Advertisement leaf with portraits of a "National Board of Directors," including Dr. Curtis King, Alvin C. Gary, Lieut. William J. Powell, Claude DeM. Lewis, and an image of 5 women pilots, 1930s
William J. Powell created the Bessie Coleman Flying School in the 1930s. The image of the women pilots in this advertisement also appears, in fuller form, in an advertisement for Craftsmen of Black Wings, and the same women appear in an image of the members of the Bessie Coleman Aero [Aeronautics] Club, also founded by Powell. William J. Powell was an American engineer, soldier, civil aviator and author who is credited with promoting aviation among the African-American community. Along with Bessie Coleman and James Banning, he is recognized as a pioneer aviator and a civil rights activist. Powell was optimistic about the prospects of African Americans in aviation, and believed that their involvement in the industry would help end racial prejudice at a time of widespread segregation under the Jim Crow laws. [Wikipedia] Dr. N. Curtis King was a physician who graduated from Meharry Medical School (1924) and founded the Rose Netta Hospital in Los Angeles. It was known for having an interracial staff, and the first interracial blood bank, established by the Red Cross in 1942. Dr. King was also head of the Los Angeles Venereal Clinic and several other clinics. Claude DeM Lewis was a civil engineer and a New York city civic leader. Alvin C. Gary, a graduate of Cooper Union Institute, was an electrical engineer, inventor and civic leader in the city of New York. Advertisement, perhaps for the Bessie Coleman Flying School, with four portrait photographs of a board of directors, including Dr. Curtis King, Alvin C. Gary, Lieut William J. Powell, Claude DeM. Lewis, and a photograph of five licensed women pilots wearing flight caps and goggles. Caption: National Board of Directors. Licensed pilots.
Type
image
Identifier
uclalsc_1889_b19_f29_006.tif ark:/21198/z1sn1t37
Subject
African American engineers African American women air pilots African Americans in aeronautics African American physicians African American air pilots King, N. Curtis (Norris Curtis), 1894-1960 Gary, Alvin C. (Alvin Charles), b. 1899 Lewis, Claude DeM (Claude Antoine De Mond), b. 1889 Powell, William J., 1899-1942
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
