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28 March 2023
SALINA, Kan. (KSNW) — Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus has named its newest dormitory in honor of a Kansas aviation pioneer.
Earhart Hall will open later this year. It is named in honor of the trailblazing Atchinson native Amelia Earhart.
Born in 1897, Earhart is most remembered for her ill-fated attempt to be the first woman to cross the globe by airplane. However, she had numerous accomplishments under her belt before her disappearance.
She first gained fame in 1928 when she was the first woman to cross the Atlantic by plane, although that trip was just as a passenger. She would go on to fly the route herself four years later and in over half the time it took Charles Lindbergh to get there in the Spirit of St. Louis.
Later that year, she would set the then-female record of crossing the United States by plane in 19.5 hours. In 1935, she became the first person, not just a woman, to fly solo from Hawaii to California, a distance 400 miles greater than her flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
Earhart was also a strong advocate for equal rights for women in all aspects of life. She also served as the first president of the Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots.
“Providing a strong campus community helps students succeed both inside and outside of the classroom,” says Kyle Chamberlin, assistant dean of student life, in a news release. “Choosing the name Earhart Hall gives us the opportunity to honor past aviation leaders while hopefully inspiring our current students to dream big and make an impact in their future.”
Kansas State says The 104-bed dorm, designed and constructed by Hutton Corporation, is equipped with the latest technology. Earhart Hall will open in August.