Board of Directors
Silver Wings Board of Directors
BRENDA WYATT
President
Brenda graduated from Illinois state University with a BS in Art Education. She started her career with TWA on February 4, 1970 in the new Breech Academy. Her first base, and hearts desire was San Francisco. It was in SFO that she met and married the love of her life, for the last 50 yrs Robert Wyatt. Job transfers took them to L.A. Phoenix, back to LA and finally to Texas where they have lived for the past 30 years. Brenda and Bob have two sons, a grandson and granddaughter that live close by.
Brenda taught elementary art in Texas schools for 18 years, retiring in 2011. Art fills her life as she is currently the Chair of the Keller ARTS Board. She is curator for the city gallery as well as heading up local arts events. Brenda is also curator of a gallery at White’s Chapel Methodist Church. She has a small business creating liturgical paraments, stoles and banners for churches. She considers herself a “print maker” but dabbles in any and all media. She loves to travel, garden, cook, sew and to play with her grandchildren.
Brenda connected with Kay Garrett Thompson while living in AZ. In 1987 they started creating Silver Wings along with Kathleen Brennan. Brenda served as first vice president until 1993 when her family and new teaching career in Texas demanded more of her time. She never lost interest or love for the organization and is thrilled to be returning as President. Thankful and grateful does not begin to cover how Brenda feels for all the people that worked so hard to keep SWI flying.
KATE NORVELL
Vice President
Katie came right out of college in 1970 to start her career with TWA. In 1973, she went back to Breech Training Academy to teach three training classes, then off to fly New York International. In 1977, she was one of the original 200 Flight Attendants who transferred into the newly opened St. Louis domicile. Katie was also a Service Manager in St. Louis on the L-1011.
She was flying domestic out of St. Louis when the strike occurred in 1986. She was recalled in June of 1988 and based in New York flying International. That is where she met her future husband, Captain Jim Liddell. Katie continued flying New York International for 5 years and finished her career with TWA in 2001. That is when American Airlines bought TWA. She flew for two years for American Airlines and was furloughed in July of 2003.
Katie retired in 2006 when she moved to Sarasota, FL. to marry and make her home with Jim Liddell. He retired from TWA in 1998.
Katie became Vice President of SWI, in 2013. She has enjoyed every moment of her job of working with the chapters. With so many new members joining this last year, she has been very active in re organizing the inactive chapters, as well as forming several new chapters. This opportunity presented itself because of so much interest in our 2019 Convention at the TWA Hotel at JFK.
VALERIE ROFFE, Secretary
Valerie began her career with TWA in June 1965 a week after graduating from St. Louis University. She was based in JFK domestic and international and MKC. In 1971 she married her husband, Ken, and began 20 years of moving and travel.
They have lived in New York, Toronto, San Francisco, and Cleveland and presently reside in Westport, CT. She retired from TWA in 1988 to raise their two boys, Peter and Luke.
After three years as a stay at home mom, she was offered a temporary position as a paraprofessional teaching gifted and talented students at the middle school level. Fourteen years later with the experience of a lifetime, she moved up to the high school and worked with a Special Education Program called Study Skills which provided extra support for students with learning disabilities. After 24 years in the Westport Schools, she retired in 2017.
FRANCES ROWLEY, Treasurer
Frances was hired in LA in 1972 where she was living after graduating from Washington State University in 1971. Her hire date was postponed for one year and she went to training in 1973. After graduating, she was based in NYD.
Periodically she flew international in the summers, but her flying career was mostly on domestic routes.
In the 80’s she went back to school part time at Baruch College and received her MBA in accounting. For 8 years or more, she worked partime for PriceWaterhouseCoopers and flew on the weekends. In 1999, she retired from TWA to work full time in accounting.
In 2012, PWC sent her on a short-term assignment to Singapore. It was very exciting to explore Singapore and other countries in the area. Outside of that assignment, Manhattan has been her home for close to 50 years. She is very involved with her University Alumni Association, the tech helper for the Yorkville Library Book Discussion group and tries to explore NYC as was as possible. And of course, she travels a lot and has visited 76 countries and counting.
ANITA RIDPATH, SWI- Convention Co-Ordinator & Web Manager
Anita has served as Vice President of SWI from 1998-2002 and President from 2003-2008. She was based in JFK and SFO as a Flight Attendant and Service Manager during her TWA career which started May 30, 1966.
Her daughter Alison is an Infectious Disease Doctor at the CDC in Atlanta and lives with her husband and their daughter now 5 years old.
Anita is busy traveling to Atlanta to visit her daughter and new granddaughter as often as possible and volunteers for various charities in her community. She still is “Auntie” to now 14 yr. old triplet boys, Kai, Luka & Noa whom she has volunteered for since they were born Nov. 2005.
Running in the forest near her home, playing pickle ball and traveling are some of the things she enjoys doing in her spare time. She lives in Aptos, California.