In the article "Here’s to the Women Who Impacted Members of the GW Community - 2025 Edition," GW Today features a collection of first-person testimonials honoring women who shaped the lives of GW community members. In the collection, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering Lorena Barba writes about her mentor, Margot Duhalde, a Chilean-French pioneer aviator and WWII volunteer.
Here is Barba's testimonial: "Margot Duhalde, Chilean-French pioneer aviator and volunteer in the Air Transport Auxiliary during WWII. She used to say that she flew every model of Spitfire in her duties ferrying aircraft from England to bases in Europe. When I was a student at university (majoring in mechanical engineering) and already a licensed pilot, Margot helped found the Association of Women Pilots of Chile, and soon after persuaded high command in the Air Force to open a small-group Reserve Officers training program for women pilots and skydivers. I was among the 13 women that took part in that program, which was the prelude to the Air Force Academy admitting women for the first time some years later. Margot and I were friends for years, and I used to visit her in Santiago; we'd mix Roquefort cheese with butter and some whiskey to make a spread we put on crackers while sipping red wine and talking. She was a strong woman and did not abide fools. Our conversations taught me about courage and resolve. She was a role model that inspired me to always be independent and aspire for more than life simply presented me. I think of her often."
Read more testimonials on GW Today.