1915 – 2020
Zoe Dell Nutter was born in Oregon and moved to Dayton over 50 years ago when she married Ervin Nutter, owner of Elano Corporation. As a young woman, she gave up a career in ballet when she accepted a position to promote the Golden Gate International Exposition in 1939. Later she was California’s representative at the World’s Fair in Brussels, which led to her title, the “Flying Ambassador” at the Century 21 Exposition, and the New York World’s Fair. She earned a pilot’s license and worked for Piper Aviation to improve pilot safety, increase the number of private pilots, and encourage women in the aviation profession. She headed up the Elano Small Aircraft Division and became one of the company pilots. Zoe Dell Nutter has served on local, state and national boards of trustees, and received numerous awards.