THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 40, NO. 15 | NOVEMBER 16, 2018
MAN ON A MISSION
Former astronaut visits his alma mater Story by Olivia Martin | Photos by Doug Hesse
Ed Dwight was the first African American trained as an astronaut. He was also the first African-American male to graduate from Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City, Kansas. Dwight returned to his alma mater on Nov. 7 to talk about his life’s journey.
K
ANSAS CITY, Kan. — They say history is made every day. And for 8 5 - ye a r - o l d Ed Dwight, making history has defined much of his life. Though Dwight was the first African-American trained as an astronaut, one of his proudest accomplishments was being the first African American male to graduate from Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City, Kansas. Dwight graduated in 1951 — three years before the desegregation of schools across the country was ordered by the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954. Dwight visited his alma mater on Nov. 7 to address Bishop Ward, as well as Wyandotte County Catholic grade school students in an assembly. “My sister and I had to go through a lot of stuff to make it through Bishop Ward,” said Dwight. “[But] this school was the best thing that happened to me.” Dwight’s parents were devout Catholics, and his mother worked
The mission
Rafael Zamora, a seventh-grader at Resurrection School in Kansas City, Kansas, listens as Ward alum and astronaut Ed Dwight shares his story at Bishop Ward High School. Students from Ward, as well as those from several Wyandotte County Catholic grade schools, attended the assembly. for three years to have her children accepted to Bishop Ward. His admittance there was the start of a new life for Dwight and his family. His younger sister, Sister Martin Mary, even became the first African-American nun with the Sisters of Charity in Leavenworth in 1957. Although Dwight was permit-
ted to attend Bishop Ward, traces of the mentality of the time remained. “They said I could not shower with white kids,” said Dwight, “so they had to build me a separate shower. “I did not let it bother me at all because I had a mission in my head.”
That mission mentality continued to lead Dwight beyond Bishop Ward and into a degree in aeronautical engineering and later as a pilot in the Air Force. “Anywhere I went, I was the only black officer,” said Dwight. “It was very fascinating how Bishop Ward came into play. “In my time [at Bishop Ward] listening and thinking, I learned how white people think.” Dwight was on a fast track to becoming a general when he received an unexpected invitation. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy wrote 28-year-old Dwight a letter, inviting him to become the first black astronaut trainee. “I just couldn’t resist it,” said Dwight. “I thought, ‘If I become an astronaut, that would really help my people.’” Though Dwight never made it to space, he made several highaltitude flights and completed astronaut training. That included centrifuge training, which is designed to prevent a loss >> See “DWIGHT” on page 5