Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will host a special reunion luncheon Oct. 8 at its Daytona Beach campus for members of Brothers of the Wind, a pioneer group of African-American students. The event will take place a day before the weekend-long Wings and Waves Air Show, which is cosponsored by the university.
Brothers of the Wind was established at Embry-Riddle in 1974 to promote aviation in the minority community. Members also volunteered with kids in the university’s Upward Bound summer program, tutored in the community, and conducted outreach in local churches.
“Back then, there weren’t a lot of black students trying to do what I was doing,” recalls Dennis Henderson, a 1984 graduate, who was one of only about 200 African-American students at Embry-Riddle at the time. “To help make the transition of integration easier, many students like me became involved with Brothers of the Wind.”
Henderson said he also gained valuable leadership skills when he served as the group’s president for a year. “It taught me a lot about developing projects and working with people,” he said, “skills that I’ve used throughout my career.” Since 1989, he has flown for United Airlines and today is a captain on the B-767.
“This special reunion on Oct. 8 will give members of the Brothers of the Wind a chance to recapture some of the unity we shared many years ago,” said Clinton Weekes, a 1981 graduate and former Brothers president who now works in air traffic management for the FAA in Miami.
The luncheon will be held at noon in the atrium of the College of Aviation Building.
To register for the event: ERAUalumni.org/BrothersoftheWind, call 386-852-0952, or e-mail marci.stappung@erau.edu.
During the weekend following the Brothers of the Wind reunion, Embry-Riddle will sponsor the Wings and Waves Air Show Oct. 9-10. Details are available at WingsAndWaves.com.
For more information: EmbryRiddle.edu
