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
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,
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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