Uva Kimmey
Toronto Daily Star, June 15 1936
Uva Kimmey, born Uva Shipman, appears to have been 21 years old, not 16, at the time of this photograph. She had a day job working at Western Union when she was not doing flying stunts.
A search turned up:
- An article on her from an Asheville, North Carolina, newspaper (her home town) that gave her real name and age and discussed her future flying plans. This article reproduced the photo above.
- A photo of her from 1930, showing her walking on an airplane wing.
- Film footage of her competing in a parachute jump in 1934 and apparently winning.
- In 1936, Ms. Kimmey was featured in ads for Camel cigarettes: I found this one and this one.
Despite her various risky pastimes, Ms. Kimmey lived to old age, passing away at the age of 88 (probably in about 1997, if I have the math right). She was married and widowed, and she had a daughter.
Created October 31, 2025.