Did you know? Bexley woman started off on historic journey 60 years ago this week
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A Bexley resident made history 60 years ago this month as the first woman to fly solo around the world.
Geraldine “Jerrie” Fredritz Mock, a Newark High School graduate and attendee of Ohio State University, started her voyage on March 19, 1964. Mock departed Port Columbus airport in a single-engine Cessna called the “Spirit of Columbus.” She succeeded, landing back safely at Port Columbus 29 days and 23,000 miles later.
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President Lyndon B. Johnson recognized Mock by awarding her the Federal Aviation Administration’s Exceptional Service Decoration on May 4, 1964. The ceremony was held at the White House Rose Garden.
After her first taste of history, Mock went on to set a number of world aviation records between 1964 and 1969. The Spirit of Columbus was donated to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and today it hangs in the Steve F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. The Federation Aeronautique Internationale honored Mock with its Louis Bleriot Silver Medal, the organization’s highest honor, as the first woman and American to receive the award.
A life-sized statue of Mock was unveiled at the original Port Columbus terminal — now the Ohio Air and Space Hall of Fame and Museum — commemorating the 50th anniversary of her voyage.
Mock died at age 88 on Sept. 30, 2014, at her home in Quincy, Florida.
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