First known as Shaver s Crossing after a nearby farm, the vehicle crossing via two underpasses below the railroad shops later became known as Shaffers Crossing.
First known as Shaver s Crossing after a nearby farm, the vehicle crossing via two underpasses below the railroad shops later became known as Shaffers Crossing.
By Ray Cox
Special to The Roanoke Times
An airplane hangar would have been both appropriate and necessary to house the library of newspaper clippings Louise McPhelridge Thaden accumulated for her lifetime aloft.
A statue prominently displayed at an international airport would have worked nicely as well. A suitable model for the sculptor would have been the vintage photograph of Thaden posing with her left hand clutching a biplane wing strut, riding-booted right foot resting comfortably on the hub of the landing wheel assembly as she looked confidently toward the camera.
The press loved Thaden, she of the first generation of daring American women pilots. From east to west and north to south the headlines heralded her flying feats of speed, height, and endurance.