Print Text - The Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence

Honorees and Special Guests:
Captain Vernice Armour; USMC - First
African American woman combat pilot in US
military and one of first women to pilot Cobra
helicopters.
Ms. Tammy Duckworth - Illinois Army National Guard
Blackhawk helicopter pilot.
Ms. Irene “Koki” Mutungi -
First woman Captain
Kenya Airways.
Ms. Nichelle Nichols - Actress, Author,
Humanitarian. Changed the face of space
exploration as Lt. Uhura in the original Star Trek
series and recruitment of first minority and women
NASA astronauts.
Air Marshall Padmavarthy Bandhopadyay, MD,
Indian Air Force (Ret.) - Highest ranking woman in Indian
Military and second highest ranking officer in Indian Air Force.
Dr. Mae C. Jemison, MD - First woman of
color in world in space, 1992 aboard Space Shuttle
Endeavour, STS-47 September 1992. Chemical
engineer, Physician, Professor, Entrepreneur NASA
Mission Specialist, astronaut class 1987.
Ms. Mayte Greco - Saved hundreds of lives as
founding member of and air search pilot for
Hermanos al Rescate (Brothers to the Rescue).
Ms. Nikki Giovanni - Poet, Essayist,
Distinguished Professor Virginia Tech.
Hazel Ying Lee, b. 1912; d. 1944 - First Chinese-American
woman to fly for the US military, after China refused her services
in WWII. US Army denied Hazel a military burial or family veteran
benefits as was the policy because she was a woman.
Kalpana Chawla, b. 1961; d. 2003 - Mission Specialist
NASA astronaut class 1995; PhD in aeronautical engineering; On
2nd spaceflight, Kalpana perished Feb. 1, 2003 when the Space
Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry.
Honorable Nuria I. Fernandez - Chicago
Commissioner Aviation overseeing airports
transporting over 94 million passengers each year.
Ms. Joan Higginbotham - Mission Specialist
Astronaut Class 1996, Electrical Engineer. Space
Shuttle Crew STS-116.
Ms. Stephanie Wilson - Mission Specialist
Astronaut Class 1996; Aerospace Engineer;
Flew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, July 2006
STS 121.
Colonel Yvonne Cagle, MD - Mission
Specialist Astronaut Class 1996; Flight Surgeon
US Air Force, Professor Stanford University.
Ms. Bessie Coleman, b. 1892; d. 1926 - First
woman with international pilot’s license in 1921;
First licensed African American Pilot. Barnstormer
and Aviation Daredevil.
Ms. Willa Brown b. 1906, d. 1992 - Credited most
responsible for of Tuskegee Airmen establishment; co-founder
National Airmen’s Association of America and Coffey School of
Aeronautics; First black woman licensed commercial pilot, 1939
Ms. Katherine Cheung, b. 1904, d. 2005 - Aviation
Daredevil and First Asian-American woman to earn pilot’s license.
Ms. Tina Allen - Sculptor
Maj. General Charles Bolden, USMC (Ret.) - NASA Pilot
Astronaut; Veteran of four space flights (STS-61C, STS-31,
Commander of STS-45 and STS-60); Commanding General, 3d
Marine Aircraft Wing.
Ms. Sheila L. Chamberlain, JD - US Army’s First African
American woman Combat Intelligence Pilot
Maj. General Irene Trowell-Harris, RN,
MPH, US Air National Guard (Ret.) - First
woman and nurse in US Air National Guard history
to command medical clinic.
Mr. Sujit Chowdhury - Secretary General, President and CEO
World Trade University Global Secretariat, United Nations
Ms. Ruby DeMesne - Former Assistant Secretary Air Force;
Author; Consultant
Mr. Jeff Green - President Sino-American Aviation Heritage
Dr. France Ann Cordova, PhD - Chancellor
University of California at Riverside; Astrophysicist,
Professor. First woman and youngest NASA’s
Chief Scientist.
Foundation
Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., - WEB DuBois Professor of
Humanities, Harvard University
Honorary Chairs:
Honorable Rod Blagojevich, Governor of Illinois
Honorable Richard M. Daley, Mayor City of Chicago
Honorable Nuria I. Fernandez, Commissioner of Aviation,
City of Chicago
Ms. Nichelle Nichols, Actress, Author, Singer, Humanitarian
Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., WEB DuBois Professor
Humanities, Harvard University
Mr. Arne Duncan, CEO Chicago Public Schools
Mr. Sujit Chowdhury, Secretary General, President and
CEO World Trade University Global Secretariat,
United Nations
Co-Chairs:
Ms. Mallar Solai, President and CEO Solai and Cameron
Mr. Jeff Green, President Sino-American Aviation Heritage
Foundation
Celebration Committee
Mr. Nat Adderley, Jr., Musician
Ms. Tina Allen, Sculptor
Ms. Alires Almon, Avaya, Inc.
Mr. Gaston Armour
Ms. Gwendolyn Robinson Artis
Maj. General Charles Bolden, USMC, Former Astronaut
Ms. Lynda Bradford
Mr. Patrick Carron, Kids Fly
Ms. Connie Murray Cole
Ms. Debra Crockett
Ms. Elnora Flewellen
Ms. Deidra Fontaine, Continental Airlines
Ms. Suzanne Halperin
Mr. Tyrone Haymore, Robbins Historical Society & Museum
Ms. Juanita Howard
Dr. Ada Jemison
Mr. Charles Jemison
Ms. Linda Johnson-Rice, CEO & President
Johnson Publishing Company
Mr. Raj Mandavilli
Ms. Barbara A. McKinzie, National President
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Ms. Cheryl Mayberry-McKissak,
Nia Enterprises
Ms. Melody McDowell, Melody’s Service
Ms. Georgia Noone, Chief Administrative Officer, NAACP
Ms. Hedy Ratner, Director, Women’s Development Center
Ms. Juliea Robinson-Nelson, Executive Director Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence
Ms. Deirdre Joy Smith
Mr. Herbert Strather
Ms. Denise Thomas
Dr. Sheila Wang
Ms. Antoinette Wright, President, DuSable Museum
“Women of Color in Flight”
An Original Film
Amazing women have been integral to our understanding
of the heavens, as well as our dreams and capacity to
explore it. This original film brings to life the stories of
women of color from around the world, who despite the
odds have shaped the aeronautical landscape and
inspire all of us.
Filmed in high definition video and narrated by Nichelle
Nichols, this short film shares the passion, curiosity,
imagination, courage, enthusiasm, intelligence and
determination brought to flight by women now, in the
past, in the years to come, in fact and fantasy.
Directed by Paul Fleschner; Produced by Mae Jemison
and Paul Fleschner; Cinematography by Josh Gibson;
Edited by Shambhavi Kaul
Commemorative Statue
With flares dancing and reaching toward the sky, the
original sculpture designed by world-renown sculptor
Tina Allen reflects the drama, serenity and creativity of
journeying to the heavens. Embraced by the names of
women of color aviation and aerospace pioneers from
around the world carved onto the base, the statue
memorializes their contributions. Tina’s body of work
includes larger than life bronzes of Alex Haley, Harriet
Tubman, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Tupac Shakur.