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Oral history interview with Ann M. Bohrer, 1980 May 12

Overview of the Collection

Interviewee
Bohrer, Ann
Title
Oral history interview with Ann M. Bohrer
Dates
1980 May 12
Quantity
0.1 cubic feet, (2 audiocassettes (55 min., 53 sec.) + transcript (27 pages))
Collection Number
SR 9361
Summary
Oral history interview with Ann M. Bohrer conducted by Patricia Keith on May 12, 1980. Bohrer discusses her experiences as a woman aviator in Portland, Oregon, in the 1920s and 1930s.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Digitization funded by the James F. Miller Endowment.
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Biographical Note

Ann Mary Bohrer was born in Hancock, Michigan, in 1904. The next year, her family relocated to Portland, Oregon. She and her brother, Walt Bohrer, took flying lessons from Tex Rankin and Hans Mirow in the 1920s and 1930s. She also worked as Rankin's secretary. She wrote for Western Flying and Sportsman Pilot, and also co-wrote several books on aviation with Walt Bohrer, including "Twenty Smiling Eagles," "Tales Up" and "This is Your Captain Speaking." From 1946 to 1976, she worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She was a member of the OX5 Aviation Pioneers, a national association of pilots who flew solo before 1940. She died in 1993.

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Content Description

This oral history interview with Ann Mary Bohrer was conducted by Patricia Keith at the Troutdale Airport in Troutdale, Oregon, on May 12, 1980, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program. A transcript is available.

In this interview, Bohrer discusses her early interest in aviation, and that of her brother, Walt Bohrer, including hanging out at the Vancouver Airport and taking flying lessons in Portland from Tex Rankin and Hans Mirow. She shares her experiences as a woman pilot trainee in the 1920s and 1930s. She talks about doing stunt flying, about doing parachute jumps, and about close calls she experienced while flying. She closes the interview by discussing the changes in planes during her time as an aviator.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

Audio and transcript available online in OHS Digital Collections.

Preferred Citation

Oral history interview with Ann M. Bohrer, by Patricia Keith, SR 9361, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

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Administrative Information

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Air pilots--Oregon
  • Parachuting
  • Recreational aviation--Oregon
  • Women air pilots--Oregon

Personal Names

  • Bohrer, Ann
  • Bohrer, Walt
  • Rankin, Tex (John Gilbert), 1894-1947

Corporate Names

  • Rankin School of Flying (Portland, Or.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • interviews
  • oral histories (literary works)

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Keith, Patricia (interviewer)
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