Former Flying Queens participate in panel discussion following screening

PLAINVIEW – Wayland Baptist University, Mabee Regional Heritage Center and the Hutcherson Flying Queens Foundation celebrate Women’s History Month and the 50^th anniversary of the passage of Title IX with a special screening of Flying Queens: A Basketball Dynasty on Tuesday, March 28. A question-and-answer panel discussion featuring five former Flying Queens follows.

The screening of the 2014 documentary showcasing Wayland’s women’s basketball program begins at 6 p.m. in the Mabee Regional Heritage Center auditorium adjacent to the Flying Queens Museum, which opened in February. The panel discussion featuring former Flying Queens Rita Alexander Colman, Alice “Cookie” Barron, Cherri Rap, Valerie “Val” Goodwin-Colbert, and Sharla Rich. Colman was a Flying Queen from 1953 to 1957, Barron played from 1954 to 1957 and Rapp was on the team from 1968 to 1972. Goodwin-Colbert was a Flying Queen from 1975 to 1979, and Rich played from 1985 to 1989.

“This event is the centerpiece of Wayland’s Women’s History Month celebration,” said Dr. Rebekah Crowe, Professor of History in Wayland’s School of Behavioral and Social Sciences, one of the three primary sponsors of the event. “Since the Flying Queens Museum just opened and the History Department is launching a brand-new oral history project on the Flying Queens program, we decided to focus on these amazing pioneers.”

The five former players represent more than 40 years of Flying Queen history, Crowe said.

“The question-and-answer panel discussion following the screening will focus on the experience of being on the team, the legacy of the team, and the connection of Title IX and women’s collegiate athletics, since we recently celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the ground-breaking legislation,” said Crowe, who will serve as moderator.

The screening and panel discussion are free and open to the public. The Q&A session will be recorded and made available after editing and closed captioning have been completed.

Written and directed by Kellie Mitchell, Flying Queens: A Basketball Dynasty was produced by Aperture Art Production and won the Honorable Mention Award of Merit at the Impact Docs Awards.