'Quest for Flight: John J Montgomery and the Dawn of Aviation in the West'

At a time when humankind was grappling with "the impossible art" of controlled flight, the bay area served a cradle of invention in the human endeavor to conquer the skies. "Quest For Flight" redirects the traditional focus of American aviation history from the east to the west and establishes John Montgomery and some of his San Francisco bay area-based peers as crucial players in the quest for flight in the true pioneering period. Also explored is the obscure role that women played in this march of progress and the impact that they had on the larger societal attitudes about visionary science and technology in the aerial fields. From the first acrobats dangling from trapezes and making parachute jumps from balloons hundreds of feet above the earth, to those who helped design and pilot the first successful dirigibles in America, women trailblazed the path in this visionary field, inspired a generation of aerial workers and smashed through the "glass ceiling" in this otherwise male dominated field.  Montgomery's personal story is that it inspired a 1946 Columbia Pictures feature "Gallant Journey" starring Glenn Ford and Janet Blair.
Author Harwood will recount this fascinating story in a talk title "Quest For Flight" and book signing following the presentation