Item of the Month

December 2025

It’s officially the holiday season! And what holiday season would be complete without giving and receiving Christmas cards? Over many decades, this long-standing tradition has come in a wide variety of printed formats with varied design features and holiday imagery. Many families feature an annual family picture on their Christmas cards. Nowadays, this might mean sending e-cards to loved ones or a festive, aesthetic social media post. However, in 1931, this still meant that individuals, families, and companies sent out decorative paper printed Christmas cards.

This December’s Item of the Month from the Special Collections Department is a black-and-white Christmas card from the Phoebe Fairgrave Omlie collection. It features images of Phoebe and her husband, Vernon, surrounded by holly leaves. There is also an image of Mid-South Airways imposed on the right-hand corner of a map of the U.S. The card states, “Mid-South Airways and the Omlies wish you a Merry Xmas and Happy New Year.”

Phoebe Fairgrave Omlie (1902-1975) was a pioneering American aviator who achieved daring stunts and record-setting flights. She was known for performing parachute jumps, wing-walking, and other aerial feats during the barnstorming era. Phoebe became the first woman to receive a U.S. federal transport pilot’s license and the first woman to receive an airplane mechanic's license. In 1922, she married her instructor, Vernon Cleophas Omlie (1895-1936), a talented pilot himself. In 1925, Phoebe and her husband Vernon moved to Memphis, Tennessee, leasing the Millington airfield to establish a flying school and a chartered commercial air service called “Mid-South Airways.” Vernon would later become the manager of Memphis Municipal Airport. To learn more about the Omlies and their storied history, please visit the collection on Digital Commons.

To view materials found in the Special Collections Department in person, please schedule an appointment online here.

Text from this post is by Grace Neeley, Archivist/Librarian, Assistant Professor, Special Collections. She can be reached at gneeley@memphis.edu