Amelia Earhart Would Be Proud
Women’s Air and Space Museum

University Circle may be known as Northeast Ohio's museum epicenter but the Cleveland lake shore is doing its best to change that tag with its own Museum Row - the Great Lakes Science Center, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the U.S.S. Cod Submarine Memorial. Also thrown into the latter is the relatively obscure International Women's Air and Space Museum (IWASM), which is located inside the lobby and west wing of Burke Lakefront Airport.

"We're a small museum, and we're still getting the word out," said IWASM Executive Director Toni Mullee. "We offer free admission so we just don't have the kind of advertising budget others have. But word is definitely getting out. At our fifth annual Family Day last month we had 600 to 700 people here. The idea of being at an airport allows us to take advantage of the resources, meaning that we can do programming in conjunction with the airport and other airport tenants. Last summer we had a B-17 event where we had a B-17 fly in.

"Also, we go out to schools. We have schools come in to tour. We have summer camp programs. We have a kids clubs that has expanded our programming and just people knowing about us. So it's a combination of things we do to try to get the word out."

Originally opened in 1976 in Centerville, Ohio, IWASM eventually ran out of space. At the same time, Burke Lakefront Airport was looking to create its own museum. Invariably, IWASM made a perfect landing in Cleveland, which has a very rich aviation history of its own.

Today, IWASM, which celebrates the contribution of women in air and space flight with a rotating schedule of temporary exhibits, has displays such as Amelia Earhart's flight suit, the tail of Ruth Nichol's Lockheed Akita and more. Naturally, IWASM's time to shine comes during the annual Air Show celebration at Burke Lakefront.

Up next for the 4,800-square-foot museum is the April 24 unveiling of "Ohio Women in Air and Space" exhibit, which will be showcasing 100 Buckeye State women. This includes artifacts, photographs and biographies of women in all facets of aviation and space. Most notably the museum will showcase a Sokol space suit, the lucky monkey puppet that air racer Margaret Hurlburt carried with her on her fatal last flight in 1946 and facts about Clevelander Blanche Noyes, who gave John D. Rockefeller his only airplane ride.

"We still have room to grow here," Mullee said. "In fact, we're opening an Aviation Education Center here at the airport this year. So that will be a hands-on opportunity for people to come and learn all about aviation. In terms of our long-term plans, we are always looking for an opportunity to expand our space because we feel like we have many great stories to tell but we have to take one step at a time. We estimate the annual attendance - remember we're in a public building and we don't have an admission desk - to be about 7,000."

While up, up and away is the goal, Mullee said IWASM is facing the same hurdles as other institutions of its ilk.

"I'd say the biggest thing is to remind the public that history is not boring," Mullee said. "I think that's a perception that people have with history museums in general. We try to really bring that home with our exhibits and programs to prove that's absolutely not true."

The International Women's Air and Space Museum is located at Burke Lakefront Airport, 1501 N. Marginal Rd., Cleveland. The "Ohio Women in Air and Space" exhibit opens Sat 4/24. For more information, call 216-623-1111 or visit http://www.iwasm.org.

Free-lance writer John Benson spends most of his time writing for various papers throughout Northeast Ohio.

When he's not writing about music or entertainment, he can be found coaching his two boys in basketball, football and baseball or watching movies with his lovely wife, Maria. John also occasionally writes for CoolCleveland.com