Frances Huddleston-Link, 93, reminisces about her time escorting Amelia Earhart during a visit to Western. “I don’t know why she had to fly over the Atlantic all by herself, it’s just a shame,” Huddleston-Link said. “She was just the sweetest thing.” EMILY FOX/HERALD

More than 70 years ago, aviatrix Amelia Earhart disappeared. She didn’t leave a trace of evidence to her whereabouts, but she left her admirers an inspiring legacy.

“She was little and vivacious and just lived for that flying and that airplane,” said Frances Huddleston-Link, 93, who was a Western student in 1936 when Earhart gave a speech on campus. “You could tell just looking at her smile — she wanted to go on an adventure.”

In the 1930s, Earhart was the first female to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

When she came to Western on Jan. 20, 1936, Huddleston-Link was her escort.

“She was so tiny, such a cute little thing,” Huddleston-Link said. “She was fun to be with, and she just wanted to know all about us.”

Huddleston-Link still remembers that long-past day.

“She had her goggles in her hand, just like she was ready to fly,” Huddleston-Link said. “And she wore that little jacket and those boots. She dressed like that even to speak to us.”

Huddleston-Link was chosen to be a hostess for Earhart because of her relationship with Paul Huddleston, who was editor of the Herald.

“We were sweethearts,” she said.

Huddleston-Link said the two met at their first Homecoming dance.

“We were just friends, and we’d go to the library and study together,” she said.

They got married the next year, on February 14, 1936. And they spent $20 on the wedding.

“Didn’t take us long to get married, did it?” Huddleston-Link said with a laugh. “That was something, wasn’t it, marrying on February 14?”

Huddleston-Link said Van Meter was filled the night of Earhart’s speech.

“She had a big crowd,” she said. “She talked about her flight and how she didn’t really know how she made it.”

Huddleston-Link said Earhart’s visit was unexpected.

“We were real pleased, you can imagine,” she said.

She leaned in and lowered her voice to a whisper.

“We only had 600 students, and we all knew each other.”

One of those students was Dorothy Grider, who now lives in New Hope, Pa. She sat in the front row during Earhart’s speech and met her in President Henry Hardin Cherry’s office.

“She asked if I’d fly with her,” Grider said. “I said ‘I have to do a few things on earth.’”

Huddleston-Link, who became a teacher, said Earhart was a role model for women.

“She had to be brave,” she said. “Can you imagine wanting to fly across the ocean in a little plane like that by yourself?”

Huddleston-Link kept up with Earhart after the visit. And about a year later, she disappeared.

“Every time I heard a radio, I would listen carefully to see if they had found anything,” she said.

Huddleston-Link said she always hoped they would find some sign of what happened to Earhart.

“I just kept thinking ‘they’re gonna find her,’” she said. “I never gave up on her. Oh goodness, I wanted them to find her so much.”

David Lee, the dean of Potter College of Arts and Letters and a history professor, said Earhart’s story is still relevant.

“She behaved in ways that traditionally, women had not,” said Lee, whose specialty is aviation. “That makes her seem very contemporary.”

Earhart’s adventure is retold in the recent movie “Amelia,” starring Hilary Swank. Huddleston-Link, who saw the film Saturday, said it was true to Earhart’s story.

“It’s just the cutest movie,” she said. “And the actress was marvelous. She does that part wonderful, even talks like Amelia Earhart did.”

Huddleston-Link said the memory of Earhart’s visit would be with her forever.

“Here I am, 93 years of age, and isn’t it funny how certain things in life stand out?” she said. “I was just a little sophomore from a little country town, and it was so exciting. All these years, I’ve always remembered it.”