Tee Taylor

Thelma “Tee” Taylor is one of skydiving’s early pioneers—a competitor, coach, and innovator whose fearless determination helped pave the way for women in a male-dominated era and whose influence continues to inspire generations.

Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Tee graduated from Catalina High School in 1959 and went on to attend the University of Arizona. She discovered skydiving in 1961 after reading about a local unauthorized parachute landing on the university campus. Intrigued, she tracked down the individuals involved and began training shortly thereafter. Her first jumps took place from rented aircraft on dirt roads near Tucson, with instruction that consisted of basic malfunction procedures and parachute landing falls from the back of a truck.

Later that year, Tee moved to Dallas to begin a career as a flight attendant with American Airlines and continued jumping—now fully immersed in what was then an almost exclusively male sport. There, she helped establish a training program for the Dallas Skydivers, taking on roles as instructor, jumpmaster, and safety officer. Her technical curiosity led her to modify surplus military canopies by hand, often dyeing them pink in her bathtub for visibility and style.

By 1963, Tee had quickly become a top competitor. She qualified for the U.S. National Championships despite having a broken wrist, which she competed with in a plaster cast after obtaining a doctor’s note. That same year, she earned her U.S. Expert License (D-462), becoming only the ninth woman in the country to do so. Her skill in the style event—an aerial discipline judged on precision maneuvers—won her a coveted spot on the U.S. Women’s Parachute Team.

The following year, Tee led the U.S. Women’s Team to gold at the 1964 World Parachuting Championships in Leutkirch, Germany. She set a world record in the style event, placed second in accuracy, and was crowned Overall Women’s World Champion—cementing her place in skydiving history.

Tee continued to break barriers, both in the air and on the ground. She was part of the team that tested the first sport-designed main canopy and the first back-mounted reserve, and she later contributed to test jumps during the development of the tandem parachute system.

In 1994, she served as Team Leader and member of the Competition Jury for the U.S. delegation at the World Championships in China. Her leadership and mentorship helped usher in a new generation of competitive skydivers, particularly women looking to follow in her path.

A lifelong ambassador of the sport, Tee remains active in the skydiving community and among the Pioneers of the Sport. Well into her 70s, she continued to jump occasionally, ride motorcycles, scuba dive, hike, and golf—all with the same adventurous spirit that first drew her to the sky.

Tee’s induction into the International Skydiving Hall of Fame in 2011 recognizes her extraordinary contributions: as an athlete, innovator, and role model. Her legacy lives on not only in record books, but in the confidence and courage she’s inspired in others—especially women—who dare to dream big and jump even higher.