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Archives at The Museum of Flight


Chapelle, Dickey, 1919-1965

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1919-1965

Biographical Note: Dickey Chapelle

Dickey Chapelle (1914-1965), also known as Georgette Louise Meyer, was an American photojournalist. She was known for her work as a war correspondent covering World War II through the Vietnam War.

Chapelle was born on March 14, 1918 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She studied aeronautical engineering at MIT but dropped out to pursue photography and journalism. Chapelle began her journalism career writing aviation features for the Boston Traveler and was also a staff writer for the Milwaukee Journal. From circa 1939-1941, she worked at Transcontinental and Western Air (TWA) as a press release writer. In April 1941, Chapelle joined Lear Avia as a press liasion in the company's New York office. She later joined National Geographic as a war correspondent photojournalist during World War II. Notably, she covered the Battle of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

In 1940, she married Tony Chapelle, though the marriage ended in divorce in 1955. After her divorce, she changed her first name to Dickey.

Post-war, she traveled extensively as a war photojournalist, often traveling with troops. On November 4, 1965 she was killed in Vietnam while on patrol with a Marine platoon during "Operation Black Ferret," becoming the first female war correspondent to be killed in Vietnam as well as first American female reporter to be killed in action.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Series II. Lear Avia Inc., 1884-1946, 1957, 1975, 1998, undated

 Series
Scope and Contents: Series II. Lear Avia Inc. Series II: Lear Avia Inc. is the second largest series of the collection. It documents the research, development, and manufacture of Lear Avia’s key World War II-era products, notably clutches, screw jacks, motors, and aircraft navigation and radio equipment and parts. In addition, there is documentation of other products which reflect the company’s post-war considerations for manufacture and production. These are not just limited to the field of aeronautics but...

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