Wright Brothers Memorial Gallery to Add New Portrait to Collection of Pioneers

The First Flight Society has announced the induction of Benjamin O. Davis Jr. into the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine.

As a part of the shrine, Davis will be a part of the Museum and Visitors Center at the Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina. Each year, the honor is given to a high-level panel appointed by the Society from among numerous nominations received from around the world. Benjamin Oliver Davis, Junior earned his way into the shrine as a USAF general and commander of the WWII Tuskegee Airmen. War's end, he had flown 60 combat missions and made rank as a colonel. His leadership career saw him climb up to the rank of deputy commander in chief of the Air Force. He did not spend very long idling in retirement, quickly joining the Nixon administration to serve as assistant secretary. 

Davis will be added during an induction ceremony on Wright Brothers Day, held every December to commemorate the first powered, manned flight from Kitty Hawk. The move will see Davis' portrait added to the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine, a portrait gallery that surrounds the Wright Flyer reproduction held in the Wright Brothers National Memorial visitor's center. He joins dozens of other aviation pioneers, cementing his place in history at the birthplace of industry itself. The park occupies the Kill Devil Hills area, right where the Wright Brothers tested their first prototype aircraft. It is now home to a series of edifications, including the museum, the Shrine, and the towering monument occupying the hill itself. 

FMI: www.firstflight.org