Janet Green

Janet Ferson Green passed away comfortably and peacefully in her home on October 24, 2020. Professionally, and privately in her hobbies, Janet was competitively active at a time when it was uncommon for women to be so. This came from strong innate motivation, discipline, and persistence to gain self-satisfaction from her accomplishments. Despite her drive, she was not self-promoting and did not seek the spotlight. She had a keen sense of humor, a comfortable laugh, and a twinkled-eyed smile. She was positive and supportive, but pragmatic and unemotional… with notable exceptions for her many animals (mostly long-haired white canines).

She spent her professional career in precision optics manufacturing. The first half was spent with Ferson Optics, a company her father founded and later sold to Bausch & Lomb. She focused on the financial, administrative, and IT aspects of the business, although she helped in developing optical coatings early in her career. The second half of her career was spent at PFG Precision Optics, a company she and her husband founded in 1977 together with industry friend John Plummer of Pennsburg, Pennsylvania. She was the company’s president until her retirement in 1995.

Janet’s greatest passion, and for which she was perhaps best known, was as a private pilot. She held instrument, instructor, commercial, and airline transport licenses and accumulated well over 3,000 pilot hours. From 1980 – 82 she was president of The Ninety-Nines, an international women’s pilot organization in which Amelia Earhart was instrumental in founding. Her involvement in this organization took her around the world with its bi-annual conventions, one of which included a meeting with Indian prime minister, Indira Gandhi. Also, during this time she competed in women’s air races, known as Powder Puff Derbies. She flew former U.S. Senator Trent Lott during a number of his election campaigns and piloted Federal agents on night flights seeking to identify moonshiners.

She was a decades-long member of the Rotary Club of Ocean Springs and its first female president in 1996. She was past president of the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce and Altrusa of Biloxi. She was Queen of Les Masques in 1950, the Coast women’s Mardi Gras association, and held various officer positions as a more than seventy-year member.

Janet’s earliest hobby was sailing. Her start came as a pre-teen when her father built a Penguin for her. As a member of the Biloxi Yacht Club she competed for many years, sailing Fishboats and Penguins in club races and regattas, including the Knost Regatta, which as skipper, she won in 1962. She also skippered and won races in the Lipton Cup Regattas. In more recent years she took up ballroom dancing with her husband. They participated in competitions, mostly in the Southeast but also traveled out of the region, placing in many for their age group. Other less competitive and more social activities for her included golf, tennis, and years of couples and ladies snow skiing trips to their home in Beaver Creek, Colorado.

Janet was born December 19, 1925, in New Orleans, Louisiana, the only child of Frederick Burton Ferson and Mary Swan Ferson. A lifelong resident of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, she grew up in Biloxi and resided in Ocean Springs for most of her adult life. She graduated from Biloxi High School and attended the University of Denver.