Helen told friends that she’d lived in a dorm once inhabited by Amelia Earhart. I Googled about this. Amelia Earhart, who was six years older than Helen, attended Columbia University in 1919-1920. Helen was first at Columbia in 1920-1924 and then again in 1931. So it would have occurred in 1921-1924 or in 1931.

Another coincidence is that they both taught at Purdue in the same year — Earhart from 1935 to her disappearance in 1937, and Helen in 1936. Helen flew planes at Purdue 29 times in 1936 between June and July. And Amelia was uber famous by then. It is possible though that they weren’t there at the exact same time — Helen might have just been there for a summer semester and maybe Earhart didn’t stay for the summers.

Here is Helen at Purdue in 1936:

Next up: Leaving familiar shores.