Memoirs of an Intern: I’m Amelia Earhart!

June 17, 2013

}

By Lauren Doherty, MOWT 2013 summer intern

Last week a group of 40 girls from the Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland district enjoyed a “camp-in” when they stayed the night at the Museum of World Treasures. The partnership was perfect for the historically themed camp which had an American Girl theme based on the dolls and book series. Each American Girl tells her story about living in America during wars and other life changing events, including the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Great Depression and the World Wars. At the Museum, the Girl Scouts received a personalized tour and listened to a couple guest speakers.

This is me, dressed as Amelia Earhart!

 

The first speaker, LaWanda Smith, is former Curator of Collections for MOWT. She shared her story of living on the home front during World War II. She talked about rations and her glass tea set she played with since plastic went to the troops. LaWanda also mention air raid drills that she had to practice as a little girl. The next speaker was Amelia Earhart.

 

Dressed as Amelia, I told the pioneer’s story as if I were her. Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. She broke three speed records flying up to 180 mph and became the first woman to fly across the Pacific Ocean from Honolulu, Hawaii to Oakland, California in 1935. A couple years later Earhart attempted to fly around the world and almost made it. She and her navigator Fred Noonan disappeared when they could not find an island in the Pacific which they needed to land and refuel. To this day no evidence of Earhart, Noonan or the plane have been found.

 

The Girl Scouts took part in an activity where they picked a historic female and made a doll of that person. Some of the historical women selected included Eleanor Roosevelt, Athena, Martha Washington and of course, Amelia Earhart. The girls also wrote a diary page. Ending the night, campers watched the movie “Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front” before bedding down by the dinosaurs.