Page 1 of 10 
 
Washington Women’s Heritage Project records, 1900-2000 
University of Washington Libraries Special Collections 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn 
February 24, 1981 
Cassette 4, Side 1 
 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  00:01 
Jeanne Biehn interviewed by Susan Ehlers for Washington Women's Heritage Project, February 
24, 1981.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  00:09 
Okay, your mother wanted you to sell [crosstalk]-- 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  00:13 
Sell the house and move into a small apartment and find a job. Right, now, everybody does this.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  00:20 
This is immediately after [crosstalk]--?  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  00:21 
Immediately. "You do this, you just put out your chin and you just go do this.” Everybody has to 
just recover their own way. She doesn't understand it. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  00:32 
Even though the lawyer had told you don't-- 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  00:34 
Don't-- mm-hmm.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  00:34 
--do anything for a year. 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  00:36 
She also forgot that I have a mind of my own, obviously, you know, and flying and marrying and 
everything else I had in my life. And I wasn't ready. I just wasn't ready. And granted, I wasn't too 
well equipped to go out into the big, wide, wonderful world, and I didn't want to sell brassieres at 
Frederick & Nelson's, for God's sake. So I just said I wasn't ready to sell. I wasn't ready to find a 
job. I just wasn't ready. So I threw myself back into volunteer work at the hospital, and lots of 
bridge, and that sort of thing. And that [inaudible]--  
Page 2 of 10 
 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  01:10 
Well, what hospital?  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  01:14 
Swedish. And so then last summer, when the Jetfoil started in, they needed ex-stewardesses. 
They wanted people who had galley training and all this other sort of thing. And when they 
called me, I said to the girl who called, "You don't realize how long it's been since I flew." And 
she said, "Oh, come on, you can do it." So I said, "Fine." So I worked all of last summer or six 
months on the Jetfoil, which I think is-- you will see is probably comparable to the DC-3 in 
water transportation as the DC-3 was to air transportation. I think you will see that this jet 
propulsion on water, though the Jetfoil that traveled between Seattle and Victoria carried 250 
passengers, I think you're going to see a great deal more. It's in its infancy. They tried it in 
Honolu-- in the Hawaiian Islands, between islands. And I think probably the reason it wasn't 
successful there was people are so fly-oriented from wherever they are coming from to get to 
Hawaii that it was not successful there, plus the debris in the water caused severe problems and 
damaging the engine. But it was just a super service between Seattle and Victoria, and at one 
point last summer, they were talking of going up even further into Canada into [?Nanaimo?]. 
And now they're thinking in terms -- if it gets started again the summer; right now they're lacking 
financial funds -- but of going Seattle, Victoria, Vancouver. There's a lot of people who would 
like to it. And really it's the only way to get to Victoria without taking the Princess Marguerite, 
which is a four-and-a-half hour trip. So that-- I'm hoping it will it will continue. It's really the 
closest thing back to flying. And I found that the challenge-- I was probably-- I was the oldest 
girl back on the Jetfoil. I enjoyed it. I felt right back in my old slot. And it's--  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  03:38 
Thirty years later? 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  03:39 
Thirty years later. Few wrinkles more, and a few gray hairs more, but it was just-- it's-- it was 
just almost like going back in time, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Just loved. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  03:54 
Are you planning on doing it this coming summer? 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  03:56 
[Sneezes.] 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  03:56 
Gesundheit. 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  03:56 
Excuse me. Yes, if it runs.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  03:58 
Oh, you're not quite sure if it will? 
Page 3 of 10 
 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  04:03 
No, as I see it right now, they're lacking financial funds. But we went back to school for two 
weeks and learned all the ins and outs of the boat, and they really didn't dwell on the galley, 
because we'd all had that training. There were a few girls in the group who were not 
stewardesses, but they were absolutely incredible, because they picked it up and picked up on all 
of the galley service, I think, probably quicker than us who had done it in just-- was a matter-- 
they asked more intelligent questions than we did, because we just thought, "Well, I've done it 
before. You can do it again. It's like riding a bicycle." 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  04:42 
So approximately what sort of did your work entail? 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  04:47 
The same thing, greeting passengers at the door, serving food, serving beverages, just general 
concern and on trips where the service wasn't that extensive, just talking to people, making them 
comfortable. Exactly the same thing as stewardess service. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  05:11 
Do you find the level of nervousness is the same as on the airplane that--  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  05:17 
People?  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  05:19 
Yeah, I mean people being nervous. Well, I know people have white knuckles about flying, but-- 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  05:24 
Oh, about being up above the water on this? 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  05:27 
Yeah.  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  05:27 
Well, I think the whole attitude toward flying has made this a lot easier, because people have no 
qualms -- well, I'm sure there are some -- but people hop on and off a 747 and think nothing of it. 
And 30 years ago, when people got on airplanes, it was really a family affair. We're all in this 
together. We're pioneers. Not too many people flew that much, and probably even less before 
then on the 247s. But this is sort of a challenge. And I think probably people making reservations 
to go to the moon on the next rocket ship that's going up... I think they think this is really more of 
a lark, and I can go home and say, "I rode on a Jetfoil that was four and a half feet above the 
water," and they don't-- the fear is not there that it was 30 years ago, definitely not.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  06:36 
Okay. And you said also that-- oh, how much are you getting-- did you get paid about, 
approximately? 
Page 4 of 10 
 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  06:46 
Oh, on the Jetfoil, [laughs] of course, again, times change. We were making $10.50 an hour. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  06:53 
You were paid by the hour?  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  06:54 
Mm-hmm. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  06:55 
Approximately how many runs a week or a month are you doing?  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  06:58 
Well, there were three-- they called them flights also, because they felt that they were up above 
the water  and it was a flight. There were three a day, three two hours up and two hours back. 
And we bid a schedule, just like we did when we flew. You could fly or-- as much or as little as 
you like. It averaged out to about we would be working maybe three days on, three days off. So 
we have our weekends when it was busy and not so busy, and then-- that was during the height 
of the tourist season. And those flights were filled all the time, because the early morning flight 
left at 6:00 in the morning, and again, like stewardesses, we had to be there an hour before flight 
time to make sure we had enough food. The only difference here was we ordered what we 
needed, and also the food service ground supply knew what the passenger list was and would just 
automatically bring. However, we were left to our own devices as to did we think we were going 
to need more liquor. And we accounted for everything we had. We had to do-- on this, we did 
our own bookkeeping [inaudible]. I don't know how extensive the girls' bookkeeping is now on 
the larger airplanes, but we had to turn in expense reports on what we ordered, how much we'd 
used, and what was left, and that sort of thing. But it was-- again, we we put all the food on in 
Seattle for the trip up and back, and each time it was serviced here. However, fueling was done 
in Canada for obvious reasons. Fuel was much, much cheaper, and we needed it to get back. But 
I-- it was just an absolutely fascinating experience. I'm hoping it will run again this summer. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  08:59 
Oh, since you had to be there an hour beforehand, were you paid only for the time that the actual 
run took? 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  09:05 
Mm-hmm.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  09:06 
Or were you paid for the preparation period? 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  09:09 
We were given prep time one hour. Now that one hour was only at the beginning of the day. It 
was also expected that we kept the boat clean in between passenger loads. And it was a two hour 
turn-- a half hour turnaround. We unloaded passengers in Victoria. In 15-20 minutes, loaded 
Page 5 of 10 
 
them, and we were -- and in the meantime, they were fueling -- and we were back on our way. It 
was run very professionally for a first venture. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  09:44 
Do you ever have any, what, hairy experiences of either, you know, coming close to being-- 
hitting something else, or... [laughs]?  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  09:51 
Fog. We were slowed down several times for fog. No, the Jetfoil ran an absolutely incredible of-- 
I forget how many trips going for six months. They only missed 11 trips for [inaudible] 
[telephone rings]. One was canc-- [Tape cuts.] There were only 11 trips. One was one was 
canceled because they did hit a log. But in the wheelhouse, there were always-- there was always 
an observer, and -- captain and first officer -- and the other two were weather, so that the-- there 
were really no hairy-- well, couple of times a couple young kids tried to get out on the deck, 
which was a no-no, but no. No. There were none. Not on my trips. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  10:43 
Okay. But then also, you have something that you're doing that you have to get to by 11 o'clock 
today. Now, what's that?  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  11:01 
Oh, I-- this --  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  11:02 
[Crosstalk] [?people out and?] work-- 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  11:03 
Yeah. Well, this is just a lark, really. This friend of mine who was on the boat opened a 
restaurant in Bellevue, and she has some teenage help in bussing and that sort of... And 
dishwashing. But she needs-- it's a deli, it's a Philadelphia deli, and so she needs girls to make 
salads and sandwiches, and we just laugh, 'cause I'll say, because, least of all, I am a cook. I am 
just terrible. I don't know a stove from a washing machine. But she opened this in October, and 
[inaudible] yes, and then in November, middle of November, the boat stopped, because the 
tourist season was definitely over. And so she asked us if we would just come over until she got 
this thing on its feet. So there are about six of us who were on the boat who just-- I go over and 
make salads, and some of the other girls go over and make sandwiches. Though, she has some 
permanent help that's excellent, but she always needs fill-ins, so we just do this for a lark right 
now. I'm not going to ever make a success in the restaurant business [they laugh] [?far be it?]. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  12:22 
But you are getting paid a little something?  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  12:24 
Oh, yeah, but nothing, really. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  12:27 
Page 6 of 10 
 
[Crosstalk.]  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  12:27 
No, it's really more fun. We just-- it's, again, contact with different people every day, and we're 
just... A lot of-- some of the girls are selling real estate, and others are going to school, like... It's 
just something to do and keep busy. So no, we're not [laughs]. We're not-- 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  12:48 
How long do you work?  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  12:51 
Well, we're very flexible in this job. This is sort of a homespun-type thing. I try to be there at 
11:00 to get set up for the noon... And then we-- it depends. If it's busy, I stay, if it's not, we sit 
down, have coffee and eat a lot. [Laughs] But it just depends. There are no set hours, but I do 
have to be there by 11:00. She counts on me to help her get the salad out and that sort of thing, 
and it's fun. This is not going to be my career.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  13:25 
Okay, okay. I take it, you've gone through menopause at this time. How are your feelings about 
that? 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  13:37 
Piece of cake. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  13:40 
Drastic hot flashes?  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  13:41 
Oh, I did have a few of those, yes. And so I called my doctor and went in and-- and my GYN 
man, and they put me on a hormone. And best of my knowledge, that has stopped. Everything 
has stopped. And I think it's just a piece of cake. I think I'm-- for some women, probably, 
psychologically and physically and in every other way it must be a terr-- I never looked at it but 
other than great relief.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  14:12 
No more kids. 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  14:13 
No more kids, no more... Oh, God. No, I was very fortunate, and my GYN man asked me how 
my mother had gone through this, because great deal, a great many times, it's heredity, you do 
exactly kind of like what your mother did. Andthen so when I went back and asked my mother 
how she handled menopause, she said, "Oh, well, I can't remember too much about it, except she 
got very hot one day," and then everything just stopped. So I was very fortunate.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  14:42 
How did you feel about, in general, your kids leaving home when you--? 
Page 7 of 10 
 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  14:52 
Couldn't wait for them to be on their own. They were great after their father died, we enjoyed-- I 
wouldn't go back tomorrow to raising children, but I like it just like it is. They all have their own 
respective places to live, and they can come visit, but don't bring furniture. I don't want any 
furniture. I reall-- 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  15:15 
Or dirty laundry.  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  15:16 
No, I don't even mind that, because I know that they can carry out with them, but I just don't 
want a truck driving up, Susan, with a whole load of furniture like-- 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  15:24 
The furniture looks permanent.  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  15:25 
Yeah, like, "God, Mother, here I am back again." No, I like it just like it is. I really, truly do. I 
have closed off the entire downstairs. I'm thinking seriously of opening a fraternity for men over 
40. [They laugh.]  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  15:39 
Well, that's one way to meet people.  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  15:40 
That's right. If I didn't think I would be running into code laws and housing, I might just do that. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  15:49 
Okay, would you do anything differently in your life? 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  15:52 
Would I do anything differently? Huh, in a lot of ways, Susan, I've had the best of-- the creme de 
la creme, I would think. I married a superb man, not without his flaws; I'm fortunate in having 
three great youngsters. I think if I were to do anything differently, I might devote more time to 
the theater and the stage, because when I come back, I'm coming back as an entertainer. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  16:26 
What do you mean, reincarnation [laughs]? 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  16:29 
Mm-hmm. I really am. Yes, I love people. I enjoy meeting new people. I don't... No, Susan, I 
have no regrets looking back. I only wish that-- I wish now that the time I wasted in doing what I 
was supposed to do type thing I hadn't wasted my time on it and spent more time with people I 
enjoyed. And now I have a very strong code that I've told the boys. I have some super wonderful 
friends, and I'm going to spend time with them before time runs out on me. 
Page 8 of 10 
 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  17:18 
Do you have any plans of doing anything with any amateur theatrical groups or anything?  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  17:24 
I really haven't looked into it, though I really would like to. I'm thinking seriously this fall of 
going back to BCC to take some classes there. I haven't looked into their departments really that 
thoroughly. I love to travel, and I'm just beginning to do more and more of that, because in 
traveling, it's-- I suppose you can do this by yourself, but finding companions that are really 
interesting, and you know, not 85, and... I wouldn't care whether male or female, but someone 
who enjoyed the same things I was-- I would enjoy. That's the thing that's the difficult part, but I 
love traveling. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  18:11 
You said very happy when you were in Shorewood.  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  18:14 
Yeah. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  18:14 
You said that-- was that the happiest time in your life?  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  18:17 
Oh, no, flying was always the happiest time of my life. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  18:27 
When was the most unhappy? 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  18:28 
Probably my husband's death was the most unhappy, because I really-- looking back, oh, I can 
say that I can remember when we were on tight budgets, because we were starting businesses 
and that sort of thing, and that was a little grizzly, but nothing that you can't survive. There is no 
really one time in my life that I can pinpoint as saying terribly, terribly unhappy, unless I was-- 
was not without any question, it was right after my husband died. I was terribly lonely and 
terribly unhappy.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  19:03 
How do you feel about yourself today as compared to what you felt about yourself when you 
were younger, like 20 [crosstalk]? 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  19:12 
Oh, I'm so much smarter, Susan, and so wise. It's just incredible. I feel really good about myself. 
I think I've turned the corner on a lot of things, on dependence, on-- I'd like to be my own 
independent woman and do what I want to do. I still like the niceties of life, probably more so 
than my own background. I just-- I don't want to be-- we get into funny discussions -- several 
girls and myself who are widows -- and say, "I just don't know that I could put up with..." I think, 
Page 9 of 10 
 
number one, to go back, you marry because you're very young, very dumb, and terribly in love. 
And I think on a second go around, you look around and think, "Hmm, that's breakfast, lunch and 
dinner again. It's sniffing and snorting and sneezing, and how much of that do I really, really 
need?" My criticism of youngsters today who are living together, traveling together, and all that 
has long passed, because I don't think they're all that wrong. Yet, the old thing, "You don't know 
somebody till you live with them," is very, very true. And I don't know that I'm ready for that. I 
don't-- all of a sudden -- and I say, I'm my own independent woman -- now, I'm not ready to give 
that up just yet. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  19:13 
But you could describe yourself as not being interested in women's lib [laughs]? 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  19:13 
Uh-uh. No, no. If I go out with a man, I want him to light my cigarette, I want him to open the 
door, I want him to pay the bill, or don't ask me.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  19:15 
But-- 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  19:15 
But yeah--  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  19:15 
--[crosstalk] [laughs]. 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  19:15 
--I like being independent. I guess that is a form of liberation, isn't it? I like being independent. I 
like what I'm doing and when I'm doing it, nobody enjoys it more. And then I come home and 
regroup and think of something else I'd like to do. Now, where that is independence and where 
liberation stops and starts is probably a very fine line. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  21:28 
Do you have any grandkids yet?  
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  21:31 
One. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  21:32 
One. Okay, well, you have any sort of thoughts that you might like to leave them? 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  21:41 
With my grandchildren? 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  21:42 
Yeah.  
 
Page 10 of 10 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  21:42 
I would say the same thing that I said to my boys, that I said to Michael just the other day, 
because he's still going to have a year and a half at Seattle U to get his education. "I don't care 
what you do or who approves or disapproves. If you can't get up in the morning and be-- and 
look forward to what you're going to do and be happy, don't do it. It's not worth it. It is not worth 
it." And whether it's approved or disapproved by your peers or the public, I don't think that 
matters. I really, truly don't, because when-- using my own lifestyle, for example, I know that-- I 
know the hassle I went through to fly, and now my mother thinks it was probably wonderful, but 
she won't admit it. I think anything that's a new venture... I think you miss half your life if you 
don't just jump right in there and do it. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  22:52 
Okay, any other thoughts that you'd like to put on this, [?any?]? 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  23:00 
Gosh, Susan, I really appreciated your interviewing me. It made me stop and think back and sort 
of relive just a few minutes that were very enjoyable and appreciate the fact that, I suppose, now 
I can't-- Well, I know when one of my sons comes home and he says, "Oh, boy, I'm going to do 
this." My first thought is jump on it and say, "Oh, wow, there's a lot of risk involved." And then I 
think, "Hmm, after all I've told you about this, why not?" Progress is never made by sitting in a 
corner and sucking your thumb. So I honestly think that anything they'd like to try, that's no 
different by all means; try. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  23:47 
Okay, so, I'd say [laugh]-- 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  23:49 
That's it.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  23:49 
Okay. Well, thank you very much for your time. 
 
Jeanne Ellen Vercoutere Biehn  23:52 
Oh, you're welcome, Susan, it's been my pleasure. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  23:56 
End of interview with Jeanne Biehn, Washington Women's Heritage Project. End of tape four, 
side one.  
 