Mary Lou (Colbert) Neale

Mary Lou was one of many WASPs, but she holds a special place in our hearts because she represented this fine group of women pilots on our Board of Directors

She is also responsible, with help from fellow WASPs Catherine Vail Bridge and Iris Critchell, for creating the WASPs exhibit at our P‑38 Museum in Riverside, CA.

Biography

Mary Lou (Colbert) Neale was born on Oct. 6, 1914, in Juneau, Alaska to Rear Admiral Leo Otis and Florentine Odou Colbert.

She traveled extensively as a child attending schools in various locales including Manila in the Philippines.

Mary Lou graduated from Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School in Washington D.C. and entered Wellesley College in 1931, graduating with a degree in English Composition in 1935. She worked as a newspaper writer, and a cataloguer for the Library of Congress.

When the nation prepared for WWII she met with Eleanor Roosevelt to ask her help in allowing women in the newly formed Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP). In this program she completed her Primary and Secondary Pilot Training.

While working with aeronautic charts in the Department of Commerce, Mary Lou met famous female pilots Jackie Cochran and Amelia Earhart. Through her acquaintance with the military in Washington D.C., she learned of the formation of the Women Air Force Service Pilots [WASP] Program.

When Jacqueline Cochran finally got the go-ahead to select 25 women pilots for this "experimental” program, (following the regular Air Corps Cadet training course and with some 450 flight hours and the required Commercial license) Mary Lou was the first to apply.

And she was the first accepted. Mary Lou was the first candidate Jackie Cochran signed up for the WASP program and was a member of their first class, 43-W-1.

Mary Lou was checked out in all the trainers, fighters and most of the bombers and was assigned to the Ferry Command, flying P‑38s and various other aircraft between the west and east coast military bases.

Mary Lou was later Commander of the WASP Unit at the Palm Springs Army Air Force Base, and received a commission as Captain in the USAF Reserve after the WASP organization was deactivated.

She served as ferry pilot until the last hour on the last day (December 20, 1944), when all WASP flying was halted. 

Thanks to WASP Final Flight blog for some of this info!.