Today in our History – March 30, 1962 – Capt. Edward J. Dwight Jr. becomes the first African – American candidate for astronaut training.

GM – LIF – Today’s American Champion is an African-American sculptor, author, and former test pilot who was the first African American to enter the Air Force training program from which NASA selected astronauts.

Remember – As an Air Force pilot, I needed to complete nine years of flying in the first eighteen years of service and I had only completed six years of flying,” he explains.

“I needed another three years of flying in order to continue to receive my flight pay. So I started looking for a flying job in the Air Force. My flying background was primarily in tactical fighter aircraft and training aircraft. I wanted to return to the fighter pilot business with a job flying F-15 or F-16 aircraft. The Air Force wanted me to return as a T-37 instructor pilot.” – Edward Dwight

Today in our History – March 30, 1962 – Capt. Edward J. Dwight Jr. becomes the first African – American candidate for astronaut training.

Dwight was born in Kansas City, Kansas on September 9, 1933, to Edward Dwight Sr. and Georgia Baker Dwight. From 1924-1937, his father played second base and centerfield for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Professional Baseball League.

As a child, Dwight was an avid reader and talented artist who was mechanically gifted and enjoyed working with his hands. He attended grade school at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1951, he became the first African-American male to graduate from Bishop Ward High School, a private Roman Catholic high school in Kansas City, Kansas. He was a member of the National Honor Society and earned a scholarship to attend the Kansas City Art Institute.

Dwight enrolled in Kansas City Junior College (later renamed Metropolitan Community College) and graduated with an Associate of Arts degree in Engineering in 1953.

Dwight enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1953. He completed his airman and cadet pre-flight training at Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio, Texas.

He then traveled to Malden Air Base in Malden, Missouri, to finish his primary flight training. He earned a commission as an Air Force second lieutenant in 1955 before being assigned to Williams Air Force Base, southeast of Phoenix, Arizona.

While training to become a test pilot, Dwight attended night classes at Arizona State University. In 1957, he graduated cum laude with a B.S. in aeronautical engineering. Dwight later completed Air Force courses in experimental test piloting and aerospace research at Edwards Air Force Base in 1961 and 1962, respectively. He earned the rank of captain while serving in the Air Force.

In 1961, the Kennedy administration selected Dwight as the first African American astronaut trainee, at the suggestion of the National Urban League's Whitney Young. His selection garnered international media attention, and Dwight appeared on the covers of news magazines such as Ebony, Jet, and Sepia.

Dwight proceeded to Phase II of ARPS but was not selected by NASA to be an astronaut. He resigned from the Air Force in 1966, claiming that racial politics had forced him out of NASA and back into the regular officer corps.

After resigning from the Air Force, Dwight worked as an engineer, in real estate, and for IBM. Dwight was also a successful construction entrepreneur and occasionally "built things with scrap metal".

Dwight's artistic interest in sculpting and interest in learning about black historical icons grew after Colorado's first black lieutenant governor, George L. Brown, commissioned him to create a statue for the state capitol building in 1974.

Upon completion, Dwight moved to Denver and earned an M.F.A. degree in sculpture from the University of Denver in 1977. He learned how to operate the University of Denver's metal casting foundry in the mid-1970s.

Each of Dwight's pieces involves blacks and civil rights activists, with a focus on the themes of slavery, emancipation, and post-reconstruction. Most of the pieces depict only black people, but the Underground Railroad Sculpture in Battle Creek also honors Erastus and Sarah Hussey, who were conductors on the Underground Railroad.

Dwight's first major work was a commission in 1974 to create a sculpture of Colorado Lieutenant Governor George L. Brown. Soon after, he was commissioned by the Colorado Centennial Commission to create a series of bronze sculptures entreated "Black Frontier in the American West".

Soon after his completion of his "Black Frontier in the American West" exhibit, Dwight created a series of over 70 bronze sculptures at the St. Louis Arch Museum at the request of the National Park Service.

The series, "Jazz: An American Art Form", depicts the evolution of jazz and features jazz performers such as Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, and Charlie Parker.

Dwight owns and operates Ed Dwight Studios, based in Denver, Colorado. He is recognized for the innovative use of negative space in sculpting. Its 25,000 sq. ft. The facility houses a studio, gallery, foundry, and a large collection of research material. The gallery and studio are open to the public.

As of late 2019, Dwight has created 129 memorial sculptures and over 18,000 gallery pieces, which include paintings and sculptures. Research more about this great American Champion and share it with your babies. Make it a champion day!