1. Edna Emma Bissner Christofferson was an American aviator, markswoman, and radiographer.
38 Facts About Edna Christofferson
1. 2.
Edna Christofferson was the wife of pioneering aviator Silas Christofferson.
3.
Edna Christofferson was the daughter of Martin and Mary Elizabeth Bissner, immigrants from Alsace-Lorraine.
4.
Edna Christofferson had three siblings who died in childhood: Bertha, Edward, and Jack.
5.
When Edna Christofferson was five years old, her family moved to Vancouver, Washington.
6.
Edna Christofferson attended school at the House of Providence and was interested in becoming a nurse.
7.
Edna Christofferson, who had seen the collision, was a reluctant witness.
8.
The Beckers' marriage had ended by November 1912, when Edna Becker married Silas Christofferson.
9.
Edna Christofferson sat on the lower wing of his biplane, holding onto a wooden strut for support.
10.
On September 1,1912, Silas Edna Christofferson made the first hydroplane flight in Oregon, taking off from Oaks Amusement Park.
11.
Becker was the second of the women to ride with Silas Edna Christofferson, taking off at 5 PM.
12.
Edna Becker and Silas Christofferson were married on November 19,1912, at the King Hill apartments in Portland.
13.
Edna Christofferson glided downward for several hundred feet, then fell the last one hundred feet to the ground.
14.
Edna Christofferson had been watching his flight and was one of the first people to reach him.
15.
Edna Christofferson directed the men who carried him to the ambulance and accompanied him to the hospital, where he died of internal injuries.
16.
Edna Christofferson arranged for him to be buried alongside Lincoln Beachey in the Cypress Lawn Cemetery.
17.
In 1917, Edna Christofferson enrolled in a post-graduate class in X-ray operation.
18.
Edna Christofferson struggled with the subject matter at first, but became a proficient radiographer.
19.
Edna Christofferson began her career at the Providence St Vincent Medical Center in Oregon, but moved to Seattle to study with Eddy Jerman at "the Providence hospital", possibly Providence Seattle Medical Center.
20.
Edna Christofferson worked at the Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center.
21.
For six years, Christofferson worked for Dr F E Diemer as his chief radiographer.
22.
Edna Christofferson acted as an expert witness in at least one criminal trial, examining the defendant in her capacity as an Radiographic specialist.
23.
Edna Christofferson traveled to Germany in 1930 for post-graduate work at the Lerchenfeld Institute in Hamburg.
24.
Edna Christofferson was impressed by commercial aviation in Europe, noting the efficiency of the Berlin airport in particular.
25.
Edna Christofferson placed second in an international police shooting competition in 1927, scoring 52 out of 60 points.
26.
Edna Christofferson convinced the Portland Police Bureau to sponsor the club and to let them use the police shooting range.
27.
Edna Christofferson arranged access to shooting ranges in Clackamas and at Vancouver Barracks.
28.
Edna Christofferson traveled to New York in 1928, where she took part in a police shooting competition and scored 96 out of 100 possible points.
29.
Edna Christofferson was one of twenty-four Portland women who founded an Oregon chapter of the Women's National Aeronautic Association in 1930.
30.
Edna Christofferson was the first president of the chapter, with stunt pilot Dorothy Hester serving as vice president.
31.
In 1931, Edna Christofferson enrolled in a flying class run by the National Solo Flying Corporation.
32.
Edna Christofferson operated a Portland airport soon to be dedicated in honor of her late husband, and Christofferson wanted to fly at the dedication ceremony.
33.
Edna Christofferson made her first flight on July 31,1931 with instructor Charles Hanst.
34.
In February 1932, Edna Christofferson set out on an expedition to Alaska with pilot William Graham.
35.
Edna Christofferson set out again for Alaska in October 1932, and stayed there, panning for gold, for the next three years.
36.
Edna Christofferson was accompanied by fellow prospector Isador Fix, who she had worked with closely in Alaska.
37.
Edna Christofferson died in a hospital in Vancouver, Washington on March 8,1945.
38.
Edna Christofferson's age was recorded as 64, though an 1886 birthdate would have made her 59 years old at the time of her death.