served my apprenticeship, survived and was ready to move on.  With the advent of summer came an increase in passenger loads and it was inevitable that I would be moving back to Minneapolis before June to fly on the main line. 

ROSIE WAS AN INNOVATOR, TOO

          Northwest’s Camille “Rosie” Stein joined the airline in 1926 when it was formed.  She was the first female executive in commercial aviation.  She served on Northwest’s Board of Directors from 1934 through 1941 and she was the first woman to head the Air Transport Association’s Passenger Service Committee.

            Over the years, her Northwest titles in today’s lingo would include Manager of Passenger Service, Superintendent of Stewardesses and Food Service Director.  She was also the airline’s first, unofficial, advertising, publicity and public relations chief.

            Rosie was an innovator, too.  Among her ideas were two “firsts” which were carried aboard all flights and made a big hit with early-day passengers.  One helped people sleep.  The other helped people see.

            One of her designs was a black, soft, pliable eye mask that fitted across the eyes and forehead contoured around the nose.  It was held in place by a rubberized strap across the back of the head.  The other was a dark-green-tinted celluloid eyeglass which helped clarify landmarks for looking-out-the-window passengers.  The glasses were affixed to the ears by cardboard bows with three frame slots for adjustment.

            Rosie’s inventions received a large picture story in a 1930’s issue of the St. Paul Dispatch.  A pair of Rosie’s eyeglasses has been donated to the History Centre by 94-year-old Helen Jacobson Richardson who, in 1939, was the third stewardesses hired by Northwest.  Helen worked closely with Rosie in developing stewardess training materials.  She recalls Rosie as being “absolutely and totally” dedicated to Northwest Airlines.     
 

Fay Kulenkamp, a member of the History Centre’s Board of Directors, “models” a set of Rosie Stein’s “see-out-the-window” eyeglasses.  Now retired, Fay was a Northwest Flight Attendant for 36 years.