Dwight, Edward

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Edward Dwight
1933–

Sculptor, astronaut trainee, research pilot

Edward Joseph Dwight Jr. was denied a place in space and eventually became a highly praised sculptor. He was born September 9, 1933, in Kansas City, Kansas to Georgia and Edward Dwight Sr. He grew up near Fairfax Airport, a municipal airport that was turned into an Army Air Force base during World War II. Dwight's father, Edward Dwight Sr., quit school at age fifteen to play professional baseball in the Negro Leagues. While on a road trip, he met his future wife and Dwight Jr.'s mother, Georgia Baker, in Sioux City, Iowa. After a long distance courtship, he married her and they settled in Kansas City, where they raised Dwight, Jr. and their four other children.

Dwight Jr.'s parents were devout Catholics. Dwight attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help grade school. He and his sisters were taught the importance of hard work and to use time wisely. The family garden helped to provide food for the family and to instill a love for the land in young Dwight. Dwight spent a lot of time watching planes near the fence surrounding the airfield. At the age of ten, he and some friends saw a P-39 fighter spin out of control and crash in a nearby field. The live ammunition exploded in the plane causing the cockpit to catch fire and burning the pilot. Dwight believed that that would not happen to him if he were piloting a plane. At that moment Dwight decided that he would learn to fly.

After the war, Fairfax Airfield returned to its civilian status and Dwight and his friends did odd jobs around the hangars, with the hopes of being flown in exchange for the work. Eventually Dwight's hope to fly became a reality when a pilot gave him a ride in a Piper Cub two-seater, an experience he found to be both exciting and terrifying.

While in high school, the Sumner High School Majorettes caught the attention of Dwight, particularly Sue Lillian James, who gave him little initial attention, but later became his wife. Dwight's love for airplanes and all things related to that remained throughout junior high and high school during which he studied sample pilot tests in library books. He spent many hours preparing to take the real test and playing an imaginary pilot.

Although he weighed only 104 pounds, Dwight excelled at track and football. Later, he was named winner of the state 118-pound championship as a Golden Gloves boxer. In 1951, Dwight completed high school as the first African American male to graduate from Ward Catholic High School where he was a member of the National Honor Society.

Dwight later enrolled at Kansas City Junior College and became even more interested in aviation. Despite President Truman's 1948 order to desegregate the armed forces, Dwight visited a local air force recruiting office on several occasions to ask for an application to train as a pilot and was repeatedly told that the air force was no place for his kind. Years later, Dwight applied and was accepted. In 1951, not realizing that a movement to recruit aviators was occurring, he wrote to Washington and was informed that an aviation evaluation team would be visiting his junior college campus. When the team visited the campus, Dwight and some of his fellow students were sent to Lowry Air Base in Denver to take the pilot's exam. Dwight was the only one who passed the test and everyone was upset. The pilot's exam contained the actual problems on the tests Dwight had practiced taking in the library years ago. In 1953, after graduating from Kansas City Junior College, Dwight joined the U.S. Air Force, taking his airman basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and taking primary flight training at Malton Air Base in Missouri.

Better than the first ride, Dwight's second ride, which took place in the Air Force, helped him overcome his fear of flying. In 1955, he earned his wings and was commissioned second lieutenant. The same year he married Sue Lillian James. Dwight became even more excited about flying when he began jet aircraft training at Williams Air Force Base (AFB) in Arizona. It was a fantastic experience; he loved jets and became the first pilot in his class to solo in a T-33 jet trainer. He remained at Williams AFB for a couple years, performing duty as a jet-flying instructor. At the same time Dwight attended night courses at Arizona State University, graduating cum laude in 1957 with a B.A. in aeronautical engineering. After his assignment at Williams AFB, Dwight was stationed in Japan as a B-57 bomber pilot. He then became chief of collateral training of the ground education program of the Strategic Air Command at Travis AFB.

Trains to Become Astronaut

In response to the rising civil rights awareness and challenging segregation laws of the early 1960s, the Kennedy administration emphasized the integration of government programs. At the same time the space race was emerging and the astronauts chosen for the Mercury program, the first United States manned program, were among America's new heroes. A Kennedy spokesperson questioned the Department of Defense, asking if there were any blacks in the new aerospace research pilots' course being set up at Edwards AFB and the answer was no. The question sent the Air Force on a search for an African American pilot with credentials. The search ended in 1961 with Dwight, who had more than 2,000 hours of jet flight time to his credit and a degree in aeronautical engineering. Dwight received a letter from President Kennedy offering him an opportunity to be the first African American astronaut. Excited about this opportunity Dwight submitted his application. The air force replied promptly and Dwight was sent to Edwards AFB for an evaluation. In August 1962, Dwight was enrolled into the first phase of astronaut training at the Experimental Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB.

Chronology

1933: Born in Kansas City, Kansas on September 9
1951: Graduates Ward Catholic High School, Kansas City, Kansas (first African American male to graduate)
1953: Graduates Kansas City Junior College; joins U.S. Air Force
1955: Jet instructor, Williams Air Force Base, Arizona
1957: Graduates Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, B.S. aeronautical engineering, cum laude; B57 bomber pilot, Japan; stops teaching jet flying lessons
1958: Chief of collateral training, Strategic Air Command, Travis Air Force Base, California; no longer a bomber pilot
1961: Test pilot training program and candidate for astronaut training, Aerospace Research Pilot School, Edwards Air Force Base; no longer chief of collateral training, Edwards Air Force Base
1962: Appointed to the astronaut training school in 1962; graduates Aerospace Research Pilot School, Edwards Air Force Base; receives National Preparedness Award, Los Angeles Urban League; astronaut selection board recommends him to NASA
1963: Assigned to Bomber Operations, deputy for flight test, Aeronautical Systems Division, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
1966: Resigns from U. S. Air Force Service; no longer an employee at Wright Patterson AFB
1967: Co-founder, Jet Training School, Denver, Colorado
1977: Graduates University of Denver, Colorado, M.F.A. in sculpture
1980: Sculptor and owner, Ed Dwight Studios, Denver, Colorado
1987: Arizona State University, honorary L.H.D.

Dwight felt his efforts to become an astronaut would be a success because Kennedy had a dream of having an African American and an Asian on the first moon mission. However, he ran into many obstacles. According to Distinguished African Americans in Aviation and Science, Dwight heard that the commandant of the Aerospace Research Test Pilots' School, Colonel Charles Yeager, had called in several staff members and commented that Kennedy's dream would "hurt the program and destroy everything you people have been putting together." It was then that Dwight realized that there would be much resistance to his becoming an astronaut. Dwight suspected that the others did not fear him, but the number of blacks that would follow him.

Although the competition was intense at the school, Dwight initially felt camaraderie with his fellow students, but as the course progressed, it became a game of survival. Known as a "Kennedy Boy," the candidate that had been selected by NASA, Dwight encountered jealousy and the silent treatment. Dwight "caught hell" from members of the faculty, including an incident in which he was called in for a face-to-face confrontation with Colonel Yeager. According to Distinguished African Americans in Aviation and Science, an incident occurred in which Yeager asked Dwight, "'Who got you into this school? Did President Kennedy send down the word that you're supposed to go into space? As far as I'm concerned, there'll never be a ['colored guy'] to do it. And if it was left to me, you guys wouldn't even get a chance to wear an air force uniform!"

Despite the intimidation, Dwight graduated eighth in his class from Phase I training in April 1963. He then enrolled in the second and last phase at the test pilot school. Graduates completing Phase II training were qualified as astronauts and ready to be selected by NASA. Members of Phase II training were encouraged by NASA to participate in public relations events. Dwight made 176 speeches that year, was awarded dozens of citations by organizations all over the nation, and was featured in a filmstrip used by the NASA Space Mobile Education Program. Yet he experienced an incredible amount of social discrimination. When the astronauts spoke at clubs and restaurants, sometimes rooms were reserved for everyone except Dwight. However, Dwight continued to speak highly of his experiences as an astronaut candidate when addressing black youngsters, a group who viewed him as a role model.

In another incident, Dwight and some of his colleagues arrived late for class and he was the only one scolded. Frustrated, Dwight complained all the way to the White House. His complaint included a fifteen-page report describing his confrontations with Colonel Yeager. The descriptions of his complaints got the attention of the United States Attorney General's office resulting in their sending investigators to Edwards AFB.

Transferred to Germany

Dwight and his eight classmates graduated from test pilot school in 1963, less than a month prior to Kennedy's November 22 assassination. As a result, Dwight's hopes of going into space began to fade. That fall the astronaut selection board to NASA selected two of Dwight's classmates, Theodore C. Freeman and Captain David R. Scott. Freeman was killed shortly thereafter in a T-33 crash, and. Scott later participated in the Gemini 8 and Apollo 9 missions. Although Dwight was passed over, President Johnson promised him that he would serve in the space mission if he would stop talking to the press. Articles featuring Dwight's complaints about racial discrimination in the Air Force angered President Johnson. He wanted Dwight to be silenced. Nevertheless, Dwight continued to discuss his plight. Days later, President Johnson ordered Dwight to serve as a liaison officer for a non-existent German test pilot school. Dwight was never officially notified that he was no longer in the space program. Dwight was then sent to Dayton, Ohio to work in Wright-Patterson's bomber group, a place most graduates viewed as the worst possible assignment. At Wright-Patterson, his job was to sit at the desk and not be in the air. Dwight complained repeatedly about his assignment, and he visited Washington on several occasions to plead his case in vain before Pentagon officials and other influential people. Without the aid of Kennedy, Dwight had no support at all.

Dwight and his family were harassed on and off the base in Dayton. The harassment ranged from property damage to personal attacks. In an effort to find a good home for his family, he faced the same problems as other African Americans when seeking homes in predominantly white neighborhoods. At every realtor's office he was met with comments suggesting that the property was unavailable for one reason or another. Finally, a Catholic layman, who had recognized Dwight from a picture he had seen on a church publication, offered to rent him a house in Huber Heights, a Dayton suburb. On a daily basis, the family was met with hostility. Dwight finally decided to move after a brick was thrown through a window and his daughter, Tina, was sprayed with glass. As the pressures of racism escalated, Dwight's marriage to Sue ended in divorce. Upon winning custody of his son, Dwight III, and his daughter, Tina, Dwight took a second wife, a union that lasted a mere thirty days. He then took a third wife, Barbara, a childhood friend from Kansas City.

In June 1964, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. Riots broke out in many cities during that summer. An Air Force Base press release in February 1964 stated that neither NASA nor the Air Force considered Dwight as a candidate for future selection in aerospace projects. Newspapers across the country picked up on the story. In 1965, an article appeared in Ebony magazine chronicling Dwight's troubles in the Air Force Space pilot training program. NASA issued a general statement indicating that Dwight was not omitted because he was not qualified, but because someone more qualified was selected ahead of him. NASA's public information office also reported that 2.5 percent of their employees were Negroes.

In 1966, Dwight resigned his commission in the U.S. Air Force. The following year, President Lyndon B. Johnson decided that he wanted his own African American astronaut, Robert H. Lawrence, who was killed the same year during a simulated space ship landing at Edwards AFB. Lawrence became the first designated African American astronaut.

Dwight moved to Denver, where a not-so-profitable stint with a chain of restaurants he opened led him to become a realtor. He built condominiums and other property in Denver's more exclusive areas, making him a millionaire by the early 1970s. By this time, Dwight had five children. He became the only black who could get a $100,000 loan, but that did not stop him from losing his property during the recession-torn mid-1970s. His wiser partners did not lose their properties because they sold them in time.

Dwight also co-founded the Jet Training School in 1967. One day the other six flight instructors took off in a plane without Dwight, who had stayed on the ground to complete a real estate deal. Minutes later the plane crashed, killing everyone aboard. After the accident, Dwight never flew again.

Becomes a Sculptor

By the mid-1970s, Dwight returned to a longstanding hobby, sculpting. In 1974, he created a sculpture of George Brown, the first black lieutenant governor of Colorado. Since few facts were known about early African American pioneers, Dwight used his unique artistic style to expose viewers to the unknown history of the American West. The thirty bronzes he created won him widespread acceptance and critical acclaim. In 1977, he attended the University of Denver, where he earned a master's degree of fine arts in sculpting and taught for time. His artistic success, depicting African American pioneers of the West through sculpting, led him to create sculptures of other aspects of the African culture and ancestral imagery. Dwight became an acclaimed sculptor. As of the early 2000s he heads the Ed Dwight Studios Inc. in Denver and has produced bronze sculptures for both public installations and private collectors all over the world. Dwight has created over eighty public art commissions in his 25-year career. Among his most noted works are statues of Hank Aaron and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in Atlanta; the Frederick Douglas Memorial in Washington D. C; and six jazz figures at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. In 1986 he and a team of architectural firms were commissioned to design a ninety-foot installation to commemorate the 5,000 enslaved Africans and Free persons who served and fought as African American patriots in the Revolutionary War from 1776 to 1781 and tens of thousands of slaves of that era who ran away from slavery or petitioned for liberty, intended for the Mall in Washington near the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

His company, Ed Dwight Studios, Inc., developed into one of the largest single artistic production and marketing facilitates in the western United States. He has an innate ability to create life, breath, and mobility in his works. In 2001, he unveiled four major monuments, including the first bi-national monument in Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario, Canada dedicated to the International Underground Railroad movement on the Capitol Grounds in Columbia, South Carolina, and a memorial to the first black legislator in Ohio, George Washington Williams, installed in the state capitol in Columbus, Ohio. Since his art career began in 1976, Dwight has become one of most prolific and insightful sculptors in the United States.

Dwight believes that the death of Kennedy had everything to do with his fate as an astronaut candidate. Since Dwight grew up in mostly white environments and private schools, he was bewildered over the discrimination problems he had experienced in the Air Force Space pilot training program. In an interview in Ebony in February 1984, Dwight described his fall into racism: "It's like being out into a storm without knowing that it's coming." He described himself as naive, and summed up his space training as a nightmare.

REFERENCES

Books

Gubert, Betty Kaplan, Miriam Sawyer, and Caroline M. Fannin. Distinguished African American in Aviation and Space Science. Westport, Conn.: Oryx Press, 2002.