Maryann Weiss Frailey:  

I was born in Brooklyn, June 25, 1951, and raised by foster parents in Jamaica Estates. I attended The Immaculate Conception grammar school and because I had no intentions of going to college, I attended Dominican Commercial High, for a commercial diploma. I was raised strict and was always a decade behind my peers. This made school life hard to fit in any social circle, comfortably. I must say, though, I made the best out of every situation and became friends with a lot of my classmates, mainly during class. After graduating High school, I did not want to be stereotyped as a future secretary and didn't have the education for a nurse, nor did I have the height qualifications for stewardess. So I joined the United States Air Force. Because of my foster father being around aircraft all his life, I wanted to be a part of the aviation industry, so I tried out for Stewardess, since height was no factor. Unfortunately, this field closed down while I was in basic training, but a new field opened for women - Air Traffic Control. Out of 26 women who tried out for this, I was one of 5 to make it. The physicals and psych tests were long and tedious. After basic training, went to Keesler AFB, Mississippi for my official training in ATC. Th...Expand for more