Zaddie Bunker

03/27/2022

Plans for the remodel were announced during the museum's annual gala. The F-117 Nighthawk will go on display next week.

03/13/2022

Nowhere is the fortitude of women more evident than in the history of the desert.

03/09/2022

The development of Palm Springs is due in large part to the work of some extraordinary women, like the intrepid Zaddie Bunker (1886-1969).
As a skilled mechanic and entrepreneur, she ran Bunker's Garage and the Bunker Cottages, became the first female holder of a chauffeur’s license in California, built the first movie house in Palm Springs, became an honorary Air Force colonel at age 73, piloted an F-100 Super Sabre jet and became one of the first women to break the sound barrier. She also beat five male pilots to win a cross-country airplane race at age 76.
We're in awe of Zaddie the baddie! Learn more about her fascinating history via Palm Springs Life Magazine, Palm Springs California: https://www.palmspringslife.com/zaddie-bunker/

02/16/2022

Renee Brown of the Palm Springs Historical Society, a native of the city, will give her presentation at the Art Museum on Thursday night.

02/10/2022

In June of 1963, Palm Springs pioneer Henrietta Parker and her niece, Gail Kanter, were given a private tour to inspect the progress on the tramcar prior to the Sept. 12, 1963 opening.

https://www.pstramway.com/

01/25/2022

On this we honor Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman and woman of Native American descent to be a licensed pilot.

When every flying school she approached in the US refused to admit her due to her gender and race, Coleman decided to learn French and use her savings to sail to Paris from New York. Despite seeing one of her peers die in a plane crash, Coleman, who was the only person of color in her class, learned how to fly, and returned to the US to a successful flying career. In the US, many reporters requested to meet with Coleman, and she was often honored as a guest at several events.

Bessie Coleman became the first licensed Black pilot in the world who performed takeoffs and sweeps in a Curtiss JN-4 for a crowd of thousands at an air show at Curtiss Field. Coleman performed at several air shows as thousands of people would come to watch her and she used her influence to encourage other African Americans to fly. In fact, she refused to fly at locations that barred Black men and women.

On April 30, 1926, Coleman’s plane crashed as a wrench got caught in the control gears. “About 10,000 mourners paid their last respects to the first African American woman aviator.” One of the South’s oldest distributed newspapers claimed, "There is reason to believe that the general public did not completely sense the size of her contribution to the achievements of the race as such."

We thank PBS for this story. Read more at:
https://to.pbs.org/3fSf4NH

And find out more about Bessie's inspiring aviation journey by reading Carole Hopson's novel, "A Pair of Wings: A Novel Based on the Life of Pioneer Aviatrix Bessie Coleman."

We are honored to tell the story of so many accomplished women in our upcoming documentary, “Coming Home: Fight For A Legacy.” Please consider donating to our 501(c)(3) as we continue to raise finishing funds to complete our film and share the important forgotten history of the WASP: http://ow.ly/vUJE50H6LRZ

12/09/2021

Zaddie Bunker was one of the many pioneers of Palm Springs following her opening of Bunker’s Garage on Highway 99 where Palm Canyon Drive and Tahquitz Canyon now sit.

10/22/2021

10/21/2021

PSPF is proud to sponsor the plaque honoring Nelly Coffman and The Desert Inn in the new downtown park. Please join us in attending the park's grand opening ceremony. PSPF representatives will be passing out informational material about Coffman including collectible face fans! Thursday Oct 21st at 5:30.