H. Res. 1085 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
February 24, 2010. 
Whereas African-Americans have played an instrumental role 
in developing and improving the transportation and infra-
structure of the United States through leadership, design, 
and innovation; 
Whereas the contributions of African-Americans have had 
significant and far-reaching impacts on modern transpor-
tation systems, including airways, highways, and rail-
ways, and have led to momentous improvements to trans-
portation safety and security; 
Whereas, in aviation, for example, Elizabeth ‘‘Bessie’’ Cole-
man, a daring stunt pilot known as ‘‘Queen Bess’’, was 
the first African-American woman to become a licensed 
airplane pilot in 1921 and the first United States citizen 
of any race or gender to hold an international aviation 
license from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale; 
Whereas Eugene Jaques Bullard was the first African-Amer-
ican military pilot in history, serving as a United States 
volunteer in the French army during World War I; 
Whereas Cornelius R. Coffey established the Coffey School of 
Aeronautics at Harlem Airport in Chicago, where more 
than 1,500 African-American students trained as pilots
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and mechanics from 1938 to 1945, including many who 
would later become Tuskegee Airmen; 
Whereas Willa Beatrice Brown, the first African-American 
woman to receive a United States private pilot license in 
1938, helped found the National Airmen’s Association of 
America in 1939, later became the coordinator of war- 
training service for the Civil Aeronautics Authority, and 
served as the first African-American female officer in the 
Civil Air Patrol; 
Whereas Neil V. Loving helped form an all African-American 
Civil Air Patrol Squadron in Detroit, established the 
Wayne School of Aeronautics in 1946, designed and built 
several experimental aircraft, and performed critical re-
search as an aerospace engineer for the United States 
Air Force; 
Whereas Marlon Green became the first African-American 
pilot for a major airline in 1965 after winning a land-
mark racial discrimination employment case in the Su-
preme Court of the United States, and served earlier in 
his career as a Captain in the United States Air Force 
for 9 years; 
Whereas the Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-Amer-
ican airmen, aircraft and engine mechanics, armament 
specialists, radio repairmen, parachute riggers, control 
tower operators, policemen, and administrative clerks 
during World War II, and whose service and performance 
were instrumental in ending segregation in the United 
States military; 
Whereas Dr. Lewis A. Jackson, an aviation pioneer and edu-
cator, was the director of training at the Army Air Force 
66th Flight Training Detatchment at Moton Field, the
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primary flight training site for the Tuskegee Airmen, and 
also pursued designing an experimental aircraft called a 
roadable airplane; 
Whereas Elinor Williams became the first African-American 
woman to be an air traffic controller in 1968 and the 
first African-American woman to manage an Air Route 
Traffic Control Center, who then went on to become the 
regional administrator of the Great Lakes Region for the 
Federal Aviation Administration; 
Whereas LeRoy Wilton Homer, Jr., courageously served as 
the first officer of United Airlines Flight 93, which was 
overtaken by terrorists on September 11, 2001, and pre-
viously served in the United States Air Force in the Per-
sian Gulf War; 
Whereas Barrington Irving became the first African-Amer-
ican and youngest individual at 23 to fly solo around-the- 
world in his custom-built Columbia 400 named Inspira-
tion in June 2007, and founded the non-profit organiza-
tion Experience Aviation, Inc. to introduce youth to avia-
tion and aerospace and to address the shortage of young 
people pursuing careers in those fields; 
Whereas African-Americans have also played important roles 
in shaping the Nation’s highways, bridges, and transit 
and rail systems throughout the country’s history 
through innovation, pioneering new technologies, and 
building the infrastructure that connects the Nation and 
enables economic growth and prosperity; 
Whereas Garrett A. Morgan invented the Automatic Traffic 
Signal, a precursor to the modern traffic light; 
Whereas Horace King became known as ‘‘The Bridge Build-
er’’ for his work rebuilding bridges throughout Georgia,
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Mississippi, South Carolina, Alabama, New York, and 
many other States and passed on his legacy to his chil-
dren through the family business, the Bridge Company; 
Whereas Archibald Alexander placed his mark on the Na-
tion’s capital by designing the Tidal Basin Bridge and 
the Whitehurst Freeway in Washington, DC; 
Whereas the all African-American 93rd, 95th, and 97th 
Army Engineer General Service Regiments overcame 
harsh environmental conditions and racial discrimination 
to help build the most difficult and hazardous portion of 
the Alaska Highway; 
Whereas Frederick M. Jones patented the air-conditioning 
controlling device to enable the transportation of perish-
able food using trucks and rail cars, and also patented 
the gas engine starter and a control device for internal 
combustion engines; 
Whereas Richard Spikes is credited with the invention of 
such advancements as the automatic car washer, auto-
mobile directional signs, the automatic gear shift and 
transmission, and the automatic safety brake system; 
Whereas M.A. Cherry invented a device known as the Veloci-
pede, a precursor to the bicycle, and the streetcar fender, 
designed to prevent collisions with debris on streetcar 
tracks; 
Whereas Issac R. Johnson invented the bicycle frame in 
1899; 
Whereas Humphrey Reynolds invented the safety gate for 
bridges to prevent cars and pedestrians from entering the 
tracks at the same time a train is approaching;