Texas Woman’s University distinguished alumna Sandra Anderson, a 1970 graduate with a degree in art education and minors in music and physical education, is being remembered for a groundbreaking aviation career that helped pave the way for women pilots.

Anderson was the second female pilot hired by Northwest Orient Airlines in 1979 and went on to become Northwest Airlines’ first female Captain Instructor/Check Pilot in 1992. She later became the first female Fleet Check Captain among major U.S. passenger airlines and also served as Assistant Chief Pilot–Flight Manager.

A founding board member of Women in Aviation International, Anderson helped establish the organization’s Endowment Fund and was honored throughout her career for advancing opportunities for women in aviation, including receiving TWU’s Distinguished Alumna Award and induction into the Women in Aviation Pioneer Hall of Fame.