Ruthe Wheeler and Graham Dean

Jane, Stewardess of the Air Lines was picked up at the Kent, Connecticut Public Library book sale as a curiosity.  The primary appeal was that the book dated from 1934, which was in the very early years of commercial air travel.  A little research revealed that the Iowan author, Ruthe S. Wheeler (1904-1980), wrote this and other young adult adventure novels for girls published by Goldsmith (Goldsmith Publishing Company was founded in Chicago around 1931 as a publisher of affordable hardback children's books and went out of business around 1939 - See 'Dictionary of Literary Biography' 46 (1986), p. 162 - https://research.hrc.utexas.edu/). Jane portrayed the adventures of a 1930s flight attendant.  Perhaps coincidentally, the first flight attendant was a fellow Iowan, Ellen Church, who had trained as a pilot but was relegated to the flight attendant role by Boeing because of gender descrimination.  Church's first flight in that role was in May of 1930, and Wheeler's book was published four years later.

Genealogical research revealed that in 1928, Ruthe married newspaper journalist Graham Morris Dean, who also wrote young adult fiction and was born in Hartford, Connecticut.

A listing for Wheeler and Dean's books in the 1935 Sears Catalog (Ancestry.com)
A listing for Wheeler and Dean's books in the 1935 Sears Catalog (Ancestry.com)
February 1946 Richmond News Leader speculation that Graham was the writer of Ruthe's work.  We postulate that it may have been the other way around.
February 1946 Richmond News Leader speculation that Graham was the writer of Ruthe's work. We postulate that it may have been the other way around.
University of Iowa yearbook 1927 Ruthe Wheeler
University of Iowa yearbook 1927 Ruthe Wheeler
Dean in 1926
Dean in the year of his graduation from the University of Iowa in 1926
Ruthe Wheeler Dean in 1939
Ruthe in 1939 in CA

In the two novels in WCSU's Special Collections by Ruthe S. Wheeler and Graham M. Dean, the prose style is very similar.  So, there is the possiblity that Ruthe wrote under her husband's name.  If Graham wrote the novels attributed to Ruthe, it would be odd that he simply stopped writing under that name in 1938, which is the date of the last published work by Ruthe S. Wheeler.  It is perhaps less hard to believe that Ruthe began writing under her husband's name, presumably because a male author would tend to be paid more for a work.  There are indications in  Dean's novel Herb Kent, West Point Cadet that show that the author may not be male .  In Herb Kent West Point Cadet the author writes: " ... he'd play it with every ounce of energy in the 180 pounds of brain and muscle in his sturdy body." (pg 51) This quote is written in a way that assumes 180 pounds is an average weight for a strong man,  It's odd to use weight as a measure from one man to another and also It creates the impression that this a female gaze and not a male gaze. 

Link to article about Graham M.  Dean from The Three Investigators U.S.  Editions Collectors site.

Salinas Morning Post from 1938, Salinas, CA.  Graham Dean was the treasurer and publisher of the newspaper and wife Ruthe had a regular column (presumably, she worked as a librarian in Salinas) highlighting new books and additions to the library.  Images from the California Digital Newspaper Collection.

Ruth's column
Ruth's column
1938 RuthWheeler003 October
1938 RuthWheeler004 March
1938 GrahamDean March
Image of grave
Grave marker for the couple (FindAGrave)

The couple's daughter Betsy went on to be clarinetist of some note having received a scholarship and training in Paris.  Perhaps a photo of Betsy?

 

A note about Betsy from 1963
A note about Betsy from 1963