Gladys O'Donnell

On August 18, 1929, the First Women's Air Derby was held. Twenty women entered the nine-day race. It was a test of strength both physical and mental, and all the contestants were ready. From Santa Monica California, they flew over the deserts of Arizonan with temperatures well over 100 degrees . . . added to it was the heat of exhaust fumes blasting back into their faces from the engines--open cockpits, leather helmets, heavy goggles. They looked for railroad tracks and water towers with city names painted on the rooftops; this was called dead reckoning. Instruments were minimal. They confronted dust storms and turbulence that forced a few to land. That not being enough, they dealt with sabotage, death, the trauma of being told they were not suited for competition and flying by a powerful group of male protestors. Nevertheless, they persevered to their destination: Cleveland, Ohio.

In this race Louise Thaden was the winner and Gladys O'Donnell, who entered the race with only 40 hours of solo flying time, came in second. Amelia Earhart was third.

In 1930, Gladys O'Donnell entered the Women's Air Derby again. This time she had the plane of her dreams--a Waco Taperwing. She was determined to make her mark in aviation history, and she did. She won that race, returned to Long Beach and was given a heroine's celebration, complete with a parade through the streets direct to City Hall where the Mayor awarded her the keys to the city. All of this was followed by a sumptuous banquet at the Pacific Coast Club. Her dreams were materializing.

That was 75 years ago, and yet on August 18, 2005, in the city of Henderson, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas, pioneer flyer Gladys O'Donnell was honored further when a celebration commemorating her determination and dedication to the achievement of her goals was memorialized by Desert Capital REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust), Inc., in their spacious, new headquarters in Henderson. The day officially honored Gladys O'Donnell and Desert Capital, REIT Inc., an outstanding corporate citizen, with proclamations signed by Mayor James B. Gibson of Henderson, and Governor of Nevada, Kenny C. Guinn, because Desert Capital REIT, Inc. had chosen to restore a genuine American artifact, the original wing from Gladys O'Donnell's Waco Taperwing, which was transformed into a remarkably beautiful conference table encased in glass and 23 feet in length. They felt her determination and subsequent victory was the spirit they wished to emulate in the corporate world of business.

The artists who performed the magic transformation are David Hall and Donavan Fell of MotoArt Enterprises in Torrance, California. Credit for this spectacular restoration goes to the innovative thinking and éclat taste of Todd Parriott, President and Chairman of the Board of Desert Capital REIT,Inc.