W'ilia Brown (at righi, with an unidentified aviator) wat an early pioneer
and avid promoter of aviation, earning her pilot's license in 19.37. She was
co-founder. with Cornelius R Colley, of theCoffey School of Aeronautics
at Harlem Airport in Chicago, which offered expert flight instruction to
blacks unahle to obtain training elsewhere in the state
Smthsonian Newt Sanica Photo l o u d « ) ot Harold Hurd
The Challenger A ir Pilots Association, formed in 1931. was
one of the first U.S. black flying clubs. Harold Hurd,
standing beside a Davis D - l- K monoplane, was an active
association member and a member of the first black class to
graduate from the Curtiss-Wright Aeronautical School.
la re co g n itio n o f the need lo r
more q u a lifie d pilots o f all races,
the Civilian Pilot Training Program
was created in 1939 w ith fed eral
funds. The program offered blacks
an o p p o rtu n ity to receive flig h t
tra in in g ,
though
s till
on a
segregated basis. Schools such as the
C o ffe y School o f A e ro n a u tic s ,
W a s h in g to n .
D . C . ’ s H o w a rd
University and Alabam a's Tuskegee
In s titu te
p a rtic ip a te d
in the
program
By 1941, 102 blacks had th eir
flying licenses, a tenfold increase in
the num ber o f black A m eric an
aviato rs in one decade, but still a
m iniscule segment o f the tens o f
thousands o f p ilo ts in the U n ited
States. W ith w ar lo o m in g in
E u ro p e , the A rm y A ir Corps
decided to open m ilitary careers to
blacks, activating the 99th Fighter
Squadron in M arch 1941. By 1944,
three additional air units joined the
99th, forming the well-known 332nd
Fighter G roup under the command
o f then-Coloncl Benjamin O. Davis,
Jr.
During W o rld W ar I I , the 332nd
established an im pressive combat
record. Serving p rim a rily in Ita ly
and N o rth A fric a , the group flew
m ore th an 13.000 co m b at sorties
and downed 261 a irc ra ft, w inning
the coveted D istin gu ised U n it
Citation.
P a rtic ip a tio n in the w ar e ffo r t
brought a new sense o f pride to the
black community, an expanded base
fo r black involvem ent in av iatio n
and a renewed ca ll to end
segregation in the arm ed forces.
T h a t call was answ ered in 1948
when President H a rry T ru m a n
signed Executive Order 9 9 8 1. It was
a beg in n in g .
T o d a y , th an ks to
persistent
p io n eers,
blacks
participate in all aspects o f aviation,
in careers ranging from airline pilot
to design engineer and space shuttle
astronaut.
RDER YOURS NOW
Thw book ibouW tw m ttw home ot «vary black and
wtMia tamdy tn the Mata ot Oregon
Thia book it dedicated to the mamonaa ot all the
Mack woman who participated m tha Roaa Festival
Thia book can ba youre tor only
$6.95- at i
Sand chack or m oney ordar to
M orris Scholarship Inc
F O So« 11107
Portland OR 17311
THE EBONY PRINCESSES
OFTHE
PORTLAND ROSE FESTIVAL
1967 1982
In an effort to open military careers to blac ks, the
Army A ir Corps activated the 99th Fighter
Squadron in March 1941. The 99th was later
joined by three other black squadrons to form
the 132nd Fighter Group. D uring the Italian
Campaign in 1944, the 3.32nd flew P -3,
Mustangs painted with a distinctive red tail
marking. The "Red Tails," as they were called,
flew more than 13,(XM) combat sorties and
downed 261 enemy aircraft. Here, a Red T ail
pilot is assisted for takeoff by his crew chief.
Portland’s Dr. De Norval Untbank, a black physician, did n't consider him self a
civil rights leader, but his tireless service to the com m unity helped remove
many racial barriers
In 1958 Dr. Unthank was named D octor o f the Year" by the
Oregon Medical Association. He co-founded the
Portland Urban League and was named “ Citizen
o f the Year" by the National Conference o f
Christians and Jews.
On behalf o f o u r com m unity.
KOIN-TV th a n k s
Dr. Unthank.
S mit M o n iin New» Servici Photo
courtesy of Harold Hurd
a
KOH-TV
S fT M lh io n tm f
Service Photo courtesy o<U 8 A»f Forci
Madame C.J. Walker
Business acumen was also exhibited by a woman whose name has been
synonymous with beauty. Born in Deha, La., in 1875 to poor ex-slave parents;
orphaned and married at fourteen, she was widowed at twenty with a young
child to raise alone. She then moved to St. Louis where she supported herself
and her daughter by doing laundry. There, she met and married a newspaper
man, Charles J. Walker.
Madame C.J. Walker, as she became known, developed and manufactured
cosmetics which she first began selling door-to-door through the South and
Midwest. She invented the “hot comb" and her hair straightening process
which initially brought her ridicule, but with which she eventually became the
first black millionairess. Through her schools and correspondence course in
beauty culture, she became the first black person in the modern world to
develop a large manufacturing business.
Madame Walker had great admiration for educators and became a patron of
six black youths every year whom she would send to Tuskegee. In addition,
she donated thousands of dollars annually to indigent youths for college
educations at other institutions She offered Mrs. Bethune her friendship and
funding for the college. Dismayed by the lynchings that were sweeping the
country, she donated five thousand dollars to the National Council on Lynching.
This remarkable woman died in 1919.
Miller Brands, Inc.
M A IN OFFICE: 5825 N.E. Skyport W ay, Portland, OR 97218 288-8831
BEAVERTON: 10100 S .W . Allen Blvd., Beaverton, OR 97005, 643-7414
Portland Observer, February 23, 1983 Section III Page 9
»