WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:02.319
<v Speaker 1>We have a very special guest here we're going to

2
00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:05.120
<v Speaker 1>introduce to this audience, and I'm really privilege and honoured

3
00:00:05.480 --> 00:00:07.839
<v Speaker 1>to be able to give this gentleman and read a

4
00:00:07.839 --> 00:00:10.599
<v Speaker 1>little bit of his bio and share with him in

5
00:00:10.679 --> 00:00:14.759
<v Speaker 1>the audience his time as an astronaut. Who we're talking about.

6
00:00:14.839 --> 00:00:18.079
<v Speaker 1>We're talking about Ed Dwight. Who's Ed Dwight. He enlisted.

7
00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:20.239
<v Speaker 1>Captain Ed Dwight enlisted in the US Air Force in

8
00:00:20.320 --> 00:00:22.960
<v Speaker 1>nineteen fifty three and was commissioned a lieutenant in nineteen

9
00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:25.760
<v Speaker 1>fifty five. In nineteen sixty one, at the direction of

10
00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:29.000
<v Speaker 1>President John F. Kennedy, he became the first African American

11
00:00:29.079 --> 00:00:32.039
<v Speaker 1>to enter the Air Force training program, from which NASA

12
00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:35.799
<v Speaker 1>selected astronauts. Although we completed training at the Aerospace Research

13
00:00:35.840 --> 00:00:38.840
<v Speaker 1>Pilot School in nineteen sixty three and advanced to the

14
00:00:38.840 --> 00:00:42.520
<v Speaker 1>second round of the program, end he was not selected

15
00:00:42.560 --> 00:00:46.159
<v Speaker 1>for the Astronaut Corps. Dwight finally traveled into space on

16
00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:49.079
<v Speaker 1>Blue Origins NS twenty five mission in twenty twenty four,

17
00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:53.079
<v Speaker 1>becoming the oldest person to ever participate in the spaceflight,

18
00:00:53.560 --> 00:00:56.759
<v Speaker 1>a record previously held by William Shatner, and in twenty

19
00:00:56.799 --> 00:00:59.439
<v Speaker 1>twenty rightfully he became an honorary member of the US

20
00:00:59.479 --> 00:01:04.159
<v Speaker 1>Space Worts during a ceremony at the Pentagon with that

21
00:01:04.920 --> 00:01:07.040
<v Speaker 1>Captain Eddwight. It's a priviletly noted to have you on

22
00:01:07.079 --> 00:01:09.640
<v Speaker 1>this radio show, which we call The Doctor's Guy Experience.

23
00:01:10.120 --> 00:01:12.359
<v Speaker 1>Hope you're with us, and thank you, my friend, for

24
00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:15.319
<v Speaker 1>your passion, for the service that you gave the American

25
00:01:15.359 --> 00:01:17.879
<v Speaker 1>people and your space flight. How are you.

26
00:01:19.400 --> 00:01:25.359
<v Speaker 2>Well. I'm faring. Uh, I'm having a few health issues

27
00:01:25.439 --> 00:01:29.519
<v Speaker 2>right now. But but thank you for all the kind words. Uh.

28
00:01:30.200 --> 00:01:35.680
<v Speaker 2>And and even reaching back to even you know, consider

29
00:01:35.799 --> 00:01:39.879
<v Speaker 2>talking to uh, you know, talking to me, and and

30
00:01:39.879 --> 00:01:43.560
<v Speaker 2>and all of the all the things that it seems

31
00:01:43.560 --> 00:01:46.840
<v Speaker 2>so long ago that you know that all that all

32
00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:50.359
<v Speaker 2>this stuff took place. But uh, obviously I keep up

33
00:01:50.400 --> 00:01:52.560
<v Speaker 2>with the States program, and I keep up with all

34
00:01:52.599 --> 00:01:55.879
<v Speaker 2>the all the all the current astronauts, and then they

35
00:01:55.959 --> 00:01:58.040
<v Speaker 2>come to the flat of Denver to visit me in

36
00:01:58.159 --> 00:02:02.719
<v Speaker 2>my studio and uh and so I keep my hand

37
00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:10.120
<v Speaker 2>in uh. Uh and uh a Victor Glover, Uh, as

38
00:02:10.199 --> 00:02:13.080
<v Speaker 2>you know, just went to the Moon and he's one

39
00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:15.560
<v Speaker 2>of my he's one of my protegees, by the way.

40
00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:24.599
<v Speaker 2>Uh and and uh doing this mission we managed to

41
00:02:25.639 --> 00:02:31.159
<v Speaker 2>talk over the phone during the last mission that he

42
00:02:31.520 --> 00:02:35.280
<v Speaker 2>went up and did all that magic stuff that they

43
00:02:35.319 --> 00:02:42.400
<v Speaker 2>do up there now. So I'm I'm glad to be

44
00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:46.719
<v Speaker 2>on your program, and like I said, I am having

45
00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:49.599
<v Speaker 2>a few healthy issues right now.

46
00:02:49.759 --> 00:02:51.719
<v Speaker 1>Do you want to honor your service and not to

47
00:02:51.800 --> 00:02:54.240
<v Speaker 1>keep you too long here? I know this is late

48
00:02:54.319 --> 00:02:56.120
<v Speaker 1>for you, but also I want to mention this, and

49
00:02:56.159 --> 00:02:58.919
<v Speaker 1>I think the audience needs to know you're an accomplished sculptor.

50
00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:02.199
<v Speaker 1>This is interesting. Your passion has always been art, obviously

51
00:03:02.199 --> 00:03:04.800
<v Speaker 1>the love of space in the United States Air Force,

52
00:03:04.840 --> 00:03:08.639
<v Speaker 1>your services very much honored. He'sk you have completed that

53
00:03:08.639 --> 00:03:11.439
<v Speaker 1>as a number of public monuments, including the Texas African

54
00:03:11.479 --> 00:03:14.520
<v Speaker 1>American History Memorial on the grounds of the Texas State

55
00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:17.879
<v Speaker 1>Capitol and among others, the African American History Monument on

56
00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:20.719
<v Speaker 1>the grounds of the South Carolina State House. That's an

57
00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:24.080
<v Speaker 1>interesting thing. Your passion has always been obviously looking skyward.

58
00:03:24.879 --> 00:03:27.280
<v Speaker 1>But tell us about the passion for being an artist

59
00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:31.240
<v Speaker 1>and a sculptor. That's an incredible skill, something that I'm

60
00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:33.800
<v Speaker 1>not even familiar with. Share with us a little bit

61
00:03:33.840 --> 00:03:34.919
<v Speaker 1>about that. It's amazing.

62
00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:41.319
<v Speaker 2>Well, I this is you know, a very verse change.

63
00:03:41.400 --> 00:03:48.159
<v Speaker 2>I had two options to make a life's work. I

64
00:03:48.199 --> 00:03:53.400
<v Speaker 2>grew up on a farm in Kansas City, and I

65
00:03:53.439 --> 00:03:56.520
<v Speaker 2>came out of the chute making art from the time

66
00:03:56.680 --> 00:03:59.120
<v Speaker 2>I was sort of school when I was two years old,

67
00:04:00.120 --> 00:04:02.479
<v Speaker 2>and I started doing art. At that time, I was

68
00:04:02.520 --> 00:04:05.120
<v Speaker 2>doing full bodies and when I was two and three

69
00:04:05.159 --> 00:04:07.599
<v Speaker 2>and four years old, where the other kids was doing

70
00:04:07.599 --> 00:04:11.840
<v Speaker 2>stick figures. And I was an artist all the way

71
00:04:11.840 --> 00:04:15.000
<v Speaker 2>through school. As a matter of fact, when I graduated

72
00:04:15.039 --> 00:04:17.519
<v Speaker 2>from high school, I got an art scholarship to the

73
00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:24.720
<v Speaker 2>Kansity Art Institute. But the other alternative option I had

74
00:04:24.959 --> 00:04:28.959
<v Speaker 2>was I grew up on a farm that was right

75
00:04:29.160 --> 00:04:33.279
<v Speaker 2>next to the Sabine Airport Fairfax Airport in Kansas City,

76
00:04:33.839 --> 00:04:37.839
<v Speaker 2>and from the from the time I was two and three,

77
00:04:38.439 --> 00:04:41.319
<v Speaker 2>Mom used to take us to the me and my

78
00:04:41.399 --> 00:04:45.959
<v Speaker 2>oldest sisters at the airport to tell stories about how

79
00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:49.079
<v Speaker 2>big the world was, and this airport was a great

80
00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:53.800
<v Speaker 2>vehicle because these planes took off and went some magic place,

81
00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:56.839
<v Speaker 2>and they come back and they land and it'd been

82
00:04:56.920 --> 00:05:01.120
<v Speaker 2>to some magic place. And I so I started going

83
00:05:01.120 --> 00:05:03.800
<v Speaker 2>to the airport every day and I got my first

84
00:05:03.800 --> 00:05:06.720
<v Speaker 2>flight and the Steerman when I was eight years old,

85
00:05:07.560 --> 00:05:14.399
<v Speaker 2>I got a job cleaning out airplanes for pilots that

86
00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:17.959
<v Speaker 2>are from Kansas and Missouri that went to Colorado for

87
00:05:18.040 --> 00:05:21.560
<v Speaker 2>hunting trips. There was no war at the time, so

88
00:05:21.600 --> 00:05:26.120
<v Speaker 2>as a results, I was around airplanes all of my

89
00:05:26.199 --> 00:05:30.480
<v Speaker 2>early life, and I started studying about flying as and

90
00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:34.120
<v Speaker 2>I didn't have any hopes of being a flying root

91
00:05:34.199 --> 00:05:38.160
<v Speaker 2>for real, because all these people were around row white guys,

92
00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:42.360
<v Speaker 2>you know, and I was this little little little brown

93
00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:44.480
<v Speaker 2>kid going to the airport every day, and they kind

94
00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:48.319
<v Speaker 2>of adopted me. But I got this fascinated with with

95
00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:54.680
<v Speaker 2>fascination with flying. And I had a paper and I

96
00:05:54.720 --> 00:05:58.839
<v Speaker 2>was throwing papers all the way through college, and I was,

97
00:05:59.240 --> 00:06:02.639
<v Speaker 2>you know, I had this art scholarship, so I had

98
00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:04.560
<v Speaker 2>to make a decision as to whether I was going

99
00:06:04.600 --> 00:06:08.759
<v Speaker 2>to be an artist or or a pilot gun. But

100
00:06:09.319 --> 00:06:12.240
<v Speaker 2>I was throwing my papers. I had a black paper

101
00:06:12.279 --> 00:06:14.199
<v Speaker 2>rod and a white paper rout and I was, like

102
00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:17.959
<v Speaker 2>I said, I was in college storm newspapers, and on

103
00:06:18.040 --> 00:06:20.240
<v Speaker 2>the front page of the black paper was a black

104
00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:24.120
<v Speaker 2>pilot was a tuskegeearm and they got shot down in Korea,

105
00:06:25.240 --> 00:06:27.639
<v Speaker 2>and all of a sudden, I got this, oh my god,

106
00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:33.680
<v Speaker 2>they're letting black folks fly airplanes and what. And I

107
00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:37.600
<v Speaker 2>immediately apply for pilot training and they sent me to Denver.

108
00:06:38.199 --> 00:06:41.480
<v Speaker 2>Thirty three able from this college to Denver, and I

109
00:06:41.600 --> 00:06:43.199
<v Speaker 2>was the only I was the thirty three. I was

110
00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:45.480
<v Speaker 2>the only one that passed a pilot training. Two other

111
00:06:45.519 --> 00:06:48.319
<v Speaker 2>guys pass from a navigator And so the Air Force

112
00:06:48.399 --> 00:06:50.279
<v Speaker 2>just sucked me right up and said, you know we

113
00:06:50.439 --> 00:06:51.240
<v Speaker 2>want you now.

114
00:06:52.040 --> 00:06:57.399
<v Speaker 1>You're right. In those days, African Americans were not probably

115
00:06:57.439 --> 00:07:00.959
<v Speaker 1>what in the pilot seat. Much of your story is amazing.

116
00:07:01.399 --> 00:07:03.879
<v Speaker 1>Ed Dwight, as we've mentioned before, a gentleman who was

117
00:07:03.879 --> 00:07:06.759
<v Speaker 1>selected by President John F. Kennedy to be the first

118
00:07:06.759 --> 00:07:10.319
<v Speaker 1>African American astronaut in space. The story continues that he

119
00:07:10.399 --> 00:07:13.480
<v Speaker 1>finally got his wish and rightfully so, for his service

120
00:07:13.560 --> 00:07:16.800
<v Speaker 1>to America by flying in Blue Origins NS twenty five

121
00:07:16.839 --> 00:07:20.079
<v Speaker 1>mission in twenty twenty five. As thou build, not to

122
00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:22.240
<v Speaker 1>put you in a different light here, but this is interesting.

123
00:07:22.759 --> 00:07:26.519
<v Speaker 1>The oldest person to ever participate in a spaceflight previously

124
00:07:26.600 --> 00:07:27.879
<v Speaker 1>held by William Shadner