World Wings International, Inc. Records

Series IV: Aviation History Web Collection

Identity elements

Name and location of repository

Level of description

Collection

Title

World Wings International, Inc. Records

Date(s)

  • 1946-2022 (Creation)

Extent

47.50 linear feet (78 boxes)

Name of creator

World Wings International, Inc.

Biographical history

Name of creator

Walby, Lilian

Biographical history

Lilian was born and raised in Denmark and educated as an Industrial Engineer. After working in that field for a few years, she responded to a recruitment ad by Pan American Airways which was looking for Danish speaking stewardesses. Wishing to experience more of the World, she accepted the position as stewardess. Lilian completed her training in Miami and was based in New York, flying throughout the Pan Am system. She met her future husband, who was a pilot for Eastern Airlines, and they were married on the former Danish island of St. Thomas in 1970. They moved to Miami in 1971, and Lilian continued to fly out of New York for several more years. She spent the rest of her Pan Am career as a Cabin Crew instructor and recruiter in Miami.

Lilian became a mother in 1977 and gave birth to her daughter, Karen, who today is a Marine Biologist married and living in Miami. Lilian then became active in the organization of former Pan Am Flight Attendants, World Wings International, Inc., and was elected to the position of President of the Miami Chapter in 1978. She became a member of the International Board of Directors of World Wings in 1985 as Recording Secretary, and as Vice-President of Charity, she administered the selection of CARE as World Wings International's official charity. Before being elected as the International President of World Wings in 1993, Lilian compiled the official archive of historical documents and materials of World Wings International as Board Archivist and presented the collection in 1993 to the University of Miami's Richter Library. She continues to add to this collection. Before retiring from the International Board of World Wings in 1999, Lilian also created a Time Capsule for the organization to be reopened in 2024.

Currently, Lilian serves as the Vice-President of the Pan Am Historical Foundation in the position as Chair of the Archives and memorabilia and Director of the Latin and Caribbean division of the Foundation.

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

Formed in 1959, World Wings International is an association of former Pan Am flight attendants that now dedicates itself to charitable activities. This collection includes the administrative records of the organization as well as scrapbooks, photographs, membership and annual meetings files, correspondence and financial records.

System of arrangement

The collection has been organized into two series. The first series represents the original accession of materials. The second series is an additional donation, processed in 2013.

Conditions of access and use elements

Conditions governing access

This collection is open for research.

Physical access

This collection is kept in an off-campus storage facility. Please contact Special Collections at asc.library@miami.edu with the boxes you are interested in prior to your visit, and allow up to 1 week for delivery of materials.

Technical access

Conditions governing reproduction

World Wings International Records Finding Aid © 2000 University of Miami. Requests to reproduce or publish materials from this collection should be directed to asc.library@miami.edu.

Languages of the material

  • English

Scripts of the material

Language and script notes

Finding aids

Generated finding aid

asm0452.pdf

Acquisition and appraisal elements

Custodial history

Immediate source of acquisition

Gift of Lilian Walby, Irene Schwarz, Renate Van Kempena, and Joanne Swift for World Wings International, Inc. Materials continue to be added to the collection as they are acquired.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information

Accruals

Related materials elements

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related archival materials

Aviation History Collections

A guide prepared by Maria R. Estorino, December 2006

Daniele Desmoulins Perez-Venero Papers

Pan American World Airways, Inc. Records

World Wings International Records

Clipper Pioneers Collection

Ione Wright Papers

Humphrey W. Toomey Papers

William C. House Papers

Donald W. Thomson Papers

George Price Papers

Kimball J. Scribner Collection

Roy Keeler Collection

F. Charles Ruegg Papers

Leonard Albasi/Gill Family Collection

J. H. Brown Collection

Dorothy E. Mills Collection

Port Washington Public Library Oral History Collection

R.A. Seymour Collection

Dorothy Thomas Collection

Randy Liberman Collection

Vincent A. Jablon Collection

James Wendler Collection

Dolores Pla Menocal Photograph Collection

Information about related materials is available at http://library.miami.edu/specialcollections/aviation-history-bib/

Related descriptions

Notes element

Specialized notes

Alternative identifier(s)

Description control element

Rules or conventions

Sources used

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Accession area