Women in Texas Aviation

Friday March 6, 2026

9:00 AM

Friday March 6, 2026

This session highlights the achievements of Texas women in aviation, from trailblazing pilot Edith Whatley McKanna to the pioneering Women Airforce Service Pilots. Through stories of flight, leadership, and legacy, presenters explore how Texas women reshaped history both in the air and on the ground.

Barbara A. Ganson
Florida Atlantic University
Rachael McClain
Executive Director, National WWII WASP Museum
Robert W. Tidwell, II
Texas Tech University
Kathleen Cosand
Col. USAF (ret), National WASP WWII Museum

This session explores the groundbreaking contributions of Texas women in aviation—from early trailblazers to modern leaders preserving their legacy. Together, the presentations highlight stories of courage, innovation, and resilience that shaped both the state’s history and national progress in aviation and gender equity.

Dr. Robert W. Tidwell, II, examines the life of Edith Whatley McKanna, a West Texas oil magnate who learned to fly for business but soon found passion and purpose in the air, competing in aviation events and serving with the Civil Air Patrol during World War II. Dr. Rachael McClain shares insights from her leadership of the National WWII WASP Museum, where the stories of the Women Airforce Service Pilots inspire new generations in education and workforce development.

Together, these presentations illuminate how women have defied expectations, advanced aviation, and built enduring institutions that honor their contributions to Texas and beyond.

Session Chair: Col. Kathleen Cosand, USAF (ret), National WASP WWII Museum

Presenters

Barbara A. Ganson

Barbara A. Ganson, Ph.D., is Professor of History at Florida Atlantic University and author of Texas Takes Wing: A Century of Flight in the Lone Star State (University of Texas Press, 2014). Her forthcoming book, Lady Daredevils: American Women and Early Aviation, will be published by the University of Illinois Press in 2026

Rachael McClain

Dr. Rachael McClain is Executive Director of the National WWII WASP Museum in Sweetwater, Texas. A rural education leader with a Ph.D. in Workforce Education from the University of Georgia, she works to advance women’s leadership and preserve the legacy of the Women Airforce Service Pilots.

Robert W. Tidwell, II

Dr. Robert W. Tidwell, II, is Interim Helen DeVitt Jones Endowed Director of Collections, Exhibits, and Research at the National Ranching Heritage Center, Texas Tech University. A San Antonio native and lifelong aviation enthusiast, he has served as curator at the Silent Wings Museum and holds a Ph.D. in History from Texas Tech University.

Kathleen Cosand

Colonel Kathleen A. Rambo-Cosand (USAF, Ret.) is a trailblazing military aviator and combat veteran whose career helped pave the way for women in military aviation. One of the first women pilots in the U.S. Air Force, she flew the C-141 Starlifter for more than two decades, earning the Air Medal and logging over 6,500 hours in the aircraft, including extensive combat service during Desert Storm. She later served in senior operational leadership roles overseeing global airlift missions and completed a parallel 27-year career as a commercial airline pilot with Trans World Airlines and American Airlines.





Download the 2026 Program (.PDF)
Download the 2026 Program (.PDF)
Download & Share Flyer (.PDF)
Download & Share Flyer (.PDF)