By Meg Godlewski
In April 2023, the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum opened in Atchison, Kansas, and in keeping with Executive Director Mindi Love Pendergraft, it’s so popular with visitors — who often come from across the country — that it’s within the running for USA Today’s Best Latest Museum.
Since it is a people’s selection award, the general public is invited to vote.
“I feel the editors recognized we’re the primary and only museum dedicated to the aviation legacy of Amelia Earhart, considered one of the world’s most admired women,” said Pendergraft. “It may be that the museum offers a rare mix of state-of-the-art STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] interactives with history storytelling that uniquely takes visitors on a journey through Amelia’s trailblazing life.”
Pendergraft, a native of Kansas, grew up hearing stories concerning the famous aviatrix. She was on the museum on opening day.
“I used to be drawn by how the museum tells Amelia’s story in a way that brings her to life beyond the allure of Amelia the ‘icon’ to present a one that boldly faced real challenges and struggles within the pursuit of her dreams — and used her success to encourage others,” she said. “I’m also impressed by how the museum engages visitors, particularly young people, with hands-on STEM concepts as they journey through Amelia’s life. The museum is responding to an urgent must help young people consider careers in aviation, aerospace and other STEM-related profession paths of the longer term.”
The centerpiece of the power is the world’s last remaining Lockheed Electra 10-E, named Muriel after Earhart’s younger sister. The airplane is similar to the aircraft Earhart used on her final flight in her try to fly around the globe. Earhart’s aircraft disappeared over the Pacific on July 2, 1937. She was attempting to achieve Howland Island to satisfy up with the Coast Guard cutter Itasca. There was sporadic radio contact, with Earhart indicating she was lost and running low on fuel, then radio silence.
The U.S. Navy spent weeks looking for Earhart and her navigator, Frederick Noonan, but no trace was found. To today, the search was the most important effort of its kind by the Navy apart from the seek for the wreckage of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986.
Beyond the aviatrix
Earhart was greater than a pilot — she was a trendsetter and role model for ladies, advocating for them to pursue higher education and careers. She had a keen interest within the sciences and used her celebrity status to advocate for social causes. She was close friends with first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, even persuading her to skip out on a state dinner — despite the very fact they were wearing formal gowns — to go flying.
“Lots of her accomplishments were underrated,” said Pendergraft. “I’m a native Kansan who grew up knowing about Amelia, but until I joined the Museum I had no real idea of her many accomplishments and influences beyond the headlines — lots of that are underestimated, like working as a mechanic, nurse and student adviser at Purdue to encourage other women.”
Pendergraft said the museum began gaining attention before it even opened. In January, Smithsonian Magazine named the museum considered one of the Top 10 Most Anticipated Openings in 2023, and in the autumn the museum was profiled by the Midwest Travel Journalists Association with its annual GEMmy Award as considered one of the “gems of travel” because it “offers an exceptional experience to travelers.”
A couple of weeks ago, museum officials were notified by the editors of USA Today’s 10Best readers’ selection awards that theirs was considered one of 16 museums within the country to be nominated.
“We didn’t know concerning the contest and were beyond thrilled to be nominated,” Pendergraft said. “We’ve since learned that 10Best nominees are submitted by a panel of travel experts, after which the 10Best editors narrow the sphere to pick out the ultimate set of nominees for the general public to vote on.”
Voting is completed online and readers can solid a ballot once per category, per day, until the cutoff of noon next Monday.
“If we reach the No. 1 spot, the museum shall be featured in USA Today and beneficial across USA Today’s travel and tourism platforms as a top destination within the U.S.,” Pendergraft said. “This special honor is not going to only shine a brilliant highlight on the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum, but it should also heighten public interest in exploring the numerous stellar museums and tourism attractions across the Midwest.”
Other museums within the running include the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas, Museum of Broadway in Latest York, Gettysburg Beyond Battle Museum in Pennsylvania, the Buffalo AKG Art Museum in Latest York, and Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture in Riverside, California.
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