RPS Presentation, October 14, 2026– Christine L. Ridarsky – Rochester Women Take Flight
Christine L. Ridarsky is Rochester and Monroe County Historian and co-editor of Rochester History. She has a master’s degree in American History from the State University College at Brockport and a passion for local history and women’s history.
In her presentation, Rochester Women Take Flight, Ms. Ridarsky will discuss Rochester’s Blanche Stuart Scott, who has achieved widespread recognition as the first American woman to pilot an airplane, but she is not the only area aviatrix to make a mark. As Rochester and Monroe County prepare to celebrate the centennial of commercial air service at the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport, the stories of other extraordinary local female pilots are coming to light. This talk will focus on the lives and careers of local Ruth Shafer Fleisher and Dawn Seymour, who served as Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) during World War II, as well other women in local aviation history.
More information on Christine Ridarsky.