Rita M. (Davoly) Webster WASP Collection

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: 2024-05-01

Contents of the Collection

The Rita M. (Davoly) Webster WASP Collection is a small collection of mainly textual materials that pertains to Rita Davoly's World War II WASP career. The bulk of the materials is contemporaneous with her 1943-1944 service, although a small amount of items is retrospective in nature.

World War II-era materials include Davoly's WASP military service records, identification cards, United States Army Air Forces diploma, a photocopy of the WASP songbook and General Hap Arnold's speech given at her 1944 commencement, and assorted documents related to her release from the WASP program. There are also two logbooks, 1941-1946. The logbooks cover Davoly's flight training, WASP service, and some post-war flights that relate to aerial mapping and photography.

Post-war materials include United States Department of Agriculture employee documentation and assorted clippings, circa 1969-2010 about various WASPs although Davoly is not mentioned; a roster and journal for a 1990 "WASP Delegation to USSR" that Davoly participated in; and two reunion photographs. One is a black-and-white 8x10-inch group portrait and is undated. It is a reprint and features 23 women. The remaining photograph is a color 5x7-inch group portrait taken in Cleveland, Ohio in 1982 and depicts 26 women of the 43-6 WASP class, including Davoly.

Dates

Creation: 1941-2010

Creator

Webster, Rita M. (Davoly), 1916-2006 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. For more information contact us.

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: Rita M. (Davoly) Webster

Rita M. (Davoly) Webster (1916-2006) was a member of the Women Air Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II.

Rita M. Davoly was born in New York state on August 2, 1916 to Edward and Elvira Davoly. Davoly took her first airplane ride in 1942 and immediately joined the Civilan Pilot Training program, the sole woman in a class of nine males. Upon completion of the program, she joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program in 1943. After her graduation, Davoly was based at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas as an instrument instructor. Davoly also piloted and ferried a variety of aircraft, including the Fairchild PT-19, Martin B-26 Marauder, North American AT-6, and Vultee BT-15.

When the WASP program was ended in 1944, she obtained a job ferrying old PT-19s from a storage depot to a New Jersey airport. She also was the pilot for several aerial photography and mapping flights during this time. Here she also met her first husband, Odd Ronstad (1921-1964). The couple married in 1945 and sometime around 1946-1947 they relocated to Seattle, Washington where they eventually had two children. She later met and married her second husband, Grey Webster (1910-1986). In 1990, Davoly visited Russia with fellow WASP pilots to meet members of the Soviet "Night Witches," an all female aviation regiment from World War II.

Davoly was a member of the Children's Orthopedic Guild from 1982 until her death presumably, and was an avid gardener, cook, and bridge player. She remained in the Seattle area for most of her life. Rita M. (Davoly) Ronstad Webster died in her sleep at her home in Seattle on February 14, 2006.

Biography derived from donor information, collection materials, and records on Ancestry.com.