History TV Show for April

Parachutist Adeline Gray and her Jump into Fame, a 46-minute television show about Adeline Gray (1917-1975) presented by Jim Reuter, describing Adeline’s life and times as well as parachute history. Adeline began parachute jumping in 1935, was Connecticut’s first true skydiver, jumping from 8,000 to 10,000 feet, free-falling to 1500 feet before opening her parachute. Jim is an engineer who retired from Pioneer Parachute after 52 years. Adeline was nationally famous for being the first person to test-jump a parachute made from nylon rather than silk, which she did in June, 1942. Pioneer Parachute began in the Cheney mills in the 1930s when parachutes were made from silk. You can watch this month’s show on Channel 15 Saturdays at noon and 8:00 p.m. throughout the month (the show changes each month).