Ed Dwight

After his time at Donnelly, Ed Dwight joined the United States Air Force to pursue his dream of being a pilot. He then went on to earn a degree in aeronautical engineering from Arizona State University. In 1962, Ed was selected by the John F. Kennedy Administration as the first African American astronaut candidate. After a successful military career, Ed decided to switch directions. After a short stint in both the engineering and real-estate fields, he began to focus on his lifelong passion of sculpture. While pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Denver in 1975, Ed was commissioned to create a series of bronzes depicting the contribution of Blacks to the American Frontier. This series of 50 bronzes was exhibited throughout the U.S. and gained critical acclaim. To date, he has completed more than 115 large-scale commissioned sculpture installations and his pieces are collected by museums, institutions and art enthusiasts around the world, including the Smithsonian. Ed Dwight Studios, Inc., in Denver is now one of the largest privately-owned production facilities in the western United States. 

Ed Dwight was inducted in 2011.