Papers of Jerrie Cobb, 1931-2012 (inclusive), 1954-2005 (bulk)

The papers of Jerrie Cobb document Cobb's professional life, highlighting her career as a pilot and her participation in Mercury 13, including her attempts to be the first woman in space, the public impact of her career, and her humanitarian work flying medicine and food to remote parts of the Amazon. Materials include clippings; photographs; correspondence; screenplays based on her life; certificates; flying charts; color slides; videotapes; t-shirts; etc. Much of the clippings, photographs, and correspondence were originally housed in binders. According to Ruth Lummis of the Jerrie Cobb Foundation who helped coordinate the donation of Cobb's papers to the Schlesinger Library, the binders were compiled by friends and volunteers over the years and their dates and contents overlap. The archivist disassembled the binders and albums but for the most part retained the original order of the material. While some duplicates have been removed, additional duplicates and similar types of materials can be found throughout the collection. Original titles, which were taken from the binders or from the original container list provided by the donor, have been retained when possible and are in quotes. Other folder titles were created by the archivist.

Series I, PROFESSIONAL, 1930s-2012 (#1.1-5.7, FD.1-FD.2, 6F+B.1m-6F+B.4m, 7OB.1-7OB.5. SD.1), includes extensive clippings, correspondence, writings, photographs, press releases, t-shirts, and printed materials documenting Cobb's role in the space program, her astronaut training, her flying career, and her work in the Amazon. The series chronicles the course of Cobb's professional life, highlighting her achievements as a pilot and astronaut particularly from the perspective of others, such as reporters, the public, friends, and colleagues. Articles about Cobb from the 1950s and 1960s often focus on Cobb's feminine qualities and physical attributes, sometimes making references to Cobb's strongly held Christian beliefs. Some clippings also reference the presence of the space race, with both Soviet and American newspaper articles profiling Valentina Tereshkova, the Soviet cosmonaut who would beat Cobb to be the first woman in space (1963). Also included in this series are letters from the public, supporters, colleagues, etc.; multiple screenplays written about Cobb's life; and a flight crew checklist, flight log, and navigational charts related to her work in the Amazon. Of additional note are publicity materials, letters of endorsement, letters to legislators and the White House requesting support, and the subsequent responses from NASA officials, all written during the time that Cobb advocated for her second opportunity to fly into space in the 1990s (Space II). This series also includes the evaluation of Cobb's astronaut test results (#2.8), summary of Cobb's test results (#2.10), and transcript of the hearing with Cobb and Hart before the House Subcommittee in 1962 (#2.13). There are also letters from and photographs with Cobb and her fiancé Jack Ford from the 1950s. Ford was a former World War II pilot who worked for Fleetway, Inc., and gave Cobb her first job ferrying aircraft. They were engaged for two years when he was killed in an airplane accident. Series is arranged alphabetically.

Series II, PHOTOGRAPHS, 1931?-2000s (#PD.1-PD.47), includes photographs, slides, and negatives documenting Cobb's astronaut training, her career as a pilot, and her flights ferrying supplies and aid to indigenous peoples in South America. The bulk of the series consists of publicity images of Cobb at promotional and award events or receptions surrounding her world record flights. Also included are snapshots from her trips to the Amazon, including with tribal peoples and views from the airplane; other travel to foreign locales; with Jack Ford; as well as a few family photographs, including images of Cobb as a young child. (See also #PD.1 for images of Cobb as a child and with family). Additionally, there is a slide show created by the Jerrie Cobb Foundation possibly for promotional or fundraising purposes: "Amazonas. Airlift: The Jerrie Cobb Story," documenting Cobb's humanitarian work. A small amount of non-photographic materials found in the photograph binders/albums were removed and added to Series I. See Series I for additional photographs. In the inventory, the term "photograph binder" indicates the original photographs were sleeved in a three-ring binder, while "photograph album" indicates a more traditional photograph album. Series is arranged chronologically.

Series III, AUDIOVISUAL, 1930s-2012 (#Vt-260.1-Vt-260.9, DVD-147.1), includes VHS, Betacam SP, and one DVD. The bulk of the materials consists of television interviews and profiles of Cobb as well as other Mercury 13 pilots when they achieved public attention around the time of John Glenn's return to space on the Shuttle Discovery mission in 1998. These televised segments were compiled by the Jerrie Cobb Foundation as part of the publicity campaign to promote Cobb's second attempt for space flight. In many of the segments Cobb discusses her desire to fly into space and the current efforts by others to secure her ability to do so. Also included are videotapes of archival footage of some of the astronaut tests that Cobb underwent, and footage related to Cobb's speed and distance records. See descriptions under Vt-260.1 and Vt-260.2 for more information. There is some duplication among the tapes. Series is arranged chronologically.

Most of the photographs in this collection are or will be digitized and available online.