Interview with Anne Hamilton Fowler – Kate Hill's Romance, Writing, and More Blog

Please welcome Anne Hamilton Fowler!

Anne, would you tell us about yourself?

Born and raised in Toronto I grew up an only child in a traditional middle class Canadian family of the 40’s and 50’s. But my life has been anything but traditional! After finishing school my career included flight attendant with American Airlines, model, travel agent, world traveller, sales and marketing and almost 30 years in Human Resources as an entrepreneur/ business owner. I closed my company and retired in 2001 to take up another role, that of humanitarian. As someone once said when they described my various life pursuits during their introduction of me as that night’s speaker, “and she’s only 108 years old”! I live 6 months of the year in Honduras where I have spent the past 22 years developing a variety of community health and education programs. Please see my web page for details…. http://anne.honduranhope.net

Where do you find inspiration for your stories?

I have written just one book; a memoir of my rather unorthodox life. Finding inspiration was easy, I did it on a dare!!! There was no problem remembering incidents/events from 70+ years ago but recalling last week sometimes proved to be a challenge!

Would you tell us about your latest release?

My only release has been my memoir “I’ve Worn Many Hats,” I am gratified by reader reaction to the book. This review pretty much sums up the responses I have been receiving. “Your memoir is hard to put down. It spans decades of a bumpy roller coaster life and evokes a myriad of emotions including laughter, empathy and shock. It is an absolutely inspiring read!!”

What are you working on now?

Although I never intended to write another, I am in the planning stage of selecting and compiling some of the “stories” submitted by our over 800 young international volunteers from the past 17 years! The subject matter/topics will include humorous experiences, dangerous undertakings, romantic encounters, inspirational triumphs and of course, situations where I will need to assign a pseudonym so their parents don’t find out!!! My lips are sealed!

Is there anything else you would like readers to know about you or your work?

Just that I would appreciate their support. All profits from “I’ve Worn Many Hats” are being used for my children’s programs, specifically their annual free dental program. Sales from the collection of volunteer stories, (as yet unnamed), will go towards helping fund our newest project, a mobile library for the community.

Thank you for stopping by!

I’ve worn Many Hats

by Anne Hamilton Fowler

Genre: Memoir

At the time I joined American Airlines we didn’t know that I’d be the last Cannuck hired for many years to come. Wonder if my future exploits had been discovered and Canadian women were now blacklisted? But before I begin, first let me tell you what was involved in obtaining this job in addition to the subterfuge obviously carried out to secure an interview in the first place. Although over the years AA bore the brunt of my many inventive schemes, inventive a more palliative word than Machiavellian, this may have been my most devious deception ever.

The fact was, I simply did not qualify to be an AA stewardess.

In 1961 when I applied to American Airlines “stews,” as we were then called, were not permitted to wear glasses. This was just one of many rules and regulations that were enforced in the sixties. Rules that included an age ceiling of thirty-three, only single girls were allowed, the severe chastising received if a stew was caught not wearing her girdle and many other archaic notions. Well MAL was not about to let the fact that she was blind as the proverbial bat, who had worn glasses… sometimes since age eight, stand in the way of achieving a glamorous career in the sky.

A Toronto Western Hospital intern was bribed… I won’t disclose the nature of the bribe… into obtaining copies of eye charts currently in use by Toronto ophthalmologists. This enabled MAL to memorize said charts in preparation for her upcoming AA medical. “You have perfect vision,” announced the doctor following his examination.

Mission accomplished, end of story. MAL was hired, joined the ranks of American Airlines and flew off to pursue her life in the sky!

Oops! Had the possibility never occurred to her that the company might give their flight crews annual physicals that included vision testing? So, when a year later this appointment was inevitably scheduled, American’s doctor in Dallas upon completion of his eye exam turned to MAL and inquired, “OK, tell me how you did it?” (a remarkably similar question to the one posed by Algebra teacher Mr. Walton.)

“There is no way whatsoever that your vision could have deteriorated to this point in twelve months!”

Although he didn’t blow the whistle on me, the doctor strongly suggested that I wear my glasses as often as possible for my own safety. Realizing that the story would eventually “out,” I fessed up to my supervisor. But even after she was made aware of my transgression and had quit laughing, for unknown reasons AA gave me a “get out of jail free card.” The escapade provided a source of great amusement when on occasion I would be invited back to the college as a guest teacher or to chair a discussion group with new students. MAL’s story became a legend told to every stewardess class for years. Perhaps AA believed that the ploy demonstrated a strong desire to succeed plus an ability to improvise… both qualities they wanted to see in their flight attendants, didn’t they?

Purchase Links: Available on Amazon Internationally

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Author Links: http://anne.honduranhope.net

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