April 29th Flyover and Ceremony Marks 80th Anniversary of Bessie Coleman's Passing
Dayton, OH (BlackNews.com) - The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) is pleased to announce that Executive Director Ron Kaplan will be among the guest speakers at a Chicago ceremony on April 29th commemorating Aviation's Pioneer Colorful Women. Among those being honored is the late Bessie Coleman, who will be among those formally inducted into the Hall of Fame later this summer.
The public memorial will be held at Lincoln Cemetery, 123rd and Kedzie Avenue, Chicago, Illinois at 1 PM on Saturday, April 29, 2006. The date marks the 80th anniversary of Ms. Coleman's accidental death while practicing for a 1926 Florida air show. At approximately 3:20 PM during the program several aircraft will flyover in formation and a flower-dropping will take place. Rufus A. Hunt, Jr. directs the annual celebration with the assistance of the Black Pilots of America.
In 1931, early African American aviators Cornelius Robinson Coffey and his partner, John C. Robinson, first initiated the custom of the cemetery flyover and wreath-dropping as a tribute to Ms. Coleman, who in 1921 became the first African American of record to earn a pilot's license, an achievement even more remarkable at that time due to her gender.
Over time it has evolved to also honor two more Chicago-area past aviatrix's inspired by Coleman; Willa Beatrice Brown, who is interned at the same cemetery, and Janet Harmon.
Harmon, who died in 1993, was also a licensed pilot and aircraft owner instrumental in establishing a Chicago area airport and aviation school for African Americans in the 1930's. Brown became a manager at the school and was the first African American women Civil Air Patrol officer. She passed away in 1992.
Hunt is a Chicago-based aviation historian and pilot largely responsible for keeping the tradition of this tribute alive for the past 26 years. He invited Kaplan to represent the NAHF and spotlight Coleman's upcoming induction ceremony that will take place in Dayton, Ohio, on July 15, 2006. That night the Congressionally-chartered NAHF formally enshrines Coleman along with Flying Tiger and WWII ace 'Tex' Hill, actor and aviation advocate Cliff Robertson, and test pilot and X-15 astronaut Bob White.
The four will join a roster of 186 men and women previously so honored by the Hall at its 17,000 square-foot Learning & Research Center in Dayton. There America's outstanding air and space pioneers are recognized for their outstanding aviation achievement, among them Wilbur and Orville Wright, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, James Doolittle, Benjamin O. Davis, John Glenn and Neil Armstrong.
"The story of Ms. Coleman's remarkable yet all too brief life is moving, tragic and uplifting even today," said Kaplan. "The Hall of Fame looks forward to its role in ensuring the truly inspirational legacy of Bessie Coleman is known and shared for generations to come," he added, referring to her upcoming enshrinement honor.
"We are privileged to participate in this historic tribute that also salutes two others from the countless thousands over the past eighty years that were moved to follow their own dreams thanks to Ms. Coleman's courageous example. Bessie Coleman was a true pioneer American, and aviator, of any color or gender."
2006 marks the National Aviation Hall of Fame's 45th Annual Enshrinement Dinner and Ceremony, an event widely known as "America's Oscar Night of Aviation." The black-tie gala is expected to attract over 1,000 industry leaders, government officials and aerospace enthusiasts from around the world.
Seats are available for $125 a piece and by advance reservation only by calling (937) 256-0944 ext. 10 or online at www.nationalaviation.org. Deadline is July 1, 2006.
For additional information on Aviation's Pioneer Colorful Women and the upcoming memorial and flyover, contact Rufus A. Hunt, Jr., at (773) 785-9015.
EDITORS NOTE: Photos of Coleman and her fellow 2006 inductees are available electronically at www.nationalaviation.org or upon request. Please specify file format and dpi. Requests for interviews may also be directed to:
The National Aviation Hall of Fame's 17,000 square-foot Learning Center opened to the public in January of 2003, featuring six galleries that trace the exciting history of flight through the people that made it happen. A variety of interactive displays highlight many achievements of the 186 enshrinees honored to date. The site is also home to the Harry B. Combs Research Center, dedicated to preserving tens of thousands of images and documents tracing the enshrinees' life stories. Located adjacent to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, admission to the NAHF is free. A 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, the NAHF is supported primarily through memberships and the contributions of individuals and coporations. |
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