Ruth Martin Jefford (July 16, 1914 – January 9, 2007) was an

air taxi An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand. In 2001 air taxi operations were promoted in the United States by a NASA and aerospace industry study on the potential Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) an ...

pilot in the U.S. state of

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

and the first woman licensed to be a flight instructor out of

Merrill Field Merrill Field is a public-use general aviation airport located one mile (1.6 km) east of downtown Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. The airport is owned by Municipality of Anchorage. It opened in 1930 as Anchorage Aviation Field and w ...

. Jefford was a violinist who became a co-founder of the

Anchorage Symphony Orchestra The Anchorage Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is a professional symphony orchestra located in Anchorage, Alaska. Randall Craig Fleischer was the Music Director until his passing in 2020. Elizabeth Schulze is the current Artistic Advisor and Chief Conducto ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, she entertained at the United Service Organizations in Alaska and transported medical supplies for the Red Cross Motor Corp. She was the first woman in Alaska to receive the

Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award was instituted by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on October 11, 2003, to recognize pilots who have practiced safe flight operations continuously for 50 or more years during the course o ...

. She was inducted into the

Alaska Women's Hall of Fame The Alaska Women's Hall of Fame (AWHF) recognizes women natives or residents of the U.S. state of Alaska for their significant achievements or statewide contributions. It was conceived by the board of directors of the Alaska Women's Network (AWN) i ...

in 2009.

Early life

Ruth Martin was born July 16, 1914, in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

. Her mother arranged flying lessons for the 16-year-old Ruth when they lived in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

, where she learned to solo in instructor Jim Hurst's

Arrow Sport The Arrow Sport was a two-seat sporting biplane aircraft built in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. Design and construction The plane was designed by Swen Swanson and it was of largely conventional configuration with tailskid undercarr ...

airplane. Fellow pilot Jack Jefford recruited Hurst for a job with the Civil Aeronautics Authority. Jack Jefford moved to Alaska in 1937. Ruth married Hurst, and in 1941 the couple moved to Alaska, where he continued with the CAA.

Alaska

When they moved to Alaska, the December 7, 1941

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

had just happened, and the United States had entered

. Early on, she met Lorene Harrison, at the time a choir director for a local church. Harrison, learning that Ruth was a violinist, involved her in the local United Service Organizations (USO) efforts to entertain the military. Harrison would go on to serve on many cultural boards in the state and have a room at the

Alaska Center for the Performing Arts The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts is a performance venue in downtown Anchorage, Alaska. Opened in 1988, it hosts over 200,000 patrons annually, and consists of three theaters: * Evangeline Atwood Concert Hall, with 2,000 seats, is designed ...

named after her. Ruth became part of the Red Cross Motor Corps during the war, delivering medical supplies. Ruth and Jim Hurst bought a 1941 Taylorcraft airplane and began International Air Taxi Service out of

. In addition to carrying mail deliveries and transporting people, Ruth became the first female licensed flight instructor operating out of Merrill Field. The couple continued to be business partners, even after they divorced in 1961. In 1971, Ruth married Jack Jefford, and they formed the Valley Air Transport. In the 1940s, Ruth was one of seven musicians who formed the

. She spent the next 38 years as the symphony's concert master.

Death

Ruth M. Jefford died on January 9, 2007, and was buried at

Anchorage Memorial Park The Anchorage Memorial Park, also known as Anchorage Cemetery, is a cemetery located in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. Covering nine city blocks, the cemetery separates the city's downtown and Fairview neighborhoods. The cemetery was e ...

. Jack Jefford died in 1979.

Awards

Ruth Jefford received the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

in 2006, the first woman in Alaska to receive it. The award is granted to certified pilots in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

who have been deemed to have practiced safe flight operations for 50 years or more. As of July 2012, there were 38 male Alaskan pilots who received the award, but Jefford has remained the only woman in Alaska so honored. She was inducted into the

in 2009. In 2009, Jack and Ruth Jefford as a team were inducted into the Alaska Aviation Museum's Hall of Fame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jefford, Ruth M. 1914 births 2007 deaths American classical violinists American women violinists Aviators from Alaska Musicians from Anchorage, Alaska 20th-century classical violinists American women aviators 20th-century women musicians American women flight instructors American flight instructors 20th-century American women musicians 21st-century American women 20th-century American violinists