• 2nd Lt Jocelyn Moore Evernham, WASP

Jocelyn Moore Evernham earned her Womens Airforce Service Pilot wings in December 1943 after completing 6 months of training at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas. Prior to joining the WASP'S Jocelyn was employed by Consolidated-Vultee in Fort Worth, Texas and started learning to fly at the local flying club. Her early training was in the club's Porterfield in which she completed 35 hours.


One day in the local newspaper, Jocelyn read an announcement about recruitment for the WASPs. The recruiting office was in Fort Worth, and she immediately went down to sign up. A few months later she received a call to join the 1943 W8 class at Avenger Field. During her training she flew the PT-19, BT-13, AT-6 and UC-78. Upon completion of approximately 200 hours of training, she reported to Gardner Field at Taft, California. There she flew the BT-13 ferrying planes throughout the Southwest, taxiing non-flying officers and working with engineering doing check flights.

In August of 1944, we was transferred to Yuma Army Airforce Base to report for co-pilot training in the B-26C. At Yuma she towed targets with the B-26 for the gunnery school. She completed a total of 66 hours in the B-26C. On December 20th, 1944 the WASPs were deactivated and Jocelyn returned to her parent's home in El Cajon, California.


Jocelyn married Clark C. Evernham in 1948. They had 2 children who were raised in El Cajon on their lemon and chicken ranch. In 1964, the family moved to La Mesa where they lived until 1983. Clark, who was the Director of the San Diego Museum of Man for 23 years, passed on in 1971. She moved to Julian in 1983 to live on a ranch. In 1987, she moved to Colorado before returning to San Diego three years ago to live with her daughter, who had become a pilot.

For her 90th birthday, I had the privilege of flying with her in her "dream ship," the AT-6 Texan, the advanced trainer she'd piloted during World War II. She flew west for the last time in 2003.