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Commercial aviation grew rapidly in the 1930s, and male stewards and female stewardesses were a significant part of many airline’s passenger services. Before Boeing Air Transport (later United Air Lines) hired the first stewardesses in 1930, all airline cabin crews were men. By 1936, although many airlines still only hired stewards, the stewardess had become a permanent fixture in air travel. United Air Lines opened its first training center for stewardesses in 1938. By 1951, the airline’s class of 1951 numbered 450 women graduates. By the late 1970s, United employed 8,700 flight attendants. By 1986, that grew to 12,300, 14 percent of which were men. This particular diploma was awarded to Shirley M. Wade, who graduated from the United Air Lines program in 1958. #WomenInAviation #WomensHistoryMonth Shirley M. Wade United Air Lines stewardess diploma 1958 SFO Museum Collection 2001.037.001
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