sedona legend helen frye

The Jack and Helen Frye Story

Sedona's Own Exclusive Celebrity Love Story

Sedona's First Celebrity Residents

This is the official, not to mention, only website in the world

dedicated exclusively to the legacy of Jack and Helen Frye!

An Aviation Romance- a Tribute to the "Camelot Years" of TWA

To Honor-- To Remember-- To Pay Tribute!

A Sedona Love Story

Sedona Society In Its Infancy

Born To Walk Together In The Twentieth Century as Soul Mates

Herein you will find a historic perspective of Sedona that was nearly lost to time itself. The REAL HISTORY of Red Rock State Park. A rich and valuable legacy which must not ever be forgotten or swept under the carpet. Sedona's history with TWA, one of the world's largest airlines and how this association helped put Sedona Arizona on the map! Red Rock State Park, the "Crown Jewel" of the Arizona State Park system, the one time, private playground of the rich and famous. Originally owned and discovered by one of the most glamorous couples in America, and one of the greatest aviation legends this country has ever known! An association so powerful that the original identity of the property will always be known as "Smoke Trail Ranch" or the "Frye Ranch!" Dare to delve beneath the surface and discover the hidden and suppressed history of one of the most pristine, beautiful, and most valuable real estate parcels of the Southwestern United States! Millions of park visitors each year are overwhelmed by this beautiful former ranch property once owned by the founder and president of Transcontinental and Western Air (TWA) and his beautiful West Virginia wife, now you can be astounded by "the rest of the story!"

View from the Frye Ranch, captured in the magical mist of a summer rainstorm, August 2006

Please click on any Pictures, Logos or
Highlighted and Underlined Links!

This Website was launched in the Summer of 2003

The Frye Legacy- So vast....

a lifetime of accomplishment!

WHO?

William John Frye- known as Jack Frye
Corporate and Aviation Legend: His World Legacy

Jack Frye is considered the "Father" of Transcontinental and Western Air, or as you may know it: Trans World Airlines (TWA). Why is this and what do we know about his life? Jack created an airline dynasty, in brief Jack had a dream and he fought for that vision for 25 long years. With a passion for flight he created the first transcontinental air service for our vast country, later, with the development of the Lockheed Constellation airliner- the first Trans-Atlantic air service which soon became the first round-the-world air service. Few people on this planet have not been affected by this great man's vision, for it is he who envisioned the first pressurized modern airliner. Please see "His Life, Jack Frye- an Airline Legacy." As an avid entrepreneur from the onset, Jack at barely 18 bought a half ownership of a struggling airplane venture in Los Angeles, California. One year later he included two partners, Walter A. Hamilton and Paul E. Richter, Jr. The operation eventually became known as Aero Corporation and Standard Airlines, with Jack as president.

To list all the associations of Jack Frye would be quite impossible. To give one an inkling, he was inducted into Harvard Business School's "Twentieth Century, Greatest Business Leaders, Hall of Fame," at no more than 1000 members Frye is well placed having exercised phenomenal business connections and accomplishments in a very short life, (only 54 years). In 1992, William John Frye most certainly received his highest posthumous honor, being inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio. As one of the greatest aviation legends in the country this aviator-entrepreneur is now listed along side his friends and peers at this hall of fame. Wherever Jack was at Smoke Trail Ranch or anywhere else in the world his life was consumed with the operation and responsibility of TWA. On his shoulders rested the safety of thousands of airline passengers and the management of the many employees which enabled TWA to exist! Understandably this left little time in his short life for other endeavors, for example, in and around Sedona, a region he loved. To learn more about the general milestones of this amazing airline genius, please see, "The Man, the Legend."

Helen Varner Anderson Vanderbilt Frye
A Sedona Legend: Her Legacy

Helen Frye- truly a remarkable woman, married Jack Frye during the years in which TWA really matured as a world airline. Jack had just brought his friend Howard Hughes on line and the company had access to a seemingly endless flow of capital. A time-period appropriately coined the "Camelot Years of TWA," Jack and Helen Frye were one of the first "power couples" in a time when wives were expected to be seen and not heard! Standing solidly beside her husband Helen offered support and an innate knowledge of execution. Helen Frye was much more than a social figurehead. Previously married to a direct descendant of one of the most powerful and wealthiest families in American history, she gained much experience observing an exclusive "man's world" of money, power, and business. At the side of Jack Frye, one of the nation's most powerful and influential corporate leaders, Helen was an invaluable asset and was treated accordingly by Jack, and Howard Hughes. Please see this webpage, (Fortune Magazine article) paragraph title: "Preparing for Peace," for information about Helen Vanderbilt Frye's influence with TWA. Also please see, "Her Life- the Vanderbilt Years."

As a society leader in early Sedona, Helen Vanderbilt Frye forged several bridges of cultural and artistic expression. Her interest in the arts stemmed from her own talents as an artist and gifted writer. Helen strived to find support for other early Sedona artists, as well. Helen's aunt in a previous marriage was Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, a consummate artist and the founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art, in New York City. This added association likely influenced a young Mrs. Helen Vanderbilt toward a lifelong association with the fine arts. In spring of 1959, Helen Frye, George Babbitt Jr., and his wife, Madeline Hunter Babbitt, Nassan Gobran, and other associates, launched Canyon Kiva which evolved into the Sedona Arts Center, "Barn." The Sedona Artist's Studios is another association of these efforts.

As a life-long animal lover, Helen saw the need for an animal shelter in Sedona. Earlier in life, as Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr., Helen was shopping on Fifth Avenue in New York City, when she noticed unsavory people beating a German Shepherd police dog in an alley. Without an ounce of fear, this woman walked up to the dog, grabbed the leash, and walked away, to the amazement of the abusers. Sonja, as Helen named the rescue became Helen's loving companion for the remainder of (Sonja's) life. This experience galvanized Helen and opened her eyes to the plight of unwanted pets. This humanity eventually resulted in her co-founding the Sedona Humane Society. Previously, with no Sedona facilities, the cast-aside-pets of Sedona were housed by Helen Frye and other founding members in their own homes at their own expense.

The first telephone service in "rural" Sedona? That came directly as associated with Helen Frye and Transcontinental and Western Air, or TWA as we know it today! Many attempts were made by the Fryes to establish a phone link from the rural Frye Ranch, to the outside world, with the local phone company, which had limited resources. The matter was only resolved, after Helen got the brilliant idea to send the short sighted telephone company copies of Jack's TWA telephone bills. In no time at all a dedicated phone line was installed at the TWA ranch. This primitive telephone connection was soon smoking with Jack's frequent calls to TWA and Howard Hughes. As an entrepreneur real estate developer, Helen Varner Frye with a partner, Nassan Gobran and other associates, developed a small portion of the Frye Smoke Trail Ranch into the beautiful, "Cup of Gold Estates." Envisioned and planned for all homeowners to have unfettered access to Oak Creek the development was an early Sedona real estate success, in 1955!

This Web Site was originally launched at Jack and Helen's
famous Smoke Trail Ranch in beautiful Sedona Arizona USA

WHAT?

At one time, more than 700 acres of Sedona's most valuable and pristine creek front property, known as the Frye, "Smoke Trail Ranch" as named by the Fryes. Currently a remaining small portion of this famous ranch remains today, as Red Rock State Park.

The Frye Ranch also consisted of the adjoining Frye- Deer Lick Ranch- (1941 to 1947), now as Cross Creek Ranch. In 1954, Helen Frye developed an adjoining parcel as Cup of Gold Estates.
To the north, a section added in 1950, by Jack Frye, is known today as Smoke Trail Ranch estates.

Frye landmarks include the House of Apache Fires or the "Apache Fires" house, as Jack and Helen called it. The Wings of the Wind House and the Willow House so named by Helen Frye. Other landmarks were various other ranch buildings, to include historic dwellings at the now named Cross Creek Ranch. Sky Fires House, (now demolished), at the Ridge, in the Village of Oak Creek, Sedona.

Frye cattle ranches outside of Sedona, included the 22,000 acre Frye Sunshine Ranch, near Meteor City and Sunshine Arizona, now known as the Red Gap Ranch. The 4500 acre Frye- Spring Valley Ranch, north of Williams Arizona at Spring Valley, Arizona, adjoining the Grand Canyon Railway right-a-way. By 1948 the Frye's owned over 50,000 acres of ranching property in the state of Arizona alone, according to newspaper articles. Jack Frye also had sizeable ranch holdings in the panhandle of Texas as well as oil interests. In the 1950's, Jack bought the "Nevajac Ranch" at Crystal River, Florida. Mr. Frye was the first rancher outside of the King Ranch in Texas to own and breed Santa Gertrudis cattle at his Sedona and Crystal River ranches. Sedona Airport on Tabletop Mountain? Jack and Helen Frye personally surveyed the location in the early 1940's finding it suitable for an airstrip. However in 1941, Jack Frye acquired a section of property near Cornville, Arizona, and developed it into an landing field, to be called Verde Valley Airport, a local semi-private airport, also known as: the Frye Private Airstrip.

So you thought Frye was just an airline baron?

Jack and Helen Frye doing what they loved most, riding on the 700-plus acre Smoke Trail Ranch in Sedona, shown to the left in a photo from Fortune Magazine. Although the photo caption mentions the "22,000" acre Sunshine Ranch the Frye's owned between Winslow and Flagstaff, the photo was actually captured at the Frye- Deer Lick Ranch in about 1942. Current status of the Sunshine Ranch? It is known today as the 25,000 acre plus, Red Gap Ranch. In the news lately, in regard to the City of Flagstaff's plan to buy this former Frye Ranch solely for the water rights. This purchase at 7.9 million would be pittance compared to the 140 million dollars needed to develop the water source and transport it to Flagstaff. Jack Frye never bought a ranch without abundant water this was the only reason he purchased the Sedona- Smoke Trail Ranch and certainly a major consideration in the purchase of the aquifer rich Sunshine Ranch. The current frenzy over the water rights of this former Frye Ranch says a lot about Jack's intuition. Please see the letter written by Jack, about the Sunshine Ranch found at the bottom of this page.

Why?

This website has taken on a remarkable journey since its inception. Originally the work was envisioned to explore the life of Helen Frye and her association with Sedona Arizona- thus the name of the website. However, I had no idea how famous she and Jack Frye were and what they meant to each other. Eventually I uncovered a resilient love story- divorce and surprisingly plans to re-marry again! These plans of reconciliation ended though when Jack was tragically killed in a violent 1959 car accident- broad-sided by a speeding drunk driver, in Tucson Arizona.

More than 25 years ago, SEDONA whispered to me "come share my essence." Finally in 1985 I was fortunate enough to become a resident of this wonderful community. As a writer and amateur historian I am always interested in people's stories. No one can live in Sedona without being aware of Jack and Helen Frye, TWA, and the House of Apache Fires! For 6 months during the summer and fall of 2003 and 2008, I was privileged to live at Red Rock State Park, a small remaining portion of Jack and Helen Frye's former ranch. I became a member of the State of Arizona's, State Park Volunteer Program, living each day under the shadow of Jack and Helen's Apache Fires house and Helen's, Wings of the Wind house. I came to embrace this property and its magical history. Jack and Helen Frye are still here in spirit, their lives are imprinted on this land and they left a legacy that cannot ever be erased. Walking the acres of this former Frye Ranch, exploring the silence of the Apache Fires house and gazing up at the Wings of the Wind, I sensed this legacy deeply! This is truly the call of a writer who senses a story to be shared. Within I felt Jack and Helen whispering to me- "tell our story don't let our legacy fade away."

So here it is, over 5 years of laborious research and still the site grows. The information has been gathered from public records in many forms, numerous personal interviews, invaluable TWA archival documentation, Jack's baby sister, and his daughter, not to mention hundreds of hours of research to verify and duplicate records originally located in other mediums. Within this process, there has been great joy in gleaning unknown tidbits of information about Jack and Helen Frye. Sadly the passing years have a way of erasing people's memories and life-work! The people that benefit the most from this Web Site are no other than Jack and Helen Frye, they can rest assured that their story will not be lost, forgotten, or buried by the sands of time. This is a work of love and respect for both of these unique souls. In all these years no one has ever attempted to gather this information together into an easy-to-peruse body of work, until now! Glamour, power, and a circle of friends, which included not only the crown heads of Europe, and some of the very highest political figures of our generation, but as well, wonderful every day people, Jack and Helen truly did walk the path of "Camelot!"

HOW?

Thought you knew the history of TWA and the story of Jack and Helen Frye? You won't know "this" story! Amazed- Surprised- you might even shed a few tears but in the end you'll be bowled over by the incredible documentation- and dedication of more than 500 pages of information- all found on this free website! So fix yourself a drink- find a comfortable place to sit, fall back in time and explore the infancy and romance of TWA, with Jack and Helen Frye. This is "THEIR" story!
To start: Click on any of the "key words" which follow.

"Helen Vanderbilt Frye" lived a remarkable life in a time period when women were rarely included in a world run exclusively by men. "Jack Frye" a visionary, and corporate genius, who created America's most beloved airline, TWA. "The TWA- Jack and Helen Frye Story" a marriage and partnership, which literally changed the world, a celebrity-love-story which left an "imprint" on American society. A divorce- another woman- devastating loneliness- all resulting in "the parting." "Her" new path, alone now in "her" Sedona, a metaphysical odyssey. "His" new path, leaving Helen behind in "their" Sedona.

Reporters were able to interview the former Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr., at the airport, of which she burbled of her new husband, "he is really what a woman dreams for, the most wonderful man I have ever met....I guess the romance really developed from my criticism of T.W.A.'s advertising. I said....'they should portray the romance and adventure of flying, instead of....comfort and speed.' So he gave my theory a test and it proved out, at least....we are married and the advertising is being changed!" The Fryes were married in Scottsdale Arizona on January 1, 1941 in a secret ceremony.

This TWA press publicity photo shows the newlyweds exiting what is thought to be a TWA Skychief DC-3. This image among other similar ones, ran in newspapers nationwide at the time. This couple sold papers!

January 18, 1941, amid glaring flashbulbs of World Press reporters, Jack and Helen Frye exit a TWA airliner, at La Guardia Airport, in New York City. Two of Sedona's very first celebrities, Jack Frye, founder and long-time president of Transcontinental and Western Air, and his new bride the former Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr., at the beginning of a Sedona Legend!

The Glorious History

The Glamour and Glitz

Jack and Helen Frye, well remembered icons of TWA, at a party in Washington D.C. in 1946. A celebration; Jack receives his
TWA 20-year pin. Please click here!

Fortune magazine article on "Jack Frye and TWA" April of 1945, accompanied by the only known published photo of the famous life-size portrait of Helen Vanderbilt Frye which hung in Jack's spacious TWA Washington D.C. office.

Current Biography Jack Frye- 1945 -and Profile- Jack Frye, 1939.

This lost article, found in a rare and hard to locate magazine was the subject of a 5-year search by Sedona Legend. Presented here in its entirety the article is an unusually detailed documentation of TWA-Jack Frye's career and life!

"The life story of Jack Frye is best described in the words of an after dinner speaker who said; �Mix together the adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the Rover Boys and Dick Tracy, and the result will be a near-picture of Jack Frye�s experiences." To see this entire "lost" article click here!

Full page newspaper ad from 1939, features Jack Frye "the Flying President."
The only airline president to hold a transport pilot's license.

"Jack Frye flies the new President" of the United States, to the Capitol to be sworn in while the nation and the world grieves. A Mystery Story!

Burdett Airport and School of Aviation, a Jack Frye - Burdett Fuller Operation. Said to be the first private airport in the Western United States. The true infancy of West Coast aviation!

DC-1 Story, the First Robot Plane of the 1930's.

The very first passenger air service for Arizona, was launched by Jack Frye. It was a hot night in Phoenix 1927. Bored and restless reporters, were sitting around in the city room of the local newspaper, when in strode a tall gangling stranger wearing grease-covered work clothes, with goggles pushed up under his flier's helmet, "My name's Jack Frye," he announced, "I'm going to start an airline here and I'd like to tell somebody about it!" See this story and more in Current Biography 1945.

Jack Frye establishes the very first passenger air service from California to Arizona as president and inauguration pilot of Standard Air Lines. Later, connections include coast-to-coast!

Discover how Transcontinental and Western Air shaped the great state of Arizona and tamed the desert skies!

Travel back to 1951 and read about Jack and Helen's Sedona in this wonderful article!

The Knute Rockne Tragedy. An Event That Changed The World Of Aviation Forever. Written by guest author and aviation historian, John Bybee, we learn detail by detail, why this event was so monumental and how it nearly put Transcontinental and Western Air out of business!

Take a step back in time read about Helen and Jack in personal "letters from a time long gone."

Helen Frye, having a Martini lunch with her good friends, Faye Emerson and Baroness Garnett Stackelberg. See this page.

The story of how a "President's Son and the Movie Star" came to honeymoon at the "Willow House" on Smoke Trail Ranch, now Red Rock State Park. The Presidential Secret Service descends on the Grand Canyon National Park and Smoke Trail Ranch in Sedona Arizona.

"Along the Highways and Byways of Finance." 1951 Profile about Jack Frye.

Helen Frye, the artist, co-founder of Sedona Arts Center. Her incredible legacy to Sedona.

Jack and Helen Frye, at the White House in 1946. Jack Frye is presented with the Medal for Merit, by order of Jack's friend, President Harry S. Truman. This was just one of many times Jack and Helen were invited to the executive mansion. Please see, "Memories of the White House" as told by Helen Frye, at the bottom of this page.

Mansions and Showplaces

House of Apache Fires at Jack and Helen's Smoke Trail Ranch. Photo to the right was taken at the launch of the Sedona Legend Helen Frye
Web Site in the summer of 2003.

Life at Smoke Trail Ranch, and the House of Apache Fires, from 1946 to 1962, as seen through the eyes of someone that was actually there all through the years!

Helen Frye's famous Wings of the Wind estate, with one of Sedona's most magnificent vistas.

You are invited to experience Helen Frye's Sedona on this page, Life at Smoke Trail Ranch
from 1962-1979.

The story of when Smoke Trail Ranch was "discovered!"

A Vanderbilt Mansion like no other!

Jack and Helen's Tudor- style estate in Shawnee Mission, Overland Park, Kansas. It was designed by the famous Frank Lloyd Wright trained architect, Edward Buehler Delk. It is still known today as the former home of Jack Frye, president and founder of Transcontinental and Western Air.

Jack and Helen Frye are seen to the right, in the breakfast room of their stately, Doubleday Mansion, in Arlington, Virginia. At 70 acres and some 30-rooms this was not your typical suburban home. Read about the amazing search and discovery of this famous Washington D.C. estate, christened "Hillcrest Farm" by the Frye's. The former TWA executive mansion is now recognized as one of Virginia's most authentic and regal historic colonial landmarks.

Intrique and Heartbreak

Broken promises and opportunists, from private ranch and playground of the rich and famous, to the "Crown Jewel" of Arizona State Parks, this page documents the shocking details of what happened at the end of Helen Vanderbilt Frye's life! "Ownership History of Smoke Trail Ranch."

The Haunting of "Smoke Trail Ranch."

Journey Into Spirit, an insight into Helen Frye's relationship with the Native American People.

Helen leaves Smoke Trail Ranch for the last time. A story that will break your heart!

The mystery of Sky Fires House. Is it true that after Helen Frye died, cult members torched this unfinished Helen Frye showplace late one night. to send a deathly message to a former member?

"A Lonely Road in Arizona." Story of the tragic car crash that claimed Jack Frye's life!

Commemorating the 50 Year Anniversary of Jack Frye's Death in Tucson, Arizona, February 3, 2009.

The Aviator movie, features Jack and Helen Frye, in its portrayal of Howard Hughes and TWA. See review here, from a Sedona perspective.

The Tommy Smith Saga: "Mystery Cloaks Fate of Flyer" by Phil Mosher. Helen's high school romance.

News of Jack Frye's death, runs on the front page of every major newspaper in the country, from The New York Times, to the Tucson Citizen. Read the shocking news of how this world famous man was cut down in the prime of his life by a drunk driver as seen on February 4, 1959!

Windows in Time

Discovered lost photos of Jack Frye. Synchronicity played a role in this story of priceless lost treasures from Jack Frye's estate represented in long lost images, "from Beyond The Grave." These photos from Jack's career with TWA, are a real gold mine! Incredible documentation that was nearly lost forever, had it not been for a generous and kind-hearted web surfer! Also on this page, see the two articles,
"Arizona Honors No. 1 Pilot" and "Airline Executive Plans New Route!"

Lost images of Jack and Helen Frye are seen in this splash. Glimpse into the lives of these remarkable people with images never before seen by our current public. Rare snapshots of Helen Vanderbilt Frye are displayed on this companion page.

The 320-acre Frye Deer Lick Ranch was the operations center for the Frye Smoke Trail Ranch for the first 7 years, of nearly 40 years, of Frye ranch ownership in Sedona! This 5-part series of web pages explore at length, the history of this property, known today as, "Cross Creek Ranch Estates."
Please click on the image of Jack and Helen at Deer Lick Ranch in Sedona, to the left, and travel back to Sedona of 1941.

The Executive Planes of Jack Frye

Totally Forgotten- Rediscovered

Meticulously Documented!

To Enter This 4-Part Web Series
Please Click On Jack's Lodestar To The Right!

With the precision and accuracy of a surgeon's knife, these pages explore and verify "which" planes were considered the private Northrops and Lockheeds of Jack Frye. From the dawn of the thirties, TWA's Jack Frye, flew back and forth across the country with high-speed-rocket performance. Few men of the day experienced such efficiency. In the glamorous 1940's the Fryes and their guests flew high in a TWA Lockheed Electra and Lodestar. Lockheed- considered the "Cadillac of the Skies!" With stories, photos, and documentation, you too can re-experience flight in the infancy of private executive airplane travel! Please click above, on the photo of the Lockheed Lodestar, to continue your journey!

Also addressed is the historical association between Jack Frye's private planes and the famous TWA "Overweather Research Program." No where else in the world can you get the "real" unbiased story of this exciting and forgotten period of TWA's glorious history. To the left, Jack and Helen Frye are ready to depart from Sedona, for TWA headquarters in Kansas City, on their Lockheed Electra 12A.

In 1941, that same polished to a mirror Lockheed Electra made history as Jack and Helen flew low over Sedona looking for the perfect ranch property. What they purchased became the TWA Frye Ranch or Red Rock State Park, as we know it today. The rest is history!

R. H. "Robby" Robinson

"In His Own Words"
Brand New Page March 2009

The Life of an Executive Pilot for Jack Frye

on Lockheed Electra 12A NC 18137

Retired TWA Captain Walt Gunn, relates his experiences as private executive co-pilot for the president of Transcontinental and Western Air. Gunn flys with Jack and Helen Frye on their famous Lockheed Electra 12A- NC-18137. From Sedona to Boulder City, this man experienced the inner Frye world! Found is an authorized excerpt from Walt's famous book about his experiences with TWA.

Mrs. Jack Frye, Clarksburg West Virginia flight, to see her nieces, 1943. Lockheed 12A.

History is Forged- T.W.A. Establishes World Dominance with Round-the-World Service!

In the "TWA Constellation Story" we learn about a revolutionary new airliner that changed the world of aviation forever and the intense dedication of Jack Frye and Howard Hughes, along with Lockheed, which made it all possible! Read about the landmark Lockheed Constellation air record of Jack Frye and Howard Hughes which astonished the world! This futuristic airship was the beginning of all current high-speed passenger airliner transports!.

Jack Frye and Lockheed Constellation TWA fleet number 503, another triumph- a record flight! The same plane later, as the "Star of California" with Howard Hughes at the helm, makes aviation history!

The "Star of the Day" is Helen Frye, and the TWA,
"Star of Paris." Jack Frye, is shown christening, the "Paris Sky Chief" in an adjoining splash! TWA connects the world! Jack Frye's dream for TWA to initiate luxury trans-atlantic passenger air service is now an amazing reality!

Milestones and Incidents

A Grand Welcome for Arizona's Number "1" Pilot!
Jack Frye Launches Passenger Service from PHX to SFO, in 1938.
In 1927 Jack launches the first scheduled Arizona air service!

Jack Frye's little Gamma an aviation speed record!
Northrop Gamma "the little plane that could!" More wonderful details on this famous Frye transport is found here.

Read the blow by blow press releases of the ONLY documented emergency landing and disappearance of Jack Frye, at the time, president of TWA. A Northrop Gamma 2D, NR-13757, Air Express cargo plane lost in the wilds of Arizona! Exclusive to this Website, you will find this detailed and documented information no where else in the world!

W-F-W Aircraft Company
Woolsey- Frye- Whittier
Thunderbird, a revolutionary new plane, designed by Ted Woolsey
in partnership with Jack Frye and N. Paul Whittier.

Often times the keys to a person's past are misplaced and lost forever. Not in the case of president of TWA's wife Helen Frye's fashion connections! For years I have heard that Helen designed clothes and hats for Marlene Dietrich, helped design new uniforms for Transcontinental and Western Air Hostesses, and had a fashionable Hat Shoppe in Beverly Hills, CA. Some doubted the rumors saying, surely it must be a fabrication! However persistence does indeed pay off, finally I have found the evidence of this endeavor and hope to someday find even more information. As for the Hat Shop, I always assumed it was during Helen's Vanderbilt days. But a surprise! Helen opened the shop soon after her marriage to Jack Frye who fevrently supported her fashion insights!

Graf Zeppelin Hindenburg- "The Millionaires' Flight." Yes, Jack Frye was a V.I.P. passenger on this legendary airship and for 10 hours he flew over the Eastern United States with 73 other special guests, the wealtiest and most powerful men in the United States. An amazing and famous United States-German event!

Conquistadores de Cielo "Conquerors of the Sky"

Read about one of the most exclusive corporate gentlemen's clubs in the world! Founded by Jack Frye and Paul Richter in 1937. A Transcontinental and Western Air original! Please click here.

To the right click on the website of Connie and Ed Bowlin, both commercial pilots, and one time owners of former TWA, Lockheed
NC-18137. I am grateful for the contact with Connie as this was the first breakthrough which enabled me to locate and document Jack's plane.

The Frye Inner Circle

The Man, The Legend - Biography of Jack Frye @ Smoke Trail Ranch, Sedona Arizona, 1947.

Donald Frye: "a Family Aviation Dynasty."

Sedona Red Rock News profile featuring Helen Varner Frye before her death!

After Jack and Helen Frye divorce, international film star Tyrone Power, often stays at Smoke Trail Ranch in Sedona. In the end, a marriage with Helen Frye is planned. From Rumor to Fact- this elusive story is finally nailed down and documented!

Left, Jack and Helen Frye's world-famous House of Apache Fires, in beautiful Sedona Arizona, August of 2006.

Eternal Girlfriends!
Baroness Garnett Stackelberg, Helen Vanderbilt, and Evangeline Brown. From Shanghai to Washington D.C.- these girls lived life on the edge!

The glamorous Helen Frye with Hollywood movie star, Hellen Parish.

Helen Frye and Marlene Dietrich?
Yes, there certainly was a connection!
Read about it on this page!

How Jack Frye transformed Sedona, from shades of gray to vivid vibrant COLOR! Sedona Profile Series on Bob Bradshaw, Sedona's most "famous" photographer and Jack Frye as C.E.O. of Aniline Film Corporation, Kodak's rival!

The origins of the Sedona art scene was launched by no other than art patron, Helen Vanderbilt Frye, among other well connected Sedona residents. Read the forgotten story here and view Helen Frye's artwork.

Part 2. The search for Helen Frye artwork leads me to an old friend of Helen's and a journey into Sedona's forgotten artistic past. Review the profile of Marie Stilley here.

A Polar Bear stands guard over Sedona's past, at the famous old Oak Creek Tavern.
Oma Bird- "Helen Frye was a good friend of mine!"

The Vanderbilts- those daunting in-laws!

Helen's past- Married to a direct decendant
of the Vanderbilt Dynasty!

The life story of Helen Varner from her beginnings in West Virginia, ending with her marriage to Cornelius Vanderbilt the IV. American Royalty! Helen lived like a queen frequenting mansions so enormous, they rivaled most the public buildings of the United States. Seen to the left, is Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr., 1937 @ Death Valley, California.

Helen Varner takes on a dynasty in this article entitled: "Honeymoons with Vanderbilt."

Helen Frye's former mother-in-law was no other than the "the Queen of the Golden Age." Grace Graham Wilson Vanderbilt, recognized as the last great leader of New York City society.

Helen's former father-in-law, Brigadier General Cornelius Vanderbilt the III.

Alice Gwynne Claypoole Vanderbilt, known in New York society, as Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt the II. The dowager grandmother, an audience with her made people tremble!

Helen's sister-in-law, Grace Vanderbilt Davis Stevens.

Helen Varner Vanderbilt Frye, a Sedona arts patron. Examples of Helen's work, and her connection with Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Travel back in time to the glory days of TWA, discover previously unavailable to the public information about Transcontinental and Western Air's war-time Washington D.C. presence. Truly the "Camelot Years of TWA"- this period of TWA history should be a great source of pride to all who built this magnificent air line. Mystery and intrigue surround the Doubleday Mansion in Arlington Virginia, TWA's executive residence of Jack and Helen Frye, not to mention the at times, secret hide-a-way of Howard Hughes, TWA's largest stockholder. Frequent guests included the highest dignitaries of the world and decisions made here impacted the world of aviation and the White House.
See it all here in Lost in America- the Mystery of the Doubleday Mansion!

This Website serves a dual purpose! One, to pay tribute to Jack and Helen Frye's contribution to Sedona Arizona, and two, to recognize their incredible financial contribution and stewardship in keeping one of Sedona's most breathtaking regions intact and protected for nearly 40 years. Only because of Jack and Helen Frye, can the people of Sedona, and the world, experience this now state park property with awe and wonder! As well an effort has been made to try to address the incredible corporate legacy of Jack Frye, and his association with the air service he nurtured for 23 long and difficult years. A top air line service, which became Transcontinental and Western Air, or "TWA." An exploration of how this legacy benefited millions of passengers, employees, and associates of Jack and Helen Frye.

Helen and Jack's Poem

A long time ago, in a decidedly different time,
over the spires of Sedona a silver airship climbed

Banking, dropping, low to the ground,
Jack and Helen Frye had found their little town

Property rugged, too rough to land,
they both vowed to return as soon as they can

Return they did with maps in hand,
staking their claim to this most beautiful land

A vision- Jack and Helen willed,
became the House of Apache Fires, which took years to build

On the wings of the wind Jack and Helen Frye came,
Smoke Trail Ranch they soon tamed

These two celebrities, travelers from a far,
in the end- became Sedona's First Stars!

In Loving Memory
Helen Virginia Varner Frye
November 28, 1908
December 4, 1979

"A stunning woman,
living a life few woman dare to dream!"

The above two portraits of Helen Varner Vanderbilt Frye were commissioned by Jack Frye in 1942. Possibly two of the very last portraits painted by the famous Hollywood portrait artist, Arnold "Monty" Mountfort, see this article. Referring to Helen as a stunning beauty is an understatement! It's no wonder men fell at her feet, from Brigadier General Cornelius Vanderbilt III, Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr., Henry Gassaway Davis III, Jack Frye, Howard Hughes, and Tyrone Power, to name just a few, Helen is remembered by all, as a stunning beauty with a magnetic personality! In 1952, Helen's former husband, Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr., was quoted as saying: "whatever happens, I shall remain content in the fact that I have tried to be a good husband to five of the world's most beautiful women." Helen was wife number "three." For a larger images of the above portraits, accompanied by stories please click here!

Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow, I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain, I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush, I am the graceful rush.
Of beautiful birds in circling flight, I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom, I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing, I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there, I do not die.

Certainly one of the most beautiful poems or eulogies I have ever heard. I was reminded of it recently when it was recited on a favorite show, "Desperate Housewives." Immediately, I thought, how apropos' it would be for Helen Frye. When I researched the origin of the poem, I discovered that it was penned by Mary Elizabeth "Frye" who incidentally was born the same year as Jack Frye, (1904) and with the same unusual last name! Need I say as usual, Helen Frye who often seems to have a spiritual hand in this work seemed to desire that I add this lovely poem for her. Although the poem has been published in many versions I choose to add the one which is said to be confirmed by Mary Elizabeth Frye, herself. Shortly after Helen Frye's death, her ashes were scattered from the towering red rock cliffs of her Wings of the Wind estate. From here, they drifted out over her Smoke Trail Ranch to swirl and settle for an eternity. The image of Helen's real life friend, Gene Tierney, riding her horse on Schnebly Hill in Sedona, somberly spreading ashes, in the movie "Leave Her To Heaven," comes to mind.

So with that visual and drama let's continue. For those out there who feel Helen's spirit when they walk the land of her former ranch, for all the people who visited Helen there, who Helen considered part of her extended family, for Helen's friends, who know she is still with them each day, perhaps this poem will give you all the peace you seek. For Helen Frye's spirit is an intricate part of Smoke Trail Ranch! I know each time I return to the Frye Ranch, I am overwhelmed with the presence of Helen and Jack Frye. On the summer breeze, in the swirling and blowing red rock dust, with each lilt of the birds which sing near the babbling Oak Creek, in the stony cold silence of the Apache Fires house, they remain. Jack Frye and Helen Frye, both, loved this property more than any other place they resided during their time on this earth. This property "is" the earthly space their spirits linger!

"We are but actors appearing for brief moments
in this pageantry called life."

This quote by your webmaster aptly describes the life of Helen and Jack Frye,
as well as the rest of us, who walk on this earth over and over again playing a myriad of roles.

The music on this Website is well represented by a musical piece by Baroque composer, Johann Christoph Pachelbel. Titled, Pachelbel's Canon in D Major, it is probably one of the most beautiful pieces ever written. Jack and Helen Frye were both staunch patrons of the fine arts, and as such, I feel they would be pleased by this accompaniment. This particular MIDI, was sequenced by the most remarkable young lady (at the time, only 13), a brilliant musician, who undoubtedly will go far in her field. Her name is Allysa Hughes, she personally sequenced this MIDI and gave permission for it to grace this Website. To my knowledge, the piece is not copyrighted as it is over 300 years old.

Originally, I utilized a variety of wonderful MIDIs, from the 1940's and 1950's. However with the recent overzealous and ridiculous campaigns by the major music corporations to squelch MIDI use, (pure greed), I was forced to delete the music. If anyone has any information about this Pachelbel piece being copyrighted, in any manner, please contact me.

On the Sedona Legend Web Site, you can immerse yourself in the infancy of Sedona, as experienced by Jack and Helen Frye! However, by clicking on Sedona Information Logo, to the left, you can learn everything about what this unparalleled "Utopia" has become, today in 2009!

The most Comprehensive Sedona Business- Services
and Visitor Information Website available!

All materials on this entire Website, unless otherwise notated,
are copyrighted and the exclusive original protected property
of the Sedona Legend Helen Frye Website

This website is totally non-profit and generates no income,
nor has it ever accepted a single donation. It is independantly sponsored.

The following aviation related websites have linked the Sedona Legend Site as a courtesy.

THE TWA CDG WEBSITE PARIS FRANCE

Current Airport Information: For those flying into Sedona Airport, the Sedona Air Center (KSEZ) is one of the most beautiful in the world! Flying up, and landing, on this mesa, provides some of the very best Sedona vistas! I can guarantee it is an experience you will not forget! Another favorite airport which offers an unbelievable scenic landing, is the Sunriver Airport, near Bend Oregon. Navigate to S21 (Sunriver Airport) and enjoy a vacation of unparalleled beauty! To see photos of executive planes at the Sedona Airport, click on the photo below!

Please see Jack Frye TWA Legend.
Envisioned and created by the Sedona Legend Website.

JACK FRYE FOUNDATION WEBSITE! To Preserve-To Protect-To Document- New Website created to ensure Jack Frye's Aviation Legacy is not forgotten, but publicized, for future generations.

This Website is constantly being altered, as new information is added
and old information is fine-tuned for accuracy and content.

The Sedona Legend Website is a compilation of copyrighted original work and historic materials presented for educational and entertainment purposes. The historic publicity materials displayed do not generate income or profit. These historic materials are not considered my copyrighted original materials. These materials are displayed in regard to the United States �Fair Use Act.� I am happy to consider the removal of any material on this website which may hold a copyright.
Please notify me by E-Mail with any claim for action.

Wonderful new website, by TWA's Kaye Chandler, producer of the Trans World Airlines- Historical and Remembrance, mini-movies- "Legacy of the Skies" and "We Remember."

While this Web Site is not "officially" affiliated with Red Rock State Park in any way, it was envisioned and created, to give park visitors a more in depth historical perspective, in regard to the former Frye Ranch property.

Editorial

My focus in creating this work is to represent Jack and Helen Frye�s Legacy; this includes their lives as a couple, and as individuals.

For instance with Jack, the writing is from �his� perspective- a reflection of how he was viewed within his own inner circle. I have included in this work, interviews and observations of people associated with him. This is enhanced with historical documentation showcasing events. The end result is weaved into an entertaining narrative, offering the reader an accurate portrayal of just "who" Jack Frye truly was, as a person, and a C.E.O. The same principles are applied to Helen Frye, her legacy, and associations. This work is an assurance that the world of Jack and Helen Frye, and their association with Sedona Arizona, is not forgotten, but rather rediscovered and experienced.

I am continually contacted by internet surfers who express joy and amazement at the work I have done. For all these kind sentiments I am deeply grateful! I think most authors would agree this feedback is "the icing on the cake" in regard to years of dedicated research and writing. T.W.A.? My work is not meant to be a rigid history of Transcontinental and Western Air. However, there is a vast amount of well-researched and detailed historical information included, as it is associated with Jack and Helen Frye. Of course in regard to Jack Frye, he was undisputably, the very foundation of TWA!

There has been interest in the development of my work from several prominent media organizations. However, I realize when the work is published it is essentially ended. Part of the fun of this story is in the research. When I feel I have exhausted all research sources, I will move forward and publish the work. In the meantime, the archive is offered pro-bono for anyone to peruse. So with all this said, I hope those who find this work will enjoy it in the spirit of which it was intended! I am proud and honored to represent this work, and the grand historical legacy of Jack and Helen Frye!

The Official Sedona Legend Web Site Index Key Can Be Found Here!

This Web Site is encouraged and supported by the Jack Frye Family,
to include Jack's daughter: Nevajac Frye
Jack's sister: Ople May "Sunny" Frye Thomas
The Helen Frye Family
and the many friends of Jack and Helen Frye

Thank you Helen and Jack Frye, for your legacy to Sedona Arizona!
Your imprint on this community continues on into the 21st Century!

Your webmaster and research writer is R. D. Reynolds, associated with Sedona since 1985.

To Contact the Administrator of this Website- Please Click Here!

View from the Frye Ranch after a summer afternoon rainstorm. Sedona Arizona, August 2006

This beautiful property is still known today in Sedona as the Frye TWA Ranch!

Thank you for your interest in

Sedona Legend Helen Frye

"The Jack and Helen Frye Story"

This Website was featured on the front page
of the Sedona Red Rock News-- December of 2008.

The Largest Information Archive in the World
in regard to the lives of Jack and Helen Frye!