Former Rector's Widow Receives Congressional Medal
In Washington last month, about 200 women who served during World War II as Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPS, received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor given by Congress, in a ceremony on Capitol Hill. And one of those pioneering women was Patricia Nuckols, the widow of the late Marshall Nuckols, ’33, ’35L, who served as rector of W&L’s Board of Trustees from 1974 to 1981.
Nuckols and her fellow pilots were the first to fly U.S. military planes. The military, however, considered them civilians, and did not grant them military status until 1977.
A photograph of Mrs. Nuckols ran on the Associated Press wires and appeared in newspapers around the country, including the Rutland Herald in her home state of Vermont. You can watch her discuss the honor on WPTZ television at this link http://bit.ly/awWdMj.
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