A native of Newark, Ohio and former resident of Bexley, Geraldine “Jerrie” Mock early on exhibited the tenacity to follow her dreams. At the age of seven she took her first airplane ride in a Ford Tri-Motor and told her family and friends that she would someday fly around the world. Of course, no one really believed her then. After all, at that time young girls in small towns across America were expected to learn how to become successful wives and mothers. But why not – it’s even rumored that her grandfather, Raymond Wright, is actually related to the famous Wright Brothers!
Jerrie’s dream never died, and at the age of 38 she did what no other woman had ever done before – she flew solo around the world in a tiny 11-year-old single-engine Cessna. It took nearly two years of planning and working through worldwide bureaucracy to accomplish but little Jerrie (at only 5’ tall) did it! As she left the tarmac climbing to 7,500 feet, she even heard the air traffic controller say “well, I guess that’s the last we’ll hear from her!” Little did they know that this ordinary woman with an extraordinary determination would fly into the annals of history. It took twenty-nine days.
With support from her parents, her husband Russell, her two sons Gary and Roger, and her daughter Valerie – Jerrie had lived her dream. April 17, 2014 will mark the 50th Anniversary of when Jerrie touched down at the end of her journey on the “Spirit of Columbus.” She just celebrated her 88th birthday in November. The anniversary will be celebrated by the unveiling and dedication of a life-size bronze statue of Jerrie at Port Columbus International Airport. The airplane is proudly on display at the Smithsonian.
At the conclusion of Jerrie’s book, “Three-Eight Charlie” she recalls the feeling she got as she celebrated with the throngs of people surrounding her, including Mayor Sensenbrenner and Governor Rhodes. She recalled, “It was all beginning to spin. Tomorrow would be Jerrie Mock Day. It was all exciting and I wondered if the night was real. Words were getting through to my whirling brain in fits and starts. By now I was really in a daze. It didn’t seem right that these people should say such wonderful things about me. I had just had a little fun flying my airplane.”
For more information about Jerrie Mock and her adventure, check out her book, “Three-Eight Charlie.”