UFOs, Whiskey & Facing Your Fears

Jamsie in her Jodhpurs

The first time I talked to Teresa was on the phone back in 1992. I'll never forget how much fun it was. I chatted with this woman who I'd only read about in books and after 2 hours of stories on both ends ... we became friends. She called me everything from kid to sweetie to honey to sister as in "Listen, kid .... you lose your engine and have to make a forced landing in a field somewhere ... all it is is just another landing ... that's all it is, honey ... just another God damn landing. You got it." All the while speaking in her sharp, curt Pittsburghese dialect.

After our conversation I received a string of rosary beads in the mail with a note ... "This has logged a hell of a lot a miles over the years and never let me down. Now it's your turn - fly safe." I held the beads in my hand and was in pilot heaven. Nothing like a mentor passing down her faith to a beginner.

I met her in Long Beach, California while visiting Barbara (BJ), number 3 of the 6. Teresa and I roomed together. The first night we stayed up until 3AM talking in the darkness about UFOs. One of Teresa's dreams was to one day be invited aboard a UFO. She said she wanted to "fly that sucker". Her excitement was akin to a child's on Christmas morning. She just couldn't wait for that day to come.

That night we talked of God, fears, dreams, the past, planes, love and the future. She was 78 then ... and still had the imagination and heart of a curious child. She remained a dear friend until she died just last year at the age of 94. The day she died I bought a bottle of C&C (Canadian Club whiskey - her favorite), poured myself a shot and toasted the life of an extraordinary woman. A woman who shared herself and her fears so to help me become a better pilot and less fearful human being. All through her life she walked toward her fears ... not away. Her favorite planes were the Curtiss OX-5 and the Army's P-47 Thunderbolt.