“There’s more to life than just being a passenger”

Those prophetic words were spoken by famed aviator and poet, Amelia Earhart, the subject of a highly entertaining and riveting program that was the centerpiece of the recent District II meeting hosted by the Charlotte Parkhurst Chapter at the Marriott hotel in Rancho Cordova on January 23, 2023 with 136 members and guests attending. Also attending were State Regent Sharon Maas, First Vice Regent Christina Ramos, and Honorary State Regents Susan Broderick and Beverly Moncrieff, joined District II Director Carol Ann Nolan (it was also her birthday!) for the meeting.

New York Times best-selling author, historian, and journalist, Susan Wels, was the keynote speaker. Her program followed the life of Amelia Earhart, the focus of her best-selling book, Amelia Earhart: The Thrill of It. A nationally acclaimed author and editor, Wels has worked on assignment around the world and served as correspondent on the Titanic Research and Recovery Expedition, reporting daily from the site of the Titanic in the north Atlantic.

The first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Amelia Earhart was also a photographer, hospital worker, fashion designer, social worker and student of chemistry, physics, and medicine – before she mysteriously vanished in an airplane over the Pacific Ocean in July 1937, while trying to be the first person to circumnavigate the equator.

Earhart’s zest for life, her bravery, and everything that made her the icon she became was an inspiration for everyone at this successful District II meeting.

Photo: Charlotte Parkhurst Chapter had a great turnout for the District II meeting in January. Photo Courtesy of Jay Lensch.