Heroes of the Sky

Kansas City playwright Sandra Campbell will present "Follow Your Dreams", her monologue about the life of Bessie Coleman. In 1921, Coleman became the first African American in the world to earn a pilot's license. Campbell has appeared as the groundbreaking Coleman across the U.S. and in Paris.

Brochure

Joe Morgan, well known as a writer and journalist, wiill speak about his experience as a World War II pilot.

Speaker is Gene Lavine, local pilot.

Speaker is Dan Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick spent over 35 years in the airline industry in engineering and airline management. He was involved in modifications and repair of large airliners, accident investigation and chaired the 747 Aging Aircraft Committee. He has owned over 120 aircraft during 45 years as a pilot.

Speaker is Brian Berlin, a docent of the Nicholas-Beazley Aviation Museum in Marshall, Mo. He will be speaking at 1 p.m. about the Nicholas-Beazley Aviation Museum and about the rich history of aviation in Marshall. His presentation will include stories about pilots from the 20s who attended the former Marshall Flying School when it was in operation in Marshall. The school offered "regular flying" and "stunt" and "fancy flying."

Heroes of the Sky, Adventures in Early Flight, 1903-1939, is sponsored by ExhibitsUSA and is made possible through NEH on the Road, a special initiative by the National Endowment of the Humanities. It is brought to the Museum from the Mid-America Arts Alliance and was organized by Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

Heroes of the Sky: Adventures in Early Flight, 1903-1939 relates the stories of fliers, businessmen, and inventors from the first 40 years of aviation.

Using historic artifacts, documentary videos, photographs, multimedia, and large interactive panels, Heroes of the Sky introduces visitors to the inventors and entrepreneurs who had the vision to see manned flight as more than a simple curiosity. The Wright Brothers, Henry Ford, Donald Douglas, Glenn Curtiss, Jimmy Doolittle, Bessie Coleman, and Admiral Byrd are some of the exhibit's featured adventurers.

The Museum does plan to feature early local aviation history in conjuction with the exhibit. If you have some aviation memorabilia that you'd like to display, please contact the Museum.

Admission is free but donations are encouraged.

For more information call 816-630-0101

See NEH website for more detailed information about this exhibition