Mock, Jerrie (1925—)

American aviator who in 1964 became the first woman to fly solo around the world. Name variations: Mrs. Russell C. Mock. Born Geraldine Lois Fredritz on November 22, 1925, in Newark, Ohio; daughter of Timothy J. Fredritz and Blanche (Wright) Fredritz; attended Ohio State University, 1943–45; married Russell C. Mock, on March 21, 1945; children: Roger, Gary, and Valerie.

After majoring in aeronautical engineering at Ohio State University, Jerrie Mock began flying lessons in 1957 and received her pilot's license the following year. She was then hired to manage the Logan County Airport in Lincoln County, Illinois, and worked there until 1960, when she became the manager of Price Field, a general aviation airport in Columbus, Ohio.

On April 17, 1964, Mock became the first woman to fly solo around the world. Her record-setting flight, which had begun on March 19, took 29 days, 11 hours, and 59 minutes (including 21 stopovers), during which she flew 22,858.8 miles in a Cessna 180. In the course of this flight, Mock also became the first person to fly alone across the Pacific Ocean from west to east, the first person to fly a single-engine plane across the Pacific in either direction, and the first woman to fly solo from coast to coast by going around the world. In honor of her achievement, she was presented with the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA)'s Gold Medal Award by President Lyndon B. Johnson, on May 4, 1964. She was also appointed to the post of vice-chair of the FAA's Women's Aviation Advisory Committee. Having set a total of 21 world records in aviation, Mock retired from flying in November 1969 to become a missionary in New Guinea.

Ellen Dennis French , freelance writer, Murrieta, California