Note Type
Historical NoteNote
Lorna Simpson 1908-1995
Lorna Simpson arrived in Fort Lauderdale with her family in 1923. After graduating from Fort Lauderdale High School, Lorna attended Stetson University where she completed both her Bachelors and Masters degrees. Educated and ready to work, Lorna quickly proved herself as a proficient writer becoming a featured columnist of the newly founded Daytona Beach Sun-Record. She would quickly add to her responsibilities and become the society page editor of the Daytona Beach Sun-Record.
An avid writer, Lorna moved her attentions from print to broadcasting. She became writer, director, and producer of a children’s program called “The Pelican’s Pouch”. A children’s nature drama dedicated to education and meaningful storytelling. The talent for the shows consisted of Lorna as the Pelican and two children as the Sand Twins. The inauguration for the program was on Fort Lauderdale’s WGBS TV station before moving to Miami Beach’s WKAT. “The Pelican’s Pouch” was performed every Sunday with new children from the community being able to act as talent.
In 1939, Lorna became an aviatrix. She was soloed by Tony Piper and received her Student Pilot Certificate. In the subsequent three years, Lorna would receive her Private Pilot Certificate, Commercial Pilot Certificate, and an Instructor Rating on her Commercial Pilot Certificate. The second woman in Broward County to receive an Instructor’s Rating on a Commercial Flight Certificate, preceded by Katherine Rawls. A member of the National Women’s Flight Organization, Ninety-Nines, Lorna ferried planes to Texas for the Riverside Military Academy during WWII.