Adeline Gray, Oxford's Dare-Devil Parachutist,
Her Historic Leap, and Interesting Life
Adeline Gray Timeline: (work in progress)
- Born circa 1918 to Martin and Pauline Gray.
- 1920 Census, listed in Seymour, parents listed as immigrants from Russia.
- 1930 and 1940 census, listed in Oxford, parents listed as immigrants from Germany.
- June 6, 1942 - Adeline Gray,
parachute rigger at Pioneer Parachute Company, made first parachute
jump in U.S. using nylon parachute; jumped from aircraft flying from
Brainard Field, Hartford, CT; convinced audience of 50 critical army,
navy observers. Complete story: Adeline Gray's Historic Leap: See Blog on PATCH Here
- Marriage to Kenneth W. Johnson (See obituary for children born from this marriage)
- Adeline Gray Johnson holds half rights to husband's Patent for a Parchute : Patent application PDF here
- Adeline's first husband died on Jun 5, 1961 in Southbury, CT at age 55.
- Marriage to August Graf October 29, 1968
- Obituary: Naugatuck Daily News, September 29, 1975
- PRESS PHOTOS COLLECTED TO DATE: HERE (Note two of the photos have text on the front, and are not original photos - still looking for those two!)
- Camels Cigarette Ads HERE
Other material on hand:
- Have screen grabs of photos taken at Pioneer, but no original quality photos.
- Just received US AIR
SERVICES, August 1943, which features "The Importance of Parachute
Maintenance, as told by Robert Lewis to J. Floyd Smith" which includes
one photo of Adeline within 2 1/2 kpages of text on the maintenance
procedures. The parachutes mentioned are silk, not nylon.
- COMICS on Adeline's Historic Leap: True Comics and Live Test.