Descriptive Finding Guide for Joyce Sherwood Secciani Personal Papers SDASM.SC.10215

AR
San Diego Air and Space Museum Library and Archives
2018
2001 Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park
San Diego 92101


Language of Material: English
Contributing Institution: San Diego Air and Space Museum Library and Archives
Title: Joyce Sherwood Secciani Personal Papers
Identifier/Call Number: SDASM.SC.10215
Physical Description: .3 Cubic Feet Description: The collection consists of one gray archival box, 12-1/2" x 15-1/2" x 10-1/2".
 
 Content notes: The collection contains items reflecting Ms. Secciani's involvement with the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), from 1943 to 1944. Included are flight logs, books, documents, news clippings, photographs, and WASP newsletters from 1944 to 2007. 
 The collection consists of one gray archival box, 12-1/2" x 15-1/2" x 10-1/2".
Date (bulk): bulk
Abstract: Joyce Elouise Sherwood Secciani was born on December 25, 1921 in San Diego, California. She spent all of her school years in El Centro, California. Even as a child, Joyce had wanted to fly and, upon graduating from high school, she signed up for the government-sponsored Civil Pilot Training program at Central Junior College. After getting her private pilot's license, she joined a flying club with 10 members and shared a 65 h.p. Interstate plane. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, private flying was not allowed within 200 miles of the U.S. coast, so Joyce helped another club member transport the plane on a trailer to Arizona so they could continue flying.
 In January, 1943, she learned about Jacqueline Cochran's WASP program which was comprised of female pilots who were Civil Service employees rather than military members of the Army Air Force. She signed up and headed for Houston, Texas where she joined other female pilots in WASP Class 43-3. On May 16, 1943, the trainees flew all the planes from Houston to Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas, which became their permanent home base, where they joined Class 43-4, which had just replaced the last of the male cadets.
Physical Description: Description: The collection consists of one gray archival box, 12-1/2" x 15-1/2" x 10-1/2".
 
 Content notes: The collection contains items reflecting Ms. Secciani's involvement with the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), from 1943 to 1944. Included are flight logs, books, documents, news clippings, photographs, and WASP newsletters from 1944 to 2007. 

Biographical / Historical

Joyce Elouise Sherwood Secciani was born on December 25, 1921 in San Diego, California. She spent all of her school years in El Centro, California. Even as a child, Joyce had wanted to fly and, upon graduating from high school, she signed up for the government-sponsored Civil Pilot Training program at Central Junior College. After getting her private pilot's license, she joined a flying club with 10 members and shared a 65 h.p. Interstate plane. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, private flying was not allowed within 200 miles of the U.S. coast, so Joyce helped another club member transport the plane on a trailer to Arizona so they could continue flying. In January, 1943, she learned about Jacqueline Cochran's WASP program which was comprised of female pilots who were Civil Service employees rather than military members of the Army Air Force. She signed up and headed for Houston, Texas where she joined other female pilots in WASP Class 43-3. On May 16, 1943, the trainees flew all the planes from Houston to Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas, which became their permanent home base, where they joined Class 43-4, which had just replaced the last of the male cadets. Soon, the group was assigned to Camp Davis (now Fort Davis), near Wilmington, North Carolina, as part of the Tow Target Squadron. They towed targets in front of the firing line for anti-aircraft guns to shoot at. They also flew tracking missions at night so the artillery could practice spotting planes with searchlights. The class served at several military fields doing target towing, tracking, and transporting planes. During this time Joyce met SSgt. Mario Secciani, who maintained the P-63 King Cobra and other fighter planes. They were married in 1945. The WASP were disbanded on December 20, 1944. Joyce was sad to leave but proud to have served. Joyce continued to fly privately and held several jobs around the country. She and Mario eventually settled in El Cajon, California, where they built a house and raised two children. Joyce remained active in the WASP group, promoting the WASP story. She helped set up the WASP exhibit at the San Diego Aerospace Museum, which was gutted by fire at one point. The museum moved to a new location and a new display was installed. In 1992, she supported an oral history of the WASP for California State University in Fullerton. Since 2003, she enjoyed retirement until her death on November 14, 2011.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to research, some restrictions apply.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was donated to the Museum in 2018.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Women Airforce Service Pilots
Bell Aircraft Corporation
Secciani, Joyce Sherwood
Cochran, Jacqueline

 

SERIES I: WASP Documents

 

Folder 1 -- Pilot's Log/Manual

 

Folder 2 -- Joyce E. Sherwood WASP Orders, Letters, Certificates, Forms

 

Folder 3 -- WASP Museum Brochures

 

Folder 4 -- Women in Military Service Memorial Foundation

 

Folder 5 -- WASP Reunions

 

Folder 6 -- WASP Rosters 1970-71 to 1977

 

Folder 7 -- WASP Rosters 1980 to 2010

 

Folder 8 -- Magazines 1. Woman Pilot, July-August 1995 2. The Last WASP Issue, July 2008

 

SERIES II: News Clippings

 

Folder 9 -- WASP Newspaper Articles

 

SERIES III: Photographs

 

1. Sixteen enlarged 8 x 10 photographic reprints of official photographs from Army Air Forces, March Field, California

 

SERIES IV: WASP Miscellaneous

 

Folder 11 -- Notes and Correspondence

 

Folder 12 -- Poetry and Song Book

 

Folder 13 -- Manuscript, "Betty Deuser Budde Letters 1943-1944," The Woman's Collection, Texas Woman's University, 2004

 

Folder 14 -- VHS Video, "Women of Courage," with companion guide

 

Item 15 -- Oversized Certificate of Service – WASP

 

SERIES V: WASP Newsletters

 

Folder 16 – WASP Newsletters, Nov 24, 1944 – April 1979

 

Folder 17 – WASP Newsletters, Nov 1983 – Mar 1992

 

Folder 18 – WASP Newsletters, July 1992 – Feb 1995

 

Folder 19 – WASP Newsletters, Apr 1995 – Fall 1998

 

Folder 20 – WASP Newsletters, Spring 1999 – Dec 2007

 

SERIES VI: Books

Physical Description: The following books from Joyce Secciani's personal library have been removed from the collection and housed in the SDASM Library: "On Final Approach: The Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II," Byrd Howell Granger, Falconer Publishing Co., 1991, HB; includes "Corrections by Members" "Flying for Her Country: The American and Soviet Women Military Pilots of World War II," Amy Goodpaster, Praeger Security International, 2007 Autographed, "Sisters in the Sky, Vol II - The WASP," Adela Riek Scharr, Patrice Press, 1988, HB "Letters Home: 1944-1945," Bernice "Bee" Falk Haydu, 2003, PB "Silver Wings: Santiago Blue," a Novel by Janet Daily, Poseidon Press, 1984, HB Autographed," We Were WASPs," Winifred Wood, Dorothy Swain, 1978, PB "Jacqueline Cochran: America's Fearless Aviator," Nina McGuire and Sandra Wallus Sammons, Southern Pioneer Series, 1997, PB Autographed, "Women Who Dared: America's Female Pilots, Flight Test Engineers, and Astronauts, 1912-1996," LtCol Yvonne C. Pateman, USAF(Ret), Norstahr Publishing, 1997, HB " The Education of a WASP," Lois Mark Stalvey, University of Wisconsin Press, 1970, PB "Those Wonderful Women in their Flying Machines: The Unknown Heroines of World War II," Sally Van Wagenen Keil, Four Directions Press, 1979, HB