The front page picture story in The Washington Times of May 3, 1911, sadly records Annie Lepley's name incorrectly as "Sepley", no doubt helping to condemn this pioneering typist to a life of relative obscurity.
Lucian McCurdy can be seen centre foreground helping prepare
his brother's biplane in Toronto in August 1911.
The younger McCurdy was himself a pioneering pilot, though at the time of his flight with Annie was not one of the Curtiss performers, but business manager of the Flying Circus. History has also been unkind to Lucian, whose exploits don't rate even a passing mention in the many tributes to his brother Douglas or their father Arthur.
Douglas McCurdy in his AEA Silver Dart.
The father of the McCurdy brothers was Arthur Williams McCurdy (above, 1856-1923), an inventor and astronomer who from 1887 was a long-time private secretary to Alexander Graham Bell. Bell and his wife, Mabel Gardiner Hubbard, had been visiting Baddeck, two miles from Beinn Bhreagh, in the late summer of 1885. The McCurdys were early users of Bell’s device, having bought sets to link their store and homes. Arthur was having difficulty with the store phone one day when a stranger walked over and repaired it. “How did you know how to fix that?” asked McCurdy. “My name is Alexander Graham Bell,” replied the visitor. Bell and McCurdy became fast friends - they played chess and each had ceaseless curiosity and a love of invention. Arthur was offered employment by Bell as his private secretary, and for the next 15 years he would divide his time between Baddeck and Washington. Arthur's two young sons, Douglas and Lucian, became part of the Bells’ extended family. Bell broadened Arthur’s duties in 1889 when he reopened his Washington-based laboratory with Arthur as one of two assistants. Like Bell, Arthur embraced the art and science of photography. In 1899 this led to the development of one of his own successful inventions. His small portable tank for developing film in daytime, dubbed the Ebedec (the Native American name for Baddeck), has been used by generations of photographers. With financial assistance from Bell, he spent three years commercialising it. After obtaining a United States patent in 1902, he sold the rights to Eastman Kodak (for which Curtiss had first worked in Rochester, New York. Curtiss later went to Western Union as a bicycle messenger.). In 1903 Arthur McCurdy was awarded the John Scott Premium and Medal of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia for his success in invention.
From George Eastman: Founder of Kodak and the Photography Business,
by Carl W. Ackerman
Lucian McCurdy, born in Baddeck on March 8, 1888, died in Toronto on January 12, 1957, aged 68.
Finally, back to Annie Lepley. She was born in Washington DC on October 9, 1884, the daughter of a career librarian. Annie went on to become a stenographer in a law office in 1906. She died in Washington DC on July 21, 1936, aged 51, her typewriting milestone long since forgotten, and is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Washington Post, May 4, 1911
Washington Times, May 3, 1911
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Oh, and the Sydney Airport mentioned in the title? It's not our Sydney Airport. On July 27, 2009, the Sydney Airport in Nova Scotia was renamed J.A. Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport.
2 comments:
The comments of Anne Leply were very prescient. I always liked the idea that the Zephyrs/Skyriter was designed for use in airliners.
J
Interesting about the film tank.
I guess we could say Ms. Lepley was the original sky writer.
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