Cheryl Jenni was born on June 24, 1948, in Lewistown, MT. She graduated from Fergus County High School and Montana State University. In 1969, while teaching at Lincoln Junior High School in Billings, MT she married her high school sweetheart, Dennis Skovgaard, initially taking his last name. By 1976 she ended her career as an educator, citing dissatisfaction with the job.
After a brief stint with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, in 1977 she began training to be an air traffic controller at the Federal Aviation Administration Academy in Denver, CO. She completed the program in 1979 and began working as an air traffic control specialist in Billings in November 1980, where she became a member of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers union (PATCO). In early 1981, PATCO began a new collective bargaining agreement with the FAA. It soon became apparent the FAA would not grant most of the requests made by PATCO. Although illegal, the union began discussions around a potential strike. This carried on from March and into the summer. Finally, on August 3, 1981, 13,000 PATCO members struck, resulting in the firing of those who refused to return to work as ordered by U.S. President Reagan.
Following her termination, Cheryl and others appealed to the Montana Board of Labor and Industry to receive benefits which were denied on the grounds that they had broken the terms of their employment by participating in an illegal strike. The case eventually made its way to the State Supreme Court where they ruled in a 4 to 3 decision against the appellants.
She later return to school, became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and joined the YWCA [Young Women's Christian Association] as fiscal manager.
Beyond her professional career Cheryl was also very active in the social justice community. She was a member of the Billings Coalition for Women's Rights; a founding member and president of the Yellowstone Valley Chapter of the National Organization for Women, lobbying for the passage of the Equal Right Amendment; and a founding member of the Montana Women's Lobby. She also served two terms as chair of the Billings Rape Task Force.
Cheryl Jenni papers 1950-2023 consist of correspondence (1960-2003), case files (1981-1984), subject files (1978-2023), notes (1979) and news clippings (1977-1989) related to the Ms. Jenni's education and tenure as an air traffic controller employed at the Billings International Airport during the 1981 Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization strike which lead to the termination of over 11,000 air traffic controllers nationwide. Included are files covering the appeal battles with the Montana State Department of Labor and Industry Board of Labor Appeals which ensued following PATCO members' termination, resulting in their blacklisting and loss of benefits. Also included are subject files and clippings related to her work as an accountant and advocate for women's rights in the Billings area during the 1980s and 1990s.
Additionally, this collection includes papers and photographs related to Cheryl Jenni's K-12 education, participation in the 4-H Program, and early career as a teacher in Montana. Family correspondence, photographs, financial records, and memoirs are also included.
The collection is arranged as follows, original order maintained unless otherwise specified:
Series I: Biographical / Genealogical
Series II: Correspondence
Series III: Case Files
Series IV: Employment Records (organized chronologically)
Series V: Financial Records
Series VI: Printed Materials
Series VII: School Notes / Records
Series VIII: Subject Files (arranged alphabetically)
Series IX: Writings
Series X: Clippings
Oral Histories
This collection is open for research.
Some materials were donated with PATCO papers (MC 464) but divided according to folder structure put in place by the donor at the time of donation.
Additional materials were donated as two, seperate, donations; one in the summer and one in the fall of 2025.
Related collections include: SC 2834 (Dennis Skovgaard papers), and MC 464 (PATCO papers).
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Library & Archives, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society Research Center catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.