Patricia Steele-Emerson United Airlines Flight Attendant Collection
Contents of the Collection
The Patricia Steele-Emerson United Airlines Flight Attendant Collection is comprised of materials relating to Steele-Emerson's thirty-three year career as a flight attendant with United Airlines (UAL), 1970-2003. The bulk of the collection is textual materials with a small amount of photographs, four (4) videocassettes and one (1) audiocassette.
The collection contains assorted UAL documents, including employee records for Steele-Emerson; instructional, informational, and policy booklets, such as for professional conduct, maternity leave, and safety procedures. There are also "orchid letters" [complimentary letters], safety cards, in-flight announcement booklets, labor agreements, company correspondence, and performance evaluations for Steele-Emerson. Additional materials include two (2) 1998 issues of "Younited," an employee newsletter; Steele-Emerson's stewardess graduation diploma (undated) and ID badge (circa 2003); and a booklet given to Steele-Emerson upon retirement that includes a brief UAL history and timeline.
There are also assorted timetables for UAL and other carriers, such as Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, and Pan Am; a variety of ephemera, including postcards, sightseeing brochures for cruises and points of interest within cities, and assorted original and photocopied clippings and articles relating to UAL, flight attendants or the aviation industry. Additional material includes a small amount of primarily commemorative material related to September 11, 2001, including a memory pin for UAL flight attendants to wear, copies of memorial programs, printed copies of online news articles, company correspondence post-event, and a UAL booklet, "Flight Attendants Coping with Trauma."
The photographs depict UAL aircraft and personnel, circa 1969-1990s (bulk 1969-1971), including Steele-Emerson. The images are a mix of candid and posed, and many are color photocopies, not actual prints. Additional materials include four (4) videocassettes and one (1) audiocassette:
- VHS, "Bad Air Day", aired by NBC News on December 20, 2000
- Two (2) VHS related to the crash and rescue of UAL Flight 232
- VHS, "History of Onboard Service, including vintage United Commercials" [given to Steele-Emerson upon retirement]
- Audiocassette, "United Airlines F/A [flight attendant] graduation, Jan[uary] 1970"
Dates
- Creation: 1969-2003
Creator
- Steele-Emerson, Patricia (Former owner, Person)
Language of Materials
All materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research but has not been fully processed. Access to the collection may be limited or may require additional processing time. For more information contact us.
Please note the audiocassette and videocassettes need to be digitized prior to access usage.
Conditions Governing Use
The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.
Biographical Note: Patricia Steele-Emerson
Patricia Steele-Emerson was a United Airlines stewardess from 1969-2003. She flew primarily out of Seattle, Washington. No further information is known.
Source:
Biography derived from collection material.
Extent
1.61 Cubic Feet (4 full-width letter size document boxes and 1 audio box)
Separated Materials
This collection has a large amount of materials which have been separated from the archival component and are kept in Objects storage, including pins, badges, uniform pieces and uniform accessories, and a UAL flight attendant doll. For more information contact us.
Additionally, this collection has several items which are kept in the Library, including several issues of Flightlog, ranging from 1973-2002; and several issues of Passengers and Inflight Service, ranging from 1976-1980. For more information contact us.
Processing Information
This collection has not been fully processed.
Subject
- Pan American World Airways, Inc (Organization)
- United Airlines (Organization)
- Steele-Emerson, Patricia (Person)
- Title
- Guide to the Patricia Steele-Emerson United Airlines Flight Attendant Collection
- Status
- Completed Level 1
- Author
- J. Parent
- Date
- 2019
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
- Edition statement
- 1st edition
Repository Details
Part of the The Museum of Flight Archives Repository
9404 East Marginal Way South
Seattle Washington 98108-4097
206-764-7874
curator@museumofflight.org