In Honor of Susan Wright on Mothers' Day

By ANN Reader Deborah Gallaway

Who inspired Orville and Wilbur to take flight? Who cultivated their curiosity and nourished their mechanical abilities? Susan Koerner Wright of course!
Susan Catherine Koerner Wright was born near Hillsboro in Loudon County, Virginia on April 30, 1831. Her father, John Gottlieb Koerner, a farmer and carriage maker, had emigrated from Saxony in 1818. Her mother Catherine Fry (or Fryer) Koerner, was born in the U.S. Susan was their fifth and last child. The family moved to Union County, Indiana in 1832. Susan is reputed to have loved spending time in her father's well equipped workshop as a girl. That is often cited as a reason for her facility with tools. She even attended Hartsville College in the 1800's --something unheard of for most 19th Century women.
On November 24, 1852, she married Milton Wright, a rising churchman and circuit-riding preacher. In their early years, they moved about a great deal in the Indiana and Ohio areas. They had seven children.
Susan and her husband Milton always encouraged curiosity and experimentation on the part of their children. Orville and Wilbur commented on the importance of that fact in later life. Milton brought Orville and Wilbur many souvenirs and trinkets from his church travels.
One souvenir was a rubber strand powered helicopter-like toy. The boys called it a "bat," and were fascinated by it and took it apart and rebuilt it repeatedly. This sparked the boys' interest in flying. Later, Orville used his budding notions of flight to build and sell kites as a boy.

Susan encouraged and aided her sons in their understanding of mechanical processes. She supported them in their childish and adult ventures of salesmanship, printing, and inventing. Susan died of tuberculosis in Dayton, Ohio, on July 4, 1889. She never experienced the thrill of seeing her sons' become the world's first pioneers of sustained, powered flight.
NASA Student Involvement Program (NSIP) wants to give all students, K-12, an opportunity to fulfill their flight quest. NSIP promotes critical and creative thinking in the areas of science, mathematics, geography, and technology.
This fall, NSIP's Science and Technology Journalism competition will feature the Centennial of Flight, a national celebration of the Wright Brothers' legacy.

FMI: http://education.nasa.gov/nsip, www.centennialofflight.gov