On this day in 1978, Margaret Brewer, a native of Durand, became the Marine Corps’ first woman brigadier general. Inspired by the Iwo Jima flag raisers, she joined the Marines after graduating from the University of Michigan. And in 1875, Harriet Quimby, the first licensed American female pilot, was born in Arcadia, Michigan.
TRANSCRIPT
On this day Margaret Brewer, a native of Durand in Shiawassee County, became the Marine Corps’ first woman brigadier general in 1978. She was inspired to join the Marines when she heard a speech given by the men who raised the American flag at Iwo Jima. After graduating from the University of Michigan, she joined the Marines as second lieutenant. After President Jimmy Carter successfully nominated her for appointment to brigadier general, she became director of public affairs, a job she held until her retirement in 1980.
And Harriet Quimby, first licensed American female pilot and the first woman in the world to fly solo over the English Channel back in 1912, was born in Arcadia, Michigan on May 11, 1875.