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Author: Philip S. Hart
Publisher: First Avenue Editions
Published: 1996-04-01
Total Pages: 74
ISBN-13: 9780822597278
DOWNLOAD EBOOKSurveys the history of black aviators, from the early black aviation community in Chicago in the 1920s through World War II to modern times.
Author: Frank E Petersen
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
Published: 2012-07-30
Total Pages: 307
ISBN-13: 1612511910
DOWNLOAD EBOOK"Like many 18-year-olds who sign up to serve with the U.S. Navy, Petersen was looking for adventure when he enlisted. The difference between him and the average kid of 1950, when he enlisted, was that Petersen was African American. At the time military opportunities were limited for blacks, so it was remarkable that Petersen, revealed here as an intense go-getter, was admitted to the highly competitive naval aviation cadet program. He would go on to become the first African American pilot, then flag officer, then three-star general in the deeply conservative Marine Corps. Assisted by veteran biographer Phelps, Petersen relates his personal and career trajectory from wide-eyed kid to seasoned combatant. Although the presentation at times is overly detailed, with recollections of Petersen's acquaintances sprinkled liberally throughout. This work offers valuable insight into the evolution of both the military and the society at large through the experience of one man and his family. It's hard not to wince when Petersen describes being stopped for impersonating a military officer at a time when blacks in the service were presumed to be enlisted men. Other anecdotes are more benign, such as the time a puzzled young Korean woman tried to wipe the color from his face. To Petersen's credit, he includes much commentary from his first wife, Ellie, who is candid about the toll of being married to an ambitious pioneer. Through her, readers see the mettle of that rare breed of social groundbreakers." — Publishers Weekly
Author: William J. Powell
Publisher:
Published: 1934
Total Pages: 232
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOKAuthor: Von Hardesty
Publisher: Harper Collins
Published: 2008-01-22
Total Pages: 196
ISBN-13: 0061261386
DOWNLOAD EBOOKColin Powell once observed that "a dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work." This sentiment is mirrored dramatically in the story of African Americans in aerospace history. The invention of the airplane in the first decade of the twentieth century sparked a revolution in modern technology. Aviation in the popular mind became associated with adventure and heroism. For African Americans, however, this new realm of human flight remained off-limits, a consequence of racial discrimination. Many African Americans displayed a keen interest in the new air age, but found themselves routinely barred from gaining training as pilots or mechanics. Beginning in the 1920s, a small and widely scattered group of black air enthusiasts challenged this prevailing pattern of racial discrimination. With no small amount of effort—and against formidable odds—they gained their pilot licenses and acquired the technical skills to become aircraft mechanics. Over the course of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first, African Americans have expanded their participation in both military and civilian aviation and space flight, from the early pioneers and barnstormers through the Tuskegee airmen to Shuttle astronauts. Featuring approximately two hundred historic and contemporary photographs and a lively narrative that spans eight decades of U.S. history, Black Wings offers a compelling overview of this extraordinary and inspiring saga.
Author: POWELL WILLIAM J
Publisher: Smithsonian Books (DC)
Published: 1994-08-17
Total Pages: 208
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOK"During the 1930s a prominent black entrepreneur and pilot named William J. Powell urged blacks to acquire the skills to become pilots, mechanics, and aviation business leaders, so that they could attain economic power in the air age and break down the barriers of racism." "Powell shared his vision of black advancement in his thinly disguised 1934 autobiography, Black Wings, now reissued as Black Aviator after six decades of obscurity. Containing new photographs and historical information on Powell's life and times (1899-1942), the book chronicles the formative part of Powell's career in aviation through the fictional personality of "Bill Brown." The narrative begins with Powell's first airplane ride in Paris in 1927 (three months after Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic) and then moves to Los Angeles, where he pursued his career in aviation full time." "Powell worked tirelessly to promote black awareness of aviation, recruiting Duke Ellington, Joe Louis, and other prominent figures as sponsors. Black Aviator recounts how he founded the Bessie Coleman Aero Club to promote flying within the black community, sponsored record-breaking flights, and organized air shows. Powell provides vivid portrayals of early black pilots such as Hubert Fauntleroy Julian, James Herman Banning, and C. Alfred Anderson." "Based on real events and individuals, Bill Brown's story describes how black pilots first broke into aviation in the Depression years. An introductory essay by Von Hardesty places Powell's life and work in the larger context of American social history."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Author: Doris L. Rich
Publisher: Smithsonian Institution
Published: 2015-03-10
Total Pages: 187
ISBN-13: 1588345122
DOWNLOAD EBOOKHere is the brief but intense life of Bessie Coleman, America's first African American woman aviator. Born in 1892 in Atlanta, Texas, she became known as “Queen Bess,” a barnstormer and flying-circus performer who defied the strictures of race, sex, and society in pursuit of a dream.
Author: U. L. Gooch
Publisher: Mennonite Press
Published: 2006-01-01
Total Pages: 216
ISBN-13: 9780978676223
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe autobiography of a boy who went from the bottom to become a pioneering aviator to businessman and politician in the post-Tuskegee Airmen era. As a poor African-American youngster picking cotton in a Tennessee field in the 1930s, U.L. Rip Gooch would look to the sky as airplanes flew overhead and think about escaping to a better life. Soon after World War II, he earned his pilot's license, but found that racist hiring practices among airlines and other companies did not allow employment of black aviators, even those who gained fame as Tuskegee Airmen. Rip fought back the only way he could - by becoming successful in a white man's world. In time he built a million-dollar aviation business selling Mooney Aircraft and become one of the few black politicians in one of the most conservative states in the nation. *** "Sen. Rip Gooch is a man of integrity, a role model and a leader. He has served the people of Wichita and Kansas in ways that can never be measured." - Kathleen Sebelius, former governor of Kansas *** "As told in this book, the life of Rip Gooch has been a combination of joys and sorrows, challenges, opportunities and successes." - George Haley, former U.S. ambassador to Gambia
Author: Theodore Taylor
Publisher: Open Road Media
Published: 2022-08-30
Total Pages: 301
ISBN-13: 1504077156
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis biography of America’s first African American naval aviator is a “compelling portrait of a quiet hero [and] the racial climate between 1926 and 1959” (Booklist). “In the late 1940s, when every aspiring black pilot had heard of the army’s Tuskegee program, Jesse Leroy Brown set his sights on becoming a navy aviator. An outstanding student and top athlete, the 17-year-old’s ambition was met with a combination of incredulity and resistance. Yet, at a time when Jim Crow laws were rampant, Brown managed to break the color barrier to become the first black U.S. Navy pilot. Taylor puts his considerable narrative skills to good use in tracing Brown’s path from his youth in poverty-stricken Palmer’s Crossing, Miss., to his eventual induction into the heady and dangerous world of carrier aviation. Taylor based much of his research on interviews with those who knew Brown and on personal letters from more than a half-century ago [and] doesn't skimp on the indignities Brown suffered. . . . An engaging and intimate glimpse of a young pioneer who desperately wanted to earn his aviator’s wings.” —Publishers Weekly “More than a biography, this is a thrilling story of naval aviation and combat.” —School Library Journal
Author: Shawna Kelly
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Published: 2008
Total Pages: 132
ISBN-13: 9780738559025
DOWNLOAD EBOOKHollywood's leading aviators were heroic knights of the sky on the screen as well as in real life. These leading aviators performed aerial stunt sequences and acted, plus some wrote and directed motion pictures. Directing giant Cecil B. DeMille was so enthralled with aviation that he owned three airfields. Charlie Chaplin's family airfield also doubled as a motion-picture set. Thomas H. Ince, the famous producer who invented the studio system, owned Ince Airfield, which became the hub of Hollywood aviation. Eternal legends Rudolph Valentino, Oliver Hardy, Harry Houdini, and Mary Pickford performed in aerials. Many aviators gave their lives making motion pictures; three fatalities were incurred for Howard Hughes's great air epic, Hell's Angels. Hughes himself broke records within aircraft and film production. Aviators brought their screen work to life between films through barnstorming. The roaring in 1920s Hollywood was often aviators soaring beyond limits.
Author: Cathie Black
Publisher: Crown Currency
Published: 2008-09-09
Total Pages: 306
ISBN-13: 0307351130
DOWNLOAD EBOOKNew York Times Bestseller ... #1 BusinessWeek Bestseller ... Wall Street Journal Bestseller • Pursue Your Passions • Take Risks That Are Calculated, Not Crazy • Achieve “The 360° Life” • Make Your Life a Grudge-Free Zone • Orchestrate Your Own Success The bestselling guide to seizing opportunity in the workplace, from the woman at the pinnacle of the Hearst magazine empire Every woman dreams of having a wise, funny mentor who understands the challenges she faces. Now, Cathie Black—one of Forbes’s “100 Most Powerful Women” and Fortune’s “50 Most Powerful Women in Business”—offers invaluable lessons that will help you land the job, promotion, or project you’re vying for. You’ll find out how to handle interviews, which rules to break, and why you should make your life a grudge-free zone. Filled with surprisingly candid, personal stories and advice, this is the only career guide you’ll ever need.
