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Story of Jerrie Mock, 1st Woman To Fly Around World, Told By Granddaughter

 Rita Mock will open her independent production Thursday at First Free Church.
Rita Mock will open her independent production Thursday at First Free Church.
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DNAinfo/Josh McGhee

ANDERSONVILLE — Rita Juanita Mock still remembers arguing with teachers about who was the first woman to fly solo around the world.

They would say Amelia Earhart, but Mock was certain it was her grandmother — Jerrie Mock.

"No one knows who she is. Everyone thinks Amelia Earhart is the first woman to fly around the world and it's her," said Mock, referring to her grandmother.

"And I remember as a little kid being really frustrated and annoyed by that," Mock said, noting a conversation she had with her teachers in fifth grade.

To prove her point, she would bring in newspaper articles, Jerrie's book "38 Charlie" and sometimes even her grandmother to the class.

 Jerrie Mock arrives in Cairo, Egypt.
Jerrie Mock arrives in Cairo, Egypt.
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Express Newspapers/ Getty Images

"I was super shy as a child, so it was a big thing for me to speak up," Mock said.

The scene is one of many Rita included in the biographical play about her grandmother "The Flying Housewife, A True Story." The independent production is opening at 8 p.m. Thursday at First Free Church at 5255 N. Ashland Ave.

"The story is kind of a personal retelling through my eyes. Her story through different settings I’ve heard from my family and things like that ... the flight around the world, the different spots that she stopped and just my perspective as her granddaughter of what that looked like. [Plus] some person details that most people don’t know," said Mock, of Edgewater.

In 1964, Jerrie Mock flew a single-engine plane around the world in a 29-day race against a professional pilot. Along the way, she dealt with engine trouble while over the Pacific Ocean, icing on her wings and a sandstorm.

"Her plane was sabotaged before she took off, she had bad brakes much of the flight when she was landing for the flight around the world — huge problem. There’s a lot of incidents all along the flight, so it’s a fascinating story of all the things she survived through," Rita said.

"She did her research, she did her homework, she knew what she was doing, but as far as everyone else was concerned she was crazy. She was this 38-year-old housewife."

In 1992, their relationship flourished when Jerrie moved with the family to Florida when Rita was about 10 years old.

"I was her little buddy. She was a very friendly, very loving person. She just loved hanging out with me [and my brothers,] but me especially. We’d just sit there and tell stories and talk for hours and hours," she said.

Considering she was being homeschooled at the time, Mock considered her talks with grandma "part of my education." Her grandmother would teach her "her perspective of the world," along with history and geography.

The move from Michigan to Florida also sparked Mock's interest in theater, which was her only outlet to make friends since they moved during the summer. Plus, she moved next door to the costumer for the local theater, who encouraged her to audition for the current production, she said.

"I went, I auditioned and I got cast. I've been doing theater ever since," said Mock, adding she began directing in 2007.

Rita has performed all around the world including a theatrical tour in Australia and a walking/biking tour of shows and concerts that took her from Key West to Canada, she said.

 Jerrie Mock receives award from President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Jerrie Mock receives award from President Lyndon B. Johnson.
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Washington Bureau/Getty Images

Most of her life, Jerrie despised the limelight besides satisfying the sponsors who paid for the flight, and she wasn't able to hide in Florida. When they read about her story they made her grand marshal for various parades, Mock said.

"She’s not shy at all, but she hated the press. She was like 'I wanted to do the flight and who cares who knew' ... She pretty much did what she had to to satisfy the sponsorship deals. And then she said buh bye and vanished as much as she could," Mock said.

Jerrie died in 2014, about a year after publishers began reprinting her book for the 50th anniversary of the flight, when buzz about the story was picking up. In 2014, her story was featured in Buzzfeed and the New York Times.

"She just didn’t care to be known, which is kind of why I waited for her to be gone to do the play because I knew she would be like you don’t have to do that. The only thing she always wanted was a screen play but I don’t have the film experience," Rita said.

The show runs at 8 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 6 p.m. Sunday, 8 p.m. June 10, 3 and 8 p.m. June 11, and 6 p.m. June 12.

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