The National WASP WWII Museum
The National WASP WWII Museum seeks to educate and inspire all generations with the story of the WASP: Women Airforce Service Pilots – the first women to fly American’s military aircraft – women who forever changed the role of women in aviation!
The museum is conveniently located just minutes off Interstate 20 at 210 Loop 170 in Sweetwater, Texas. Pilots flying over Sweetwater can land at Avenger Field – the Sweetwater Airport (SWW). The museum is a short distance away. For assistance with directions or in setting up special tours, call 325.235.0099.
Regular days and hours of operation are Wednesday through Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
News and Events
Veteran’s Day Celebration- Run for the WASP
Third Annual Benefit 5K Run and 1.3 Mile Walk
November 10, 2012
1:00 PM
$25 per person/$20 for pre-registered students and military personnel
$25 on the day of the race for any runner or walker not pre-registered
Register by clicking on “Run for the WASP” button on top right of page, print registration page and mail with entry fee to:
National WASP WWII Museum
P.O. Box 456
Sweetwater, TX 79556
Ten different age groups will be given awards
The Museum will be open to the public. Admission is free.
Enjoy this 5K course running or walking 1.3 miles through the Sweetwater TSTC campus from the Museum and circling the 1943 WASP Wishing Well on the school campus. Special guests will include a WASP and a Dyess Air Force Pilot, who will be available for autographs and pictures. The race kickoff will include a fly-over by the PT-19 airplane housed at the museum.
TSTC will provide water, snacks, and US flags marking the course. Please feel free to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy at the museum after the race.
Participants have included children, babies in strollers, dogs on leashes, school groups, and others. We look forward to having you join us also for this special Veterans Day Celebration.
New Jacqueline Cochran Exhibit
Our new Jacqueline Cochran exhibit reveals her (see bio) connections with the movers and shakers of the 40′s, 50′s and 60′s. Her marriage to Floyd Odlum, a lawyer and industrialist who also held a major stake in RKO Films, set her in a circle of friends that included Walt Disney, Bob Hope, the Rat Pack, and Clark Gable, as well as Chuck Yeager and Amelia Earhart. Jackie and Floyd entertained Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy at their ranch.
Exhibit donor Geneva Gordon-Derr and Jacqueline Cochran became friends in the Hollywood social scene. Geneva’s husband, the mayor of Riverside, served as the Director of Parks and Recreation with Disneyland within his realm of authority. Geneva stood in for Jackie at events on occasion, even wearing her medals when representing her. Geneva sang on some of Bob Hope’s USO tours, too. Jacqueline Cochran’s interest in beauty products through her cosmetic line and the fact that Geneva Gordon-Derr was a beautiful model also brought them together.
The National WASP World War II Museum greatly appreciates this gift by Geneva Gordon-Derr and James Adams.
Fundraising for Expansion Project Underway!
A climate-controlled addition is needed at the National WASP WWII Museum to preserve the many precious artifacts and display them properly. Great progress has been made in the last five years bringing Hangar One alive with the WASP story, but there is still much to be done. The legacy these courageous women left us must be shared with all generations. We have a great story to tell and we need to keep moving forward, improving upon what has been accomplished, and we need your support! Call Sharron Davis at 325-235-0099 or email her through the website to learn how you can help.
