Marie Odean Bishop Parrish (February 25, 1922 – February 24, 2022), known as Deanie Parrish (sometimes spelt as Parish) was a US air force pilot who served as a

WASP A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...

pilot during WWII. She was known for being one of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

's first female air force aviators. She joined the air force aged 21, and after earning her wings, worked as an engineering test pilot at Greenville air force base. She later retrained to tow target planes during training exercises. She married a career USAF pilot and had two daughters. She spent much of her life after the WASP's were disbanded as a hospital volunteer. In later life she worked to commemorate the efforts made by female pilots towards the war effort during WWII. Her work directly resulted in the

Women Airforce Service Pilots The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) (also Women's Army Service Pilots or Women's Auxiliary Service Pilots) was a civilian women pilots' organization, whose members were United States federal civil service employees. Members of WASP became t ...

being awarded a

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...

in 2010, she accepted the award on behalf of the 1074 WASP aviators. Deanie was inducted into the WAI Pioneer Hall of Fame in 2015. Parish has been highly influential in the efforts to get the work of the WASP's recognised, and has organised several websites, written books and created initiatives to achieve this. The medal ceremony on capitol hill was attended by over 200 surviving WASP personnel. The award comes 65 years after the service was disbanded. The WASP's (known as "fly girls") were volunteer pilots who flew military aircraft around America during the second world war to allow more USAF pilots to fly frontline missions in Europe, they were recognised as a military group in 1977, and their contribution to the war effort recognised with the

in 2010. The medal was presented by congressional officials and accepted by Deanie Parish on behalf of the WASP's. Parrish died on February 24, 2022, one day before her 100th birthday.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parrish, Deanie 1922 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American women American women aviators Women Airforce Service Pilots personnel People from Avon Park, Florida Aviators from Florida