My Mom, Marcia Fuller, loved aviation, being a female private Pilot, and being a member of the San Fernando Valley 99's.   I remember her always running around doing something 99 related; taking cookies to the tower, spotting on a landing strip in 100+ degree weather in the middle of the desert (that had no facilities) for the Laughlin air races, or standing on the side of the runway out in Palmdale on a windy day, ducking a plane being blown her way while making sure the Pilot’s touch & go hits the right spot on the runway.  Then chasing her notebook that blew out of her hand for 30 minutes or more.

I’m sure you all have heard the story of how, as a child, Marcia would run outside and look up every time she heard an airplane go over, and how Duane Cole, a famous stunt pilot, taught my Mom how to fly when she was 14 years old in exchange for babysitting.  But what you may not have heard is my Mom getting up before the sun to make sure she was at a 99's event she volunteered for; maybe manning a booth for a poker flight, maybe selling beer at the Van Nuys air show.  Could be while my Mom worked a 99’s booth at an event, you may not have heard the excitement escape her lips from being involved with something she loved to do.  Or when she coordinated a Salute to Youth event, which motivated high school aged young adults in the Antelop Valley to consider a career in aviation, and also allowed some of her fellow 99's to fly into a military facility.  You may not have noticed the pure joy she felt in her heart, from smiles on the faces of countless young future pilots.

I feel so very proud that establishing a future pilot scholarship fund in her honor can help out a future pilot, as the 99's Future Women’s Pilot program helped my Mom out when she became determined to finally get her pilot’s license after 40+ years.  

By donating, you are not only keeping the memory of a wonderful Aviator alive, you are also helping a young future pilot get her wings.

Thank you, Kathie Harris