Avante-Garde Aviators
Liliana Chavez Uribe
Liliana Chavez Uribe is a helicopter pilot, who grew up on both sides of the border. She is graduate of PSJA High School and an alumna of UTPA (Class of 2015). While in school she was active in both Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) in high school and ROTC in college as a Texas Armed Services Scholar. Chavez Uribe recently earned her Master of Science in Aviation and Aerospace Management from Purdue.
She has overcome challenges as both a woman and Mexican-American; she was one of three women and the only Hispanic woman in her flight school class at Ft. Rucker in Alabama. In 2018, Chavez Uribe served as an Aeromedical Evacuation Officer with 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment, General Support Aviation Battalion and flew Blackhawk and Lakota helicopters for the Texas Army National Guard. She currently serves with the Washington Army National Guard.
Ila Loetscher
Ila Fox Loetscher (1904–2000), know affectionately as the "Turtle Lady", was also a pioneering aviator. She was the first woman to earn a pilot's license in Iowa and Illinois. Loetscher corresponded with Amelia Earhart and was a charter member of the Ninety-Nines, an international organization of licensed women pilots.
Loetscher attended Central College in Pela and eventually earned a BA from University of Iowa. When her husband of 32 years died, she moved from NY to South Padre Island.
Ila Loetscher became a sea turtle enthusiast on a trip to retrieve endangered Kemp's Ridley turtle eggs from Mexico to establish a rookery on South Padre Island. In 1977, she received a state license to care for sick and injured sea turtles, founding Sea Turtle, Inc.
Loetscher patrolled beaches to search for nests and protect eggs. Eventually, she installed tanks and began caring for turtles and hatchlings at home. Injured turtles were treated until they could be released back into the Gulf.
She was a national celebrity during her lifetime and Jacque Costeau's 1982 Almanac credited Loetscher with "having done more than any other human being to focus attention on the plight of the Kemp's or Atlantic Ridley [turtles]..."
Rosemary Mariner
Born in Harlingen Capt. Rosemary Mariner (1953-2019) always wanted to become a pilot. By age 17 she had already earned her private pilot's license.
Mariner was the first woman to earn an aeronautics degree from Purdue University and was among the first women to fly jets in the U.S. Navy. Capt. Mariner was also the first woman to command an Operational Naval Aviation Squadron when she led VAQ-34 (callsign Flashbacks) during Operation Desert Storm.
Later Capt. Mariner earned a Master’s degree in National Security Strategy and served as staff to the Joint Chiefs at the Pentagon. She retired after 34 years of military service, 17 carrier landings, and 3,500+ military flight hours in 15 different Navy aircraft.
She was instrumental in the repeal of restrictions on women serving in combat.
