New Auburn Airport Mural Honors Women Aviation Pioneers

Myron Curry’s artwork celebrates historic achievements of Joann Osterud and Kimberly Scott Ford.

Meg Godlewski

Friday, April 03, 2026 at 11:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

A mural to honor influential women aviators (Kimberly Scott Ford, left, and Joann Osterud) goes up at Auburn Municipal Airport near Seattle. [Credit: Meg Godlewski]

Key Takeaways:

Auburn Municipal Airport has unveiled a new mural by local artist Myron Curry, honoring two pioneering women aviators: Joann Osterud and Kimberly Scott Ford.
Joann Osterud was an airline pilot, world-record holder in aerobatics, and the first woman hired by Alaska Airlines, later flying for United.
Kimberly Scott Ford is recognized as the first African American woman to fly the C-17 Globemaster and the first Black woman pilot for Alaska Airlines, retiring as an Air Force Reserve lieutenant colonel.
This mural is part of a larger project at the airport by Curry, celebrating diverse local aviation history and community figures, including astronaut Dick Scobee and Medal of Honor recipient Joe Jackson.

See a mistake? Contact us.

The latest mural to be painted at Auburn Municipal Airport (S50) south of Seattle features two local women with tens of thousands of hours in the cockpit between them, including military flying, airlines, and competitive aerobatics.

The new mural, which features Joann Osterud and Kimberly Scott Ford, at the nontowered airport is the work of local artist Myron Curry, whose designs appear in several locations around Seattle, including several others at Auburn. Curry’s murals are located on the airside of the T-hangars—and they are simply larger than life.