 After witnessing the gliding instruction of William Hawley Bowlus at Lindbergh Field in primary gliders, Ruth expressed an interest in becoming the first woman in the U.S. to earn a glider license.However, shortly thereafter, Anne Morrow Lindbergh visited San Diego and took instruction from Bowlus, becoming the first woman to receive a first-class glider license in the U.S. On February 16, 1930, Ruth Alexander qualified for a United States second-class glider license from the slopes of Mount Soledad, near La Jolla, California.In doing so she followed Anne Morrow Lindbergh as the second woman in the United States to achieve this distinction.