Skip to main content

Mildred Jane Doyle Collection

 Collection
Identifier: WV 0402

Content Description

The collection includes photographs of Doyle's service with the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), 1944; copies of military papers related to her flying experience and training, November 1942-May 1944; copies of newspaper clippings honoring WASP's, 2000 and undated; full publications of the Stars and Stripes, a national newspaper for Military Veterans, June 1977-January 1978; an oral history transcript, 2 July 2007.

Dates

  • 1943-2007

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright is retained by the creators of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information. Please see our Sensitive Materials Statement.

Biographical Note

M. Jane B. Doyle (1921-2019) of Grand Rapids, Michigan, served in the WASPs (Women Airforce Service Pilots) from 1943 to 1944. Mildred Jane Doyle was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on 13 October 1921. In 1939 she graduated from Grand Rapids Senior High School and enrolled in Grand Rapids Junior College. While there, she earned her private pilot license through the Civilian Pilot Training Program.

In the fall of 1940, Doyle transferred to the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where she also served in the Civil Air Patrol. She graduated in 1943 and worked briefly as a graphic designer in Ann Arbor. Doyle enlisted in the WASP in 1943 and went to Sweetwater, Texas, for training in November. Following graduation in May 1944, she reported to Seymour, Indiana, for engine school. There she worked in the engineering hangar as a test pilot. In August of 1944, she married a fellow air force pilot.

She resigned from the WASP in October of that year after hearing rumors that the program would be disbanded. For the next year, Doyle moved with her husband to his various duty stations. In 1946, while he was stationed in Japan, she maintained her pilot license by renting a plane. The couple later settled in Ann Arbor in 1947 and had five children. She died in 2019.

Extent

0.21 Linear Feet (Document box, letter contains 10 folders.)

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

  • License: This record is made available under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Creative Commons license.

Condition Description

The condition is good.

Offensive Language Statement

The UNC Greensboro University Libraries collects, preserves, and makes accessible unique and historical materials for learning and research. The nature of historical materials is such that some material may represent positions, norms, and values that are offensive and objectionable. These materials represent the opinions and actions of their creators. By providing access to these records in our reading room and through our digital collections, we recognize that archives and rare books can play a vital role in holding those creators accountable and in helping us learn from the past.

Our finding aids and other collection descriptions may occasionally re-use language provided by creators or former holders of the materials, but we strive to place outdated or offensive terminology in context. That said, we recognize that we may not always make the right decision and welcome feedback from all sources so we can learn and adjust our practices. Please contact us at scua@uncg.edu if you encounter problematic language in our finding aids or other collection description. We will review the language and, as appropriate, update it in a way that balances preservation of the original context with our ongoing commitment to describing materials with respectful and inclusive language.

Processing Information

Processed by Matthew McCarthy.

Title
Mildred Jane Doyle Collection
Subtitle
Doyle Collection, Mildred Jane
Status
Completed
Author
Matthew McCarthy
Date
2022 November
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
eng

Repository Details

Part of the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives Repository

Contact:
P.O. Box 26170
320 College Ave.
Greensboro NC 27402-6170 US
336-334-5246