AOPA members inducted into International Forest of Friendship

The International Forest of Friendship is a memorial park in Atchison, Kansas, started by the International Association of Women Pilots (The Ninety-Nines), Kansas State University, the Kansas Forest Service, and the City of Atchison. Atchison is the birthplace of Amelia Earhart. Honorees to the Forest of Friendship are people who have made special contributions to aviation.

The forest includes trees from all 50 states plus 36 territories and countries. More than 1,500 honorees have been inducted. Each honoree has a granite plaque engraved with his or her name, and the plaques are embedded in the park’s paths.

“While I was excited and looking forward to the ceremony and receiving this recognition, the gravity of this honor really sunk in as I walked around the Forest with my fellow honorees,” said Baxter. “Seeing my name amongst such personalities as James Stewart, Sally Ride, Chuck Yeager, President [Dwight D.] Eisenhower, and, of course, Amelia Earhart, overwhelmed and humbled me,” she said. “I felt like Alice walking through Wonderland.”

The 2020 annual celebration will be held September 18 through 19. For more information or to sponsor an honoree, see the website.