and a member of the Civilian Flight Training Program, she trained WWII combat pilots.
The last survivor of John W. and Lanie C. Bragg’s eight children, the pioneer woman aviator became the first female pilot to solo a single-engine aircraft up the Alaskan highway and received the Wright Brothers award for excellence in aviation, according to the historical society. She served as a cryptologist at the Pentagon, where noted in her obituary she received the first message from Guadalcanal.
Chamberlain lived many dreams throughout her life, from teaching many pilots, including the first Alaskan Inuit hired as a scheduled airline pilot — Holger Jorgensen — to flying the All Women’s Transcontinental Air Race known as the “Powder Puff Derby.” She was a lifetime member of the 99s, the association of women pilots, and was a public school teacher from the age of 17 until she retired in the early 1970s.
Local hairstylist Wilma Lilly Rodes used to cut and style Chamberlain’s hair for several years between 2002-2004 when she lived in Hinton before returning to Alaska.
“Pearl would tell me about her flights and other adventures. One of the stories was about her flight to England flying as a W.A.S.P. pilot. She was an amazing woman and role model for young girls, a very remarkable woman, never bragging about her accomplishments. She just looked at some of the things she did as though they were like normal things to do,” said Rodes.
“Pearl was a strong woman and never once complained about a broken foot she had suffered while helping document cemeteries on Chestnut Mountain. Pearl was limping on one of her visits to have her hair done. She had shared how she had fallen over the hill and hurt her foot but had not been to a doctor. About three weeks later she came in for a shampoo and set and told me she finally went to the doctor because of the pain. Pearl had been walking around with 2 to 3 broken bones on top of her foot.”
Rodes also has memories of how Chamberlain was “always kind and all about helping others and the community. She was a special woman. She deserves recognition for her accomplishments and her courage.”
Robert Neely with the Summers County Historical Society was host and speaker at Saturday’s dedication.
Among those Neely would like to thank for assisting with the dedication are “Summers County Sheriff Justin Faris, Richmond’s Store in Sandstone, Hinton Floral, Green Sulphur Fire Department and John Averill.”
Others who have worked behind the scenes, like Neely, sharing information and details about the dedication in advance of the event are Jack C. Wills, Gayle Vest and Betty Hendrick.
Other interesting information on Lelia Pearl Bragg Laska Chamberlain can be found on the internet, as well as a vast amount of information and research conducted by her son, Lewis L. Laska, writer, attorney at Law, college professor and author.
Chamberlain’s son has authored several books including “The Tennessee State Constitution,” “Legal Executions in Tennessee: A Comprehensive Registry, 1782-2009,” “Confederate Death Sentences (written with Thomas P. Lowry),” “Sue the Doctor and Win: Victim’s Guide to Secrets of Malpractice Lawsuits Paperback – January 1, 2007.
