Museum of Chinese in America

Secondary Source: Looking Back at Hazel Ying Lee's Life & Legacy 

Watch a video about Hazel Ying Lee's life and legacy. Then, browse primary sources to uncover more about her experiences as an aviator and WASP pilot during World War II. 

The Remarkable Life & Legacy of Aviatrix Hazel Ying Lee

Use your close looking skills to investigate this photo of Hazel, her friend Virginia, and their flight instructor Al Greenwood. What can their clothes tell us about what the job of a pilot was like?

Hazel and Virginia's Pilot Gear

Learn about life at Avenger Field, where Maggie, Hazel, and other WASP pilots were trained.

A Day in the Life at Avenger Field 

Explore primary sources to learn about Maggie Gee, WASP pilot and physicist. 

Scientist in the Sky: Meet Maggie Gee!

Use this timeline to help understand when World War II happened and how it impacted the lives of Hazel Ying Lee and Maggie Gee. 

Timeline of World War II

Use your guesses and ideas from the hotspot "Hazel and Virginia's Pilot Gear" to learn more about what flying planes was like during World War II. This image shows pilot Maggie Gee standing on the wing of a biplane.

Pilots and Planes! 

Use this resource for more context about World War II and the Women's Airforce Service Pilots!

Background: World War II and the WASPs

Explore ways that communities honor and remember trailblazers like Maggie, Hazel, and the other WASP pilots. Use the questions on the slides to help you think about ways you've seen people honored, and ways that you might choose to memorialize someone you feel is important.

Remembering Maggie, Hazel, and the WASP

Explore the lives of Hazel Ying Lee and Maggie Gee, the only two Chinese American women to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II. Use videos and photos to learn about their experiences and how World War II impacted them and many other women in the United States. Find out more about women in military service during World War II and the long fight of WASP pilots to be honored for their impact.

Flying High with Hazel and Maggie_Educator Overview.pdf

Worksheet for Video Portrait of Hazel Ying Lee.pdf

Flying High with Hazel & Maggie: Chinese American Aviators in WWII

Civics and Government

Social Studies

U.S. History

Reading: History/Social Studies

English Language Arts

Maggie Gee's life

Maggie Gee (1923-2013) was a Chinese American pilot, physicist, and researcher. She was one of two Chinese American female pilots serving in the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II. The other was Hazel Ying Lee, who you can learn about in the slideshow "The Remarkable Life & Legacy of Aviatrix Hazel Ying Lee."

Let’s travel back in time and learn more about Maggie’s life!

Maggie Gee in Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) uniform. Courtesy of Marissa Moss, in Memory of Maggie Gee, Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) Collection.

Maggie Gee wearing a formal military uniform with two WASP lapel pins. She is also wearing the WASP badge given to graduates of the program.

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Photograph of Maggie Gee in a Formal Military Uniform

Maggie was born in August 1923 in Berkeley, California. As a kid, she loved going to the airport in Oakland, California during weekend trips with her family. Her favorite thing to do was to watch the planes fly. Back then, people saw pilots as heroes. Maggie’s idol was the American female pilot Amelia Earhart. 

Maggie wanted to become a pilot just like Amelia, but flight training was expensive and she never thought she would become one. After graduating from high school in 1941, she began to study physics at the University of California, Berkeley.

Photo: A headshot of Maggie Gee wearing her Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) uniform. This includes a leather patch of Fifinella the WASP mascot.

Courtesy of Maggie Gee, Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA), Maggie Gee Collection.

However, World War II changed Maggie's life path. Like many Americans, Maggie and her family wanted to serve the country. Her brother enrolled in the army, her mother built “liberty ships,” and Maggie left college to work as a draftsman at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. She was one of three women employed in her section among the 100 draftsmen. 

After saving enough money from her work at the shipyard, she took flight lessons and earned her pilot’s license within six months. She immediately applied to the newly formed Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) training program at Avenger Field, Texas. Out of 25,000 applicants, only 1,074 (8%) were admitted into WASP. Maggie was one of them.

Photo: Four Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) standing with one of their instructors at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas. The second from the right is Maggie Gee. The back of the photo reads: "Lillian G. Wray 44W9."

Four Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) standing with one of their instructors at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas. The second from the right is Maggie Gee. The back of the photo reads: "Lillian G. Wray 44W9."

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Photograph of four WASPs with one of their instructors

As a WASP, Maggie performed essential functions, including safety testing new planes, transporting planes from factories to airbases, training male pilots, towing targets for live anti-aircraft gun practice, and copiloting fighter planes in mock air battles. 

Although WASPs were not allowed to serve in active combat, they still flew dangerous and critical missions. 38 WASPs lost their lives during service.

Photo: Maggie Gee standing on the wing of a biplane

Maggie Gee standing on the wing of a biplane. "U29" is painted on the hull of the biplane.

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Photograph of Maggie Gee standing on the wing of a biplane

WASP provided female pilots with a rare chance to serve in the Army. They were trained and worked following the expectations of the Army Air Force members. 

However, Maggie and other WASPs faced gender discrimination. They were classified as civilians, who could not get military status. They were not eligible for veteran benefits and the full honors of a military funeral. This was only changed in 1977 with the passing of Public Law 95-202.

Photo: A group of Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) leaving barracks D building 21 at Avenger Field. The women are wearing flight suits and holding suitcases. Maggie Gee is the second from the left.

A group of Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) leaving barracks D building 21 at Avenger Field. The women are wearing flight suits and holding suitcases. Maggie Gee is the second from the left.

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Photograph of a group of WASPs leaving their barracks, including Maggie Gee

The WASP program ended in December 1944. Ending her piloting career, Maggie returned to Berkeley to earn her Bachelor of Science degree in Physics. She also earned a Master of Science degree in Physics later. At the time, physics was yet another field with few women being presented besides piloting. Maggie succeeded in both of them.

In 1958, Maggie began to work as a research physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for the next 30 years. She worked on researching weapons systems like nuclear and magnetic fusion in the lab. 

Photo: Maggie Gee standing next to a bust of her head. The bust was created by sculptor Jilda Schwartz for the Face to Face: 100 WWII Veterans in Clay exhibition at the National World War II museum in New Orleans.

Maggie Gee standing next to a bust of her head. The bust was created by sculptor Jilda Schwartz for the Face to Face: 100 WWII Veterans in Clay exhibition at the National World War II museum in New Orleans.

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Photograph of Maggie Gee standing next to a clay bust of her head

Throughout her life, Maggie believed that everyone can do something to make the world better. She said in 2003, “I’m very optimistic about the world and people… it will be alright…You can make changes. I think just one small person can make a little bit of change…”

In 2010, she was one of the few surviving WASPs to be presented a Congressional Gold Medal from President Barack Obama. 

Maggie passed away at the age of 89 in February 2013. Her legacy will live on with all those who have similar bravery, passion, and wisdom as she did.

Photo: Maggie Gee with two other former Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) in Boulder City, Nevada. They are standing at the WASP memorial in the Veteran's Cemetery Memorial Garden. The memorial reads: " Women Airforce Service Pilots | WWII 1942-1944 | We Salute All WASPS | You have shown that you can fly wingtip to wingtip with your brothers."

Maggie Gee with two other former Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) in Boulder City, Nevada. They are standing at the WASP memorial in the Veteran's Cemetery Memorial Garden. The memorial reads: " Women Airforce Service Pilots | WWII 1942-1944 | We Salute All WASPS | You have shown that you can fly wingtip to wingtip with your brothers."

Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Flying High with Hazel & Maggie: Chinese American Aviators in WWII

Scientist in the Sky: Meet Maggie Gee!

Guiding Question

Who was Maggie Gee?