Draper, Birdie, 1916-2005

Birdie Draper was born in 1916 in Minneapolis, Minn. At age twenty, she began training as a parachutist with Stub Chrissinger, an instructor for Hincks flying service. Chrissinger was one of two licensed parachute riggers in Minnesota at the time. After her training, Draper joined a stunt group of Thrill Day Performers traveling to state fairs. She was paired up with Captain F.F. (Bowser) Frakes, who was best known for crashing planes. Draper's stunts included "delayed" parachute drops as well as automobile feats of crashing into a wall of solid masonry or a wall of dynamite. Draper is recognized in the Automobile Hall of Fame for crashing through sixteen sticks of dynamite with her car. Her vast array of death defying stunts earned her the name, "The Queen of Daredevils". Within five years Birdie Draper completed thirty-five parachute jumps. In 1941, she received her license as a parachute rigger from the Dept. of Commerce and decided to retire as a daredevil and take on a position as a parachute rigger for Ryan Aeronautical Company. Draper married George Griffin and retired at Ryan Aeronautical Company in 1945 to raise a family.