The CIS group - |
The CIS group (Cheap
International Set), as we called ourselves in the early 60's,
kind of
corny now but fun so many years ago!
In order Lois Kelly Dunn, Fifi
LaBine, Nettie Miller,
Carol Burt, Anne Boyd Lester and Ouida Porter LaRue. We used to have a lot of reunions on the West Coast but mostly it was people that were either still with ONA or had left and had flown on the West Coast. |
| It is almost like two separate airlines. I was lucky enough to be involved with both but I started at the end of the glory days of ONA in Oakland, CA. ONA had been the largest of all the supplemental air carriers and was second only to TWA. I made a few trips at the end of our military contract to Tokyo, Okinawa, and Bangkok and then furloughed, called back and then we did a few trips to Europe but mostly we went on CAMs ("Chartered Air Movement " for the military) and moved to New York. We would sometimes spend a week in such wonderful spots as Columbus, Georgia, Waco, Texas, San Antonio, Texas, Omaha, Nebraska, etc. |
We were paid a wopping $250 a month plus per diem of $12.50 a day.
Imagine
trying to exist on that now.
Then two years of bankrupcy and back to New
York.
Only Teddy, Fifi and I came from the West Coast and we lived in
this goofy little apartment
in Jamaica because it was close to the airport.
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| The Dancing Dog team I always tell the story of when we first went were first called back to ONA . Bevo Parham was then chief stew and we had one DC-6 airplane, 3 stewardesses and no charters or flights. The military came to check us out for CAMs and military contract flights and Bevo mentioned Teddy, Nettie and Fifi and the sergeant said: "Are those your dogs?" She of course replied "No, those are my stewardesses!" We were known as the Dancing Dog Team. Other local ONA stews were recalled such as Marilyn White and Laurie Frattini and then Steadman went off to Sweden to search for new talent, always being impressed by the few Swedish gals we had before such as Britt Carlson and others. |
We got new jets and then THE SWEDES ARE COMING, THE SWEDES ARE COMING! I would not give up one second of any of my days with ONA! How very lucky to have known such wonderful people as Steadman Hinckley and all the other pilots, crews and stews and how lucky we were to have been able to live as " Free Spirits" as Steadman used to call us. I feel almost sorry for the flight attendants that are flying about in this crazy world today. How lucky that Paul was able to contact Fifi and me and that we all are now on e-mail. Greetings Nettie Miller email at email nmiller@morganlewis.com |
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Ouida Porter LaRue and Nettie at Wake Island in 1965! |