Native Warsaw Aviatrix is Here After Transcontinental Hop Brother with Wilkins

Warsaw can claim some reflected renown in the field of Antarctic exploration and Alaskan aviation pioneering.

Pretty Marvel Crosson, who just completed a transcontinental flight in two days from Los Angeles to New York City, after six years of flying in Alaska, is visiting in Warsaw at the home of her aunt, Mrs. Simon Osborn, 604 E. Market street. Miss Crosson and her brother, Joe Crosson, now with Captain Wilkins' expedition to the Antarctic, were born in Warsaw, the son and daughter of Mrs. Lizzie Wynant Crosson, who, when the children were four or five years of age removed to California.

On Sunday relatives of Miss Crosson, in her honor, gathered here in a family reunion in which some 44 relatives were present and spent the day at the home of Mrs. Simon Osborn and her children. Those present were: Miss Velma Osborn, Garrett Osborn, May Osborn, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Bryant, Mr. and Mrs. Donald Lichtenwalter and children, Mrs. Minnie Lloyd and granddaughter, of Warsaw; Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Miller, Delborn Miller, Rheece Miller; N. A. Elsbury, Mr. and Mrs. William E. Osborn and children, of New Castle; Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln Hughes and children, Pierceton; Miss Esther Hughes, Fort Wayne; Paul Clark, Elkhart; Miss Ivan Louisa Taylor, New Castle; Mr. and Mrs. George Beck and son, South Bend; Mr. and Mrs. Donald Clark and son, Mr. and Mrs. Orville Clark, Mrs. Katherine Clark, and Mr. and Mrs. Walter Clark of Muncie.

Of the petite aviatrix the Muncie Evening Press recently said:
The world is a small place is the belief of pretty Marvel Crosson, of San Diego, Cal.

She piloted an airplane across the continent from Los Angeles to New York City in two days-and thinks no more about it than the average person would think of a short automobile trip.

Miss Crosson, who is in Muncie visiting her cousins, W. C. Clark and Donald Clark and her aunt, Mrs. Catherine Clark, 306 Wysor street, has been a pilot for six years-in fact she was awarded the first woman pilot's license issued in California and Alaska.

Now Miss Crosson is awaiting information of the whereabouts of her brother, Joe Crosson, like herself a rover of the aerial highways. Mr. Crosson, himself but 26 years of age, sailed from New York, September 22 with Captain Sir George Hubert Wilkins' expedition to the Antarctic.

First Continental Hop
"The expedition gave us our opportunity," Miss Crosson said Thursday evening while discussing aeronautics with a crowd of friends. "We'd made a number of cross country flights, but this was our first transcontinental one and we'd been looking forward to it.

"We left Los Angeles on the morning of September 12, stopping at San Diego, spent the night at El Paso, landed the next day at Jefferson City, Mo.; spent the next night at St. Louis, stopped at Cincinnati to obtain plane service and landed at Curtis Field at 7:30 p.m. September 14.

"We used one of Captain's Lockheed-Vegas." Miss Crosson confided. "It has a 200 horse power motor and was the one my brother took with him on the Antarctic expedition. Oh no, they're not trying to discover the South Pole-they're just laying meteorological stations."

"You know," continued the pretty aviatrix, "this isnt' my brother's first expedition with Captain Wilkins. They were in the Arctic in 1927 making the first commercial flight recorded to Point Barrow."

It's Their Real Vocation
"Flying is not only our recreation but our employment." Miss Crosson said. "We've been connected with the Western Canada Airways for a long time in the regular passenger and freight service-flying out of Winnipeg. Most of my work has been in the vicinity of Fairbanks, Alaska-that's 400 miles in the interior of the country-north of Nome and at the end of the railroad."

Miss Crosson admitted that her journey to Muncie from New York was decidely more monotonous than her eastward flight. "Anway, it was a great deal slower," she laughted. "I stopped over in Cleveland to visit my uncle, Jeff Hale. I came westward by train. I want to get back to San Diego to see my mother. I only had a short visit with her before I left for New York."

"I don't think I'll ever give up flying," the young aviatrix declared. "It means everything to me. Oh, yes, I used to play tennis and go to dances, but they're not in it with flying for pleasure and besides I'm combining fun and work."

"It isn't all thrills, however," the girl aviatrix declared-and she displayed a number of pictures to prove it. The "parka" or hood of the Northland, the heavy furs and the snowshoes are part of her regular attire. But one seeing the girl, with her dark bobbed hair, silk stockings and small close-fitting hat, wouldn't be able to distinguish her from any one of the Ball [State] College girls who trip along the city streets.

Warsaw Daily Times Tuesday October 9, 1928

Famous Aviator, J. Crosson, Will Salute Warsaw
While Flying Plane to Alaska

Mrs. E. Crosson, of San Diego, Calif., a native of Warsaw, but who for the past 37 years has resided in California, is the guest of her sister, Mrs. Simon Osborn, 604 E. Market street, and will remain here for two weeks listing her relatives, including her brother, Lincoln Hughes, of near Pierceton, her brother-in-law, Samuel Bryan, of Warsaw, and others. Mrs. Crosson leaves soon for Alaska, where her husband and her son, Joe Crosson, famous aviator, are interested in aviation and gold mining. Joe Crosson is now at Detroit, purchasing new airplanes for his Alaska enterprises.

He expects to fly to Warsaw tomorrow or Wednesday and will giveWarsaw, the hometown of his mother and dead sister, Miss Marvel Crosson, girl aviator, killed four years ago in a transcontinental air derby, an aerial salute enroute with his new ship back to Alaska.

The five daughters of the late William Wynant, born and reared on a farm near Warsaw, recently at Cleveland held their first sisters reunion in twenty years. They include Mrs. Catherine Clark, 69, of Muncie, Mrs. Elizabeth Crosson, 54 San Diego, Mrs. Martha Miller, 59, Newcastle, Mrs. May Osborn, 64 Warsaw, and Mrs. Stella Hale, 56, Cleveland.

William Osborn and family, of Newcastle were here yesterday, visiting the former's mother, Mrs. Simon Osborn and their aunt, Mrs. Crosson.

Warsaw Daily Times October 16, 1933

Joe Crosson Waves to His Mother Here Yesterday on Detroit-To-Alaska Flight

Joe Crosson, famous aviator who has figured prominently in the rescue of world fliers stranded in Siberia and came to the rescue of Wiley Post not many months ago when his plane was damaged in landing in Canada on his round-the-world flight, yesterday flew over Warsaw and saluted his mother, who is visiting here with her sister, Mrs. Simon Osborn.

Crosson was flying a huge new plane enroute from Detroit to Alaska. He was unable to land here because there was no large landing field, but circled Warsaw three times and dipped his plane in salute and waved to his mother. Warsaw is her hometown and is the birthplace of his sister, Miss Marvel Crosson, who was killed in a transcontinental air derby a few years ago.

Before flying here Crosson telephoned his mother and she and relatives were watching for him. His plane contained tons of supplies, skis and other things for use in Alaska. Mrs. Crosson will leave Warsaw for San Diego, her home, and thence goes to Alaska soon, where she will spend the winter with her husband and son.

Crosson circled the city about 3 p.m. yesterday.

Warsaw Daily Times October 18, 1933

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