TWU hosts hero pilot Tammie Jo Shults in online lecture Oct. 6

Sept. 14, 2021—DENTON— Captain Tammie Jo Shults, the widely acclaimed pilot who brought Southwest Flight 1380 in for a successful, heroic emergency landing in 2018, headlines the fall installment of the Paup Lecture Series. The free, online event is open to the public and hosted by the Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership at Texas Woman’s University.

The virtual lecture will begin at 6 p.m., Oct. 6, 2021. Preregistration is required.

Shults will share how her life of preparation, steady leadership and faith led to a crucial moment in the cockpit April 17, 2018. Following an engine explosion at high altitude that caused multiple system failures, her Southwest Boeing 737 plunged more than 18,000 feet in the first five minutes alone. Shults successfully landed the airliner in Philadelphia, saving the lives of 148 passengers and crew.

Shults will be joined by TWU Associate Professor of History, Katherine Sharp Landdeck, Ph.D., who will facilitate a question-and-answer session following Shults’ lecture.

Shults’ early interest in flying led her to become one of the first female F/A-18 Hornet pilots in the Navy, overcoming obstacles due to her gender along the way. After concluding her Navy career, Shults became a pilot for Southwest Airlines. In 2019, she chronicled her extraordinary story, including the events of April 2018, in her book, “Nerves of Steel: How I Followed My Dreams, Earned My Wings, and Faced My Greatest Challenge.” Shults still enjoys piloting planes for Southwest Airlines and currently serves on the Women in Aviation Advisory Board to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Landdeck, a licensed pilot and Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) historian, authored the critically-acclaimed book “The Women with Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II” (April 2020). She is a Guggenheim Fellow at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and has received numerous awards for her work on the WASP. 

To register and for more information about this event, visit the Paup Lecture website.

The Paup Lecture Series was launched in September 2019 to highlight speakers who are bold, innovative and renowned experts in their fields. While the lecture is free, donations are welcome.

About the Nancy P. and Thaddeus E. Paup Lecture Series

The Nancy P. and Thaddeus E. Paup Lecture Series was created through the generosity of Nancy and Ted Paup. The Paups, who reside in Fort Worth, are longtime supporters of TWU. Nancy manages and directs business, real estate and ranching interests in Texas. She previously served on the TWU Board of Regents and was elected vice-chair during her tenure. Nancy is an elected member of The Philosophical Society of Texas. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Humanities Texas, the state affiliate for the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Executive Advisory Committee of The Handbook of Texas Women, and the Board of Directors for the Center for the Advancement and Study of Early Texas Art. Nancy has raised funds throughout Texas for the arts, higher education and historical preservation. Her academic degrees include master’s and bachelor’s degrees from TWU. Ted is the president of Paup Mineral Management, L.L.C.

About the Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership

The Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership at Texas Woman’s University is dedicated to preparing more women to take on successful roles in business and public service. Through the institute’s three specialized centers—Center for Student Leadership, Center for Women Entrepreneurs and Center for Women in Politics & Public Policy—women get the education to establish careers as successful C-suite executives, the skills for building entrepreneurial businesses and the framework needed to run for public office.

Page last updated 4:09 PM, September 26, 2022