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(From left) First Lt. Elsie Lam of Jon E. Kramer Composite Squadron 14 and Maj. Juan Tinnirello, 1st Lt. Al Chavez, Lt. Col. Roger Glenn and Capt. Maggie Wang, all members of Amelia Earhart Senior Squadron 188 next to the bust of Feng Ru.
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Roger Dong, chairman of the board of Chinese American Heroes, presents an award to Maggie Gee in recognition for her participation in Women Airforce Service Pilots during World War II as Lt. Col. Roger Glenn stands by.
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Retired Air Force Lt. Col. James Warren, one of the Tuskegee Airmen.
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Cindy Edwards, great-grandniece of the Wright brothers.
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Thomas Reed, former secretary of the Air Force.
Maj. Juan E. Tinnirello
Public Affairs Officer
Amelia Earhart Senior Squadron 188
California Wing
CALIFORNIA – An Amelia Earhart Senior Squadron 188 member’s passion for aviation history helped result in a celebration of the centennial of the first motorized flight on the West Coast -- an observation that included tributes not only to the pioneering pilot, who subsequently introduced airplanes to his native China, but also to veterans of the Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Airforce Service Pilots.
Events had been set in motion when Lt. Col. Roger Glenn, the Earhart squadron’s recruiting and retention officer, visited his dentist, Dr. Wayne Fong, for a routine examination. Fong happened to mention the role that Feng Ru had played in the area’s aviation history.
Inspired to go to the Oakland Public Library and research the subject, Glenn found that the self-taught aviator, engineer and aircraft designer from China had made the flight less than seven years after the Wright brothers’ historic flight at Kitty Hawk.
The Wrights’ flight was over in 13 seconds, while Feng’s lasted 20 minutes – a measure of how quickly and how far aviation advanced during its earliest stages.
Two years after his historic flight, Feng returned to China with his plane, introducing powered flight to his homeland. He is now known as “the Father of Aviation in China.”
Unfortunately, he was killed Aug. 26, 1912, at age 29 when his plane went into a stall while he was demonstrating the aircraft in his native land.
The project that Glenn undertook to mark the historic 1909 flight’s 100th anniversary culminated in an observation at Laney College in Oakland.
The ceremony at Laney started with a traditional Chinese lion dance by Leung’s White Crane Lion and Dragon Dancers.
Then Glenn spoke, explaining Civil Air Patrol’s core missions and telling his listeners, “Today, we celebrate aerospace education by letting people become aware of what Feng Ru did in this country”
Glenn’s audience included a large number of dignitaries, among them a delegation from Feng Ru’s hometown in China.
Among the speakers were:
- Cindy Edwards, great-grandniece of the Wright brothers.
- Maggie Gee, a Chinese-American member of the WASP during World War II.
- Retired Air Force Lt. Col. James Warren, one of the Tuskegee Airmen.
- Thomas Reed, secretary of the Air Force from January 1976- April 1977.
- Dong Jian-Long, the Chinese consulate general of San Francisco.
- GuoPing Ju, news director, and Chenji, editor of the Qianjiang Evening News.
- Feng Gualiang, grandson of Feng Ru.
During the celebration, recognition was also given to other often-overlooked heroes who were nonetheless part of American history.
Among them were two Chinese-American pilots, Art Lym and Tom Gunn, who were inspired by Feng Ru. Lym’s daughter, Renee, spoke about the influence her father had in the Canton Air Force in China.
Tribute was paid as well to the WASP and the Tuskegee Airmen.
Gee spoke about her experience as one of the WASP, who moved planes all over the U.S. as well as delivered them to the war zone, since every male pilot, once trained, was sent directly to combat.
Warren called the Tuskegee Airmen “the black air force of World War II.
“At that time, America didn’t want us,” he said, “but we wanted America and we wanted to do our part and fight to make this country safe.”
Also participating in the observation were Steven Lavoie of the Oakland Public Library, who assisted Glenn with his research; Qing Zhang, a foreign correspondent for the Qianjiang Evening News; and Eliza Chan, public information officer for Laney College.
The ceremony ended with the unveiling of a bronze bust of Feng Ru donated by the Qianjiang Evening News. The bust will be placed in a pedestal in the Laney College courtyard, to be completed later this year.
