Pancho Barnes: Pasadena’s Indomitable Aviatrix Tuesday, March 25, 6:30 pm Pasadena Museum of History

One of the most important women in 20th century aviation, Florence Leontine Lowe “Pancho” Barnes (1901-1975) was born in Pasadena, raised in San Marino, married a South Pasadena minister – and then tossed social convention to the wind and flew off into history!

For the first time, the owners of the Pancho Barnes Trust Estate Archives will display rare photos and ephemera from her estate in a special program at Pasadena Museum of History on Tuesday, March 25, at 6:30 pm, presented in conjunction with the Museum’s current exhibition, Kites, Wings, & Other Flying Things: A History of Aviation in Pasadena. . A wine and cheese reception is included with the lecture.

Join Mike Salazar and Lou D’Elia as they discuss Pancho Barnes’ extraordinary feats. The granddaughter of early aviation pioneer Thaddeus Lowe, Pancho broke Amelia Earhart’s air speed record and became Hollywood’s first female stunt pilot. Her “Happy Bottom Riding Club,” a bar and restaurant at a ranch in the Mojave Desert near Edwards Air Force Base, gained fame – and notoriety – as a hangout for test pilots and movie stars during the early jet age.

TICKETS: $10 Museum Members; $15 Non-Members are available online at http://panchobarnes.brownpapertickets.com.

-Courtesy Photo

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