Women'Sports Wire

(February 14, 2001)

Prudential Executive To Compete In Historic London To Sydney Air Race 2001
Skytrekkers To Bring The World Into Classrooms

NEWARK, NJ, (Feb. 14, 2001) - Priscilla Myers, senior vice president at The Prudential Insurance Company of America, will join Jean Turnbull, pilot and Margaret Ringenberg, co-pilot, to compete in the upcoming historic London-to-Sydney Air Race 2001.

Their team, known as Skytrekkers, will be one of 50 teams of professional and amateur aviators from all over the world that will compete in the 28-day, 12,000 mile race over the longest air route between London and Sydney. The race, to be conducted under the Rules of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale begins on March 11 from Biggin Hill airport, near London and end on April 7.

"Jean and I met at Prudential and have been friends for over 20 years," said Priscilla Myers. "I am very fortunate because she has invited me to fly with her time and time again. Having this chance to compete in this great race with her and Margaret, an awesome aviator, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I am happy Prudential has supported me."

Skytrekkers, flying a Beechcraft Baron 58, will journey through 28 ports of call in 17 countries, including Greece, Crete, India, Thailand, and Timor. They will soar over ancient ruins at Luxor, Egypt; the Taj Mahal at Agra, India and Ayers Rock in the Australian Outback.

The Prudential Foundation will partner with The Living Classrooms Foundation in Baltimore, MD and offer an interactive educational opportunity for middle school children to experience Skytrekkers and the race in motion.

Using web-cams and laptops, Skytrekkers will bring the world into classrooms each day to share the historic significance of the flight and to highlight the unique cultures of the countries and the wonders of the world they visit during their journey. The team will also send a postcard from each country to participating classrooms.

"As crew, I will be documenting our itinerary and interacting with the children and I am very excited about what the children may be able to take away from this competitive voyage," said Myers. "I hope that our partnership helps make their science, history and geography studies genuine and easier to grasp as they travel with us through these fun and educational activities."

The Living Classrooms Foundation will provide educational Internet activities and lessons, matched to national educational content standards, and other resources for teachers to use in the classrooms. The first activities will be posted one week before the race starts. New lessons and activities will be posted every week throughout the race. Teachers can access the free educational materials by visiting www.livingclassrooms.org/sky/announce.html or the Skytrekkers web site at www.skytrekkers.com.

As one of only three all-female teams into the race, the Skytrekkers team includes:
Jean Turnbull, 57, is the team's pilot-in-command. Jean has almost 20 years of flying experience. Last June, Jean participated in her first air race -- the Air Race Classic. The Classic is a long distance all-women's event held annually in the United States. Jean recently retired from a career in investment banking where she developed a national reputation for her expertise in the field of energy co-generation. She resides in Cape Cod, MA.

Margaret Ringenberg, 79, is the team's co-pilot. Margaret served her the United States as a WASP (Women's Air Force Service Pilot) in WWI and became a flight instructor in 1945. She has been racing since 1957 in events including the Illi-Nines Air Race, the Powder Puff Derby, the Michigan SMALL Race. From the time she first soloed in 1941 until she completed the "Round the World" Air Race in 1994 at age 72, she has logged over 40,000 hours. In the last few years, Margaret has busy lecturing about her aviation experiences and has also authored a book -- Girls Can't Be Pilots. Margaret's remarkable aviation history has also been chronicled in a chapter of Tom Brokaw's bestseller, The Greatest Generation. A grandmother, Margaret lives in Grabill, Indiana and has been married for over 54 years.

Priscilla Myers, 51, senior vice president, The Prudential Insurance Company of America, who is the crew member responsible for all administrative aspects of the trip, including maintaining the website, www.skytrekkers.com and securing sponsorship. At Prudential, she leads the company's demutalization efforts -- overseeing the extensive coordination, review and monitoring of all activities involved in Prudential's transformation from a mutually held company into a public company. She lives in Morristown, New Jersey.

The London/Sydney Air Race is part of Australia's Centenary of Federation celebration and marks only the fourth time such a race has been held - the first marking the feat by Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith in the Vickers Vimy airplane in 1919. The race retraces the 1919 route of the first aerial odyssey from England to Australia which demonstrated the feasibility of long distance air travel. Cash prizes were offered to the first pilot to link the heart of the British empire with its far flung commonwealth by flying the race in 30 days or less.

[For more information contact Dawn Kelly (973) 802-7134 office Dawn.Kelly@Prudential.Com.]