Career
Parish learned to fly in 1941, when she was 19 years old. She joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots when she was 21, after having accumulated 350 hours in the air. After the war, Parish attempted to get a job as a commercial pilot, to no avail.
The last plane they purchased was the P-40.
The nucleus of the collection was their own planes. Parish flew a pink P-40 Warhawk in several air shows for over 25 years, until she reached her 70s.
Deciding that she could no longer handle the G-forces, she flew that plane last in October, 1993. She continued to fly her Beechcraft Beechcraft T-34 Mentor.
She also had 14 grandchildren.
Her signature pink P-40 hangs in the entrance to the Air Zoo.