A Unique Way of Chilling Coors . . .

Maggie Flanagan Samson serving up a storm on a TWA Convair 880 in 1965. With her is Brenda Holdsinger.

From time to time Lady Skywriter receives E-mails from blog readers that beg to be shared. Here's one submitted by Maggie Samson of Bellevue WA:

"Back in the mid-1960s I was a flight attendant for TWA, based in New York. One day my roommate Betty Winn and I flew a long, many-stop trip from JFK to ABQ (New York to Albuquerque NM.)

"We arrived after midnight and had the entire next day off. When we got to our room we noticed the toilet was 'running.' I grew up in an older home in N.J. and knew all about those things. I removed the tank top to fix it and discovered a nice 6-pack of Coors beer chilling in the tank!

"What a treat. We enjoyed a couple and went to sleep. The next day while shopping we picked up some more Coors, replaced the ones we had drunk the night before, and flew home the following morning.

"Next time in, we requested the same room. We got our favorite room and sure enough, our cold Coors were waiting. What a wonderful memory from our days in Albuquerque."

It has been great fun to correspond with Maggie, who graciously sent me the photos included here. She worked for TWA for eleven years, starting in the office in New York at the age of 18, then was a stewardess for three years, after which she worked a couple of years at JFK Airfreight.

Maggie's husband also worked for TWA in New York, and eventually worked for Douglas in CA and Boeing in Seattle. Maggie says, "the Stratocruiser is one of the older planes we have always loved . . . how nice and comfortable it was back then."

Maggie is still active in ClippedWings/Silver Wings and maintains contact with her TWA friends. Betty Winn Hersant, Maggie's roommate in the Coors anecdote, recently reminded Maggie that often on layovers in ABQ, they would rent a motor scooter. "Betty the driver, and I the passenger, would fly around the town," Maggie says.

TWA Silver Wings is having their next convention in ABQ and Maggie and Betty plan to attend. I'm pretty sure they will try to check out the hotel where they stayed in 1965.

Maggie says they will probably pass on the motor scooter this time.

I'm not so sure. . .

Maggie Flanagan's 1965 TWA Graduation Photo. Maggie Flanagan Samson today with granddaughter Ryanne.