Pilot Club of Jacksonville
July of 1934 15 local women started The Pilot Club of Jacksonville. We were sponsored by the Pilot Club of Savannah. We immediately began organizing fundraising and service projects. In only three months, we hosted the Florida District meeting where the first District Governor was elected. In our first year, our Club President, Jean Henderson was elected the first full-term Governor of Florida District. In 1935, our own Jean Henderson, served as the editor of the Pilot Log along with Gretchen Stearns who was later named Business Manager. The Publication of the pilot Log was moved to Jacksonville where it remained for several years.
We have been an engaged group from the very beginning of our existence. In 1936 we were awarded a gold trophy by the Junior Chamber of Commerce as the FIRST organization to have 100% of its members qualified to vote in the spring primary and the FIRST women’s club ever to qualify.
We didn’t rest on our laurels or only serve locally. In our third year our own May McCormick Pynchon was elected District Governor. That same year we won the silver cup for organizing the most Pilot Clubs! That tradition continues today with the sponsorship of the Compass Club of the University of North Florida. When you are committed to the mission you encourage others.
Because we are committed to the mission of Pilot, in 1939 we had two members elected to Pilot International Officers.
The Congress of the United States and President Roosevelt awarded the Pilot Club of Jacksonville the honor of the presentation of the US Navy Band in concert of the 1st Anniversary of The Naval Air Station. It was the first time the band had performed outside Washington DC. The proceeds were given to the Red Cross, Hope Haven Hospital, the USO and The United Way. We continued our commitment to participate in the establishment of the Hope Haven Foundation. We continued by raising the funds to donate the furnishings and equipment for the library.
Our club participated in the 4th, 5th and 6th War Loan Drives. Through fundraising efforts, we were able to donate $827,375.00. The current value in today’s dollars is $9,184.805.00. Our contribution earned us the privilege of naming TWO ambulance planes: May Pynchon and Frances Marshall. I wonder how many lives were saved due to our determination and dedication. We have had a long history of supporting our military, which is still active today with our support for Women’s Veterans of NE FL as well as K-9’s for Warriors. We are proud to serve those who have served us!
Our famous Antique Show was the longest continually running Antique Show in the Southeast US. Both dealers and customers traveled many miles to attend.
Currently we support 18 local charities with our time and fundraising efforts. Please check our Projects page for more information. The Pilot Club of Jacksonville has a rich history of service to our community.
Pilot International
Pilot International was chartered on October 18, 1921 in Macon, Georgia, U.S.A. by Elizabeth Leonard and forty local businesswomen. The name “Pilot” was inspired by the mighty riverboat pilots of that day who represented leadership and guidance.
Pilot Principles: Friendship and Service
Motto: “True Course Ever”
Colors: Green (life and vigor) and Gold (sincerity of purpose)
Emblem: A riverboat pilot’s wheel with eight spokes
First Pilot President: Lucy B. Allen, elected at the organization’s first convention in 1922.
Pearl Sparks of Florence, Alabama wrote the Pilot Code of Ethics. It was first presented in 1926 at the 5th Annual PI Convention held in Montgomery, Alabama with 69 Pilots attending.
In 1929, Pilot organized its first club west of the Mississippi, the Pilot Club of El Paso, Texas. In 1932 the 22nd Pilot Club was organized in Juarez, Mexico, making Pilot a true “international” organization.
Ruby Newhall, President of Pilot International in 1949, first envisioned Anchor Clubs, Pilot’s youth service organization arm.
By 1954 the number of Pilot members had increased to 9,900. Membership hit an all time high of 20,877 in 1985.
The first issue of The Pilot Log was published in January 1924. Early issues were single page bulletins containing club news. Pearl Sparks, author of the Pilot Code of Ethics, once served as editor of The Pilot Log (1927-28).
Pilot International Foundation (now the Pilot International Founders Fund) was established in 1975 to further Pilot’s humanitarian efforts. Since the Pilot International Founders Fund grant program began in 1977, nearly 1,500 grants totaling more than $1.5 million have been disbursed to Pilot Clubs.
Outstanding Pilot International projects have included:
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Donating an ambulance to the Red Cross for use in England during WW II (1940)
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Adopting a five-year project to rebuild the war-torn French village of Vimoutiers, Orne, France, which was accidentally bombed by allied troops (1949)
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Feeding 80,000 hungry Alaskan and Japanese citizens through the “Meals for Millions” program (1959)
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Sponsoring Project HOPE by equipping and maintaining the medical ship’s pediatric ward (1965-66)
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Contributing $10,000 to establish cancer research laboratories at the Salk Institute (1967-68)
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Establishing elementary schools in Guatemala (1968)
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Contributing $200,000 within a two-year period to the United Cerebral Palsy Association (1985-87)
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Founding Project: WOMANPOWER, a joint CARE/Pilot project which provided financial aid to cottage industries owned by women in Peru (1987-1992)
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Contributing nearly $240,000 within a two-year period to pediatric AIDS research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee (1988-1990)
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BrainMindersTM—”Protecting Your Brain for Life” is Pilot International’s award-winning signature project introduced at the Denver Convention in 2001. Over four hundred clubs applied for in-kind grants. In the seven years since the introduction over 560,000 books have been distributed to the clubs and evaluations have been received.
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Pilot introduced their ABC’s of Pilot. “A” for Anchors representing youth leadership. “B” for BrainMinders TM representing focus on brain health and wellness. “C” for support to Caregivers.
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In 2019, Pilot introduces The Signature Helmet distribution initiative to help stamp out traumatic brain injury in youth.