Irene Craigmile Bolam
Irene Craigmile Bolam | |
|---|---|
 Bolam c. 1980 | |
| Born | Irene Madalaine O'Crowley October 1, 1904 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | July 7, 1982 (aged 77) Belford, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Banker |
| Known for | Allegedly being Amelia Earhart |
| Spouses | Charles Craigmile
(m. 1928; died 1931)Alvin Heller
(m. 1933; ann. 1940)Guy Bolam
(m. 1958; died 1970) |
| Children | 1 |
Irene Craigmile Bolam (born Irene Madalaine O'Crowley; October 1, 1904 – July 7, 1982) was an American banker and resident of Monroe Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey.[2][3] In 1970, a book that she discredited set forth an allegation that she was Amelia Earhart. Bolam took legal action against the publisher (McGraw Hill), resulting in the book being withdrawn[4] although it has since gone back on the market.
Amelia Earhart theory
[edit] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2023) |
In 1965, Joseph Gervais received an invitation to speak at a retired pilots' gathering, where one of Amelia Earhart's friends, Viola Gentry, introduced him to Mrs. Bolam. Gervais thought he recognized her as Amelia Earhart and commenced to research her past. Gervais and author Joe Klaas documented his position in the book Amelia Earhart Lives (1970). Bolam denied being Earhart, filed a lawsuit and submitted an affidavit refuting the claim.[4]
Bolam's personal life history has since been thoroughly documented, eliminating any possibility she was Earhart. The evidence presented in the affidavit included her 1937 private pilot's license and marriage certificate. Born Irene Madalaine O'Crowley, she married Charles Craigmile, and after his death, married Alvin Heller in 1933. They had a son in 1934 named Clarence Alvin Heller, but their marriage was annulled in 1940. She married Guy Bolam in 1958.
On her death, Gervais sought permission to photograph and fingerprint the body. Permission was denied.[5]
After Amelia Earhart Lives, three additional books were published claiming that Bolam and Earhart were one and the same. They are Stand By To Die by Robert Myers and Barbara Wiley (1985), Amelia Earhart Survived by Colonel Rollin C. Reineck (2003), and Amelia Earhart: Beyond the Grave by W. C. Jameson (2016).[6]
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Reference to year of death of Guy Bolam, dannychesnut.com. Accessed July 6, 2023.
- ^ "Will the real Amelia...", Time (magazine), November 23, 1970. Retrieved: November 27, 2007. "The woman they name as Amelia is Mrs. Guy Bolam, widow of a businessman and now living in Monroe Township, N.J."
- ^ "New Earhart Book Called 'Nonsense'", The New York Times, November 11, 1970. Quote: "Mrs. Bolam, who lives in the Leisure World retirement community in Monroe Township, N. J., said she had met Mr. Gervais, a retired Army major, at a meeting of plane enthusiasts..."
- ^ a b Strippel 1995, p. 52.
- ^ Strippel 1995, p. 53.
- ^ "New book claims Amelia Earhart was taken prisoner by Japanese during WWII." Fox News, December 30, 2015. Retrieved: January 5, 2016.
Bibliography
[edit]- Glines, C.V. "'Lady Lindy': The Remarkable Life of Amelia Earhart." Aviation History, July 1997.
- Goldstein, Donald M. and Katherine V. Dillon. Amelia: The Centennial Biography of an Aviation Pioneer. Washington, DC: Brassey's, 1997. ISBN 1-57488-134-5.
- Hoverstein, Paul. "An American Obsession". Air & Space Smithsonian, Vol. 22, No. 2, June/July 2007.
- Klaas, Joe. Amelia Earhart Lives. New York: McGraw–Hill Book Co., 1970. ISBN 0-07-035010-8.
- Strippel, Richard G. Amelia Earhart: The Myth and the Reality. New York: Exposition Press, 1972. ISBN 0-682-47447-9.
- Strippel, Richard G. "Researching Amelia: A Detailed Summary for the Serious Researcher into the Disappearance of Amelia Earhart." Air Classics, Vol. 31, No. 11, November 1995.
External links
[edit]- Gillespie, Richard (2003). "Is This Amelia Earhart?". Book review of Amelia Earhart Survived by Rollin Reineck. TIGHAR. Archived from the original on 2010-01-08.
...folklore that presents an incriminating, but almost entirely fictitious, case against the late Irene Bolam
- Mandel, Alex; Bright, Ronald; Gaston, Patrick; Prymak, Bill (2005). Campbell, Mike (ed.). "Amelia Earhart's Survival and Repatriation: Myth or Reality?" (5th ed.). WikiSource.
- Roach, John (December 15, 2003). "Where is Amelia Earhart? —Three Theories". National Geographic News. Archived from the original on December 17, 2003.