Name/Title
RUTH ALEXANDER ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONEntry/Object ID
1991.62.1Scope and Content
The Ruth Alexander Archival Collection was accessioned into IWASM in December 1991. Juanita Andrews, whose stepfather was married to Ruth Alexander at the time of her death, donated the material. Items in this collection document the activities of Ruth Alexander, who was a private pilot who gained notoriety as a barnstormer and for setting numerous flight records. She wrote articles about her experiences for The Irving Leader, her hometown newspaper. Alexander died in a plane crash while attempting a transcontinental flight from San Diego to NewYork. Materials are largely textual and photographic including correspondence, clippings, publications, photographic prints and photocopy prints. The collection is divided into Business Records, Creative Writings, Autobiographical Writings, and Odds and Ends. The date range is 1929 to 1930.Context
Ruth Blaney was born to Mr. and Mrs. William T. Blaney on May 18, 1905, in Irving, Kansas. She died on September 18, 1930, in San Diego, California. In 1911, the family moved to Southern Texas where Ruth's father operated a sawmill. At age seven, Ruth made a parachute jump off a barn with her daddy's umbrella, climbed trees and rode them to the ground as her father felled them, and she raced horses. In 1914, the family moved back to Irving where Ruth continued to ride and train horses. She graduated from Irving High School in May 1923, and enrolled in Emporia State Teachers College for the summer term.
She left college to work as a saleswoman in a general store in Cleburne. A year later (1924) she became owner of a beauty parlor in Olathe. In November 1924, Ruth was thrown by a horse and broke her collarbone in three places. On July 8, 1926, she was married to Mac Alexander, who managed his family's farm and dairy west of Olathe. Two years later, she filed papers of separation. Seeking better weather after a bout of pneumonia, Ruth left for San Diego in October, earning her way by helping to drive a car for a couple traveling to California.
Ruth's choice of destination was also prompted by a desire to learn to fly ever since she had seen a barnstormer in 1917. She settled in Coronado and took jobs in a beauty shop and a restaurant to earn enough money for lessons. In August 1928, she entered a contest to win a course at the T. C. Ryan Flying School. Although she placed second, she was granted a scholarship for 195 hours of navigation and meteorology plus 22 hours of flying instruction.
Her progress was the fastest of any man or woman in the world. Between September 8, 1929, and November 19, 1929, she completed ground school at Pacific Technical University, qualified for FIA and NAA licenses, and set an altitude record (18,000 feet) for women in a light plane. In January 1930, she learned to fly sailplanes and, according to an obituary, became the first woman instructor in glider planes.
While she was learning to fly, Ruth was writing articles about her lessons and flying experiences for The Irving Leader. In this way she earned some money and remained connected to her hometown. On June 21, 1930, Ruth was secretly married to Robert A. Elliott in Yuma, Arizona. Robert, from Brooklyn, N. Y., was an ensign in the U. S. Naval Reserve Air Corps and gave Ruth some advanced flying instruction.
She worked hard to acquire her own Barling monoplane, intending to set more records. On July 4 and July 11, 1930, she reset the altitude record twice with flights of 20,000 and 26,600 feet. On September 1, 1930, Ruth departed Vancouver, Canada at 3:25 a.m. and landed in Caliente, Mexico at 7:15 p.m. This flight set three records: woman distance over a specified air course, woman speed record over the same course, and woman's tri-nation flight. Ruth made plans to set one more record: a three-day, one-stop transcontinental flight from San Diego to Wichita to New York. On the way back she planned several overnight stops, including one at Irving.
Ruth took off before dawn on September 18th from Lindbergh Field and crashed at approximately 3:38 a.m. approximately a mile north of the airport. The San Diego board of air control concluded that Ruth met her death when the overloaded Barling fell into a spin while she was attempting to climb through fog. Her parents and 10- year-old brother were about to leave for Wichita to meet Ruth when the telegrams arrived, and her husband was in New York waiting for her.Cataloged By
Lynn VandevortAcquisition
Accession
1991.62Source or Donor
Juanita AndrewsArchive Details
Creator
Juanita AndrewsDate(s) of Creation
1929 - 1930Date(s) Material Assembled
1991 - 1991Restrictions
There are no restrictions on accessing most material in this collection with certain restrictions denoted in this Finding Aid; however, due to preservation concerns, original audio and videocassettes and reels may not be played in the Research Center. Patrons have access to digitized reference copies, when available. Items without existing reference copies can be digitized at the patron’s request for the cost of creating a digital copy and for any applicable staff time.Primary Language
EnglishRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Virginia Ogden AndrewsNotes
V. O. Andrews was married to Robert A. Elliott after the death of Elliott's first wife, Ruth Alexander.Copyright
Restrictions
Restrictions on Access and Use
Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured by the repository and the copyright holder.Create Date
August 28, 2026Update Date
August 28, 2026
