At this year’s celebration of the Corvette Museum the feature will be a viewing of the documentary “Boundless-Betty Skelton,” Following the film, there will be a roundtable discussion in the Museum’s Conference Center with the film’s Producer and CEO GSEvents Cindy Sisson. Also present will be the Corvette Hall of Fame member Jerry Burton, Director of Collections and Education at the National Corvette Museum, Brian Baker and Curator of Collections at the Lane Motor Museum Derek E. Moore. All are invited.
The award-winning documentary is part of the “Left Behind” series and tells the story of the “one-and-only” Betty Skelton, a female trailblazer ahead of her time. “Boundless” marks the first of several films in the “Left Behind” series relating the untold story of those trailblazing women whose contributions to the automobile and motorsports world who have traditionally been reduced to footnotes in history.
What may not be known is that Women have always been part of automotive culture; at times not welcome participants, but often proving themselves to be more than capable of performing behind the wheel and making headlines. As the automobile became a fixture on every driveway at the start of the 20thcentury, women were driving in rally races-no paved roads, took care of the cars’ mechanical needs, advocated for better roads, and some even set speed records!
Harboring the same passion for cars, women as entrepreneurs, socialites, “Proper” (or not) women were making headlines across the globe, and at times even stealing the spotlight from men. What many may not know is that suffragettes even utilized the car in the quest to gain the right to vote.
Known as the “first Lady of Firsts,” Betty Skelton made a lasting impact as she broke gender barriers in Motorsports, aviation, astronautics and in the advertising business during the 1950s-60s. With many record setting achievements, Betty is still known today as the leader for women in traditionally male fields. In the 1950’s and 60’s, Betty’s list of record setting achievements is numerous and many are still unparalleled today.
Inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame in 2001, Betty Skelton was born in Pensacola, FL on June 28, 1926. She died in August of 2011. An only child, she was fascinated by airplanes that flew over her home near the Naval Air Station. As a young girl, she preferred model airplanes to dolls! A land speed record holder, Betty was also an aerobatics pilot who set 17 aviation and automobile records.
Come see a part of her fascinating story and hear from some of the experts who have studied her amazing life.
.We suggest taking a road trip to the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. You won’t be disappointed!
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