Flier’s Name Lives On in North Hollywood

Amelia Earhart, who in 1932 became the first woman to fly the Atlantic solo, has deep roots in the San Fernando Valley.

She mysteriously vanished over the Pacific Ocean in July 1937 while attempting to circle the world.

Earhart, who was born 100 years ago today, came to the Valley in the 1920s, attended USC, flew Lockheed planes out of Burbank, married publisher George P. Putnam and moved to Toluca Lake, where she was a regular at Lakeside Golf Club.

Several months after her disappearance, the North Hollywood Jaycees placed a plaque in her honor at 5 Corners--where Lankershim Boulevard meets the intersection of Vineland Avenue and Camarillo Street--itself a notorious accident-prone site.

On Jan. 22, 1971, a statue of Earhart in 1930s flying gear was erected at a site overlooking the busy intersection of Tujunga Avenue and Magnolia Boulevard at North Hollywood Park, near her former home.

In spring 1974, the North Hollywood Continuation High School was renamed Amelia Earhart High. “Amelia Earhart was an inspiration, especially to the girls at the school,” remembered Beryl Ward, first principal of the school.

Renaming the school “seemed like a great opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of a great woman,” Ward said, noting there was only one other school in the Los Angeles Unified School District at the time named after a woman.

In 1980, North Hollywood’s library was renamed the Amelia Earhart Branch.