The Bertha Ryan Sustained Service Award recognizes WSPA members who have served WSPA and the soaring community for ten years or more. The emphasis in this award is service and promotion of women’s participation in soaring beyond personal flying accomplishments.
The award is named for Bertha Ryan (National Soaring Museum | Soaring Museum – Hall of Fame – Bertha M. Ryan), because she played a critical role in establishing and growing the SSA, holding many offices in the organization. Going beyond her personal flying as a glider and power pilot, she was the founder and first editor of Hangar Soaring (predating the formation of WSPA in 1972 and building the community that became WSPA). Bertha was also the first US citizen awarded the FAI Pelagia Majewska Medal. Her service to soaring occurred in parallel to her NASA career, where she made many technical contributions to aviation and aerospace as an engineer and first female NASA technical program manager. Her technical achievements earned her the honor of Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), one of the leading engineering organizations in the world. She authored the 2010 aviation history book Soaring Beyond the Clouds – Einar Enevoldson Reaches for 100,000 Feet.