Patrice Washington
{{short description|Bahamian airplane pilot (born 1961)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Patrice Washington
| image =
| alt =
| caption = United Parcel Service pilot Captain Patrice Clarke Washington posed by the tail of UPS Douglas DC-8 aircraft
| birth_name = Patrice Francise Clarke
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1961|09|11|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Nassau, The Bahamas
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = Bahamian
| other_names = Patrice Clarke Washington
| occupation = pilot
| years_active = 1982-present
| known_for = first black female pilot hired by UPS
| notable_works =
}}
Patrice Washington (born 1961) is a Bahamian airplane pilot, whose career was marked by a series of firsts. She was the first black woman graduate of Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida; first woman pilot of Bahamasair; first black woman captain of a major U.S. air service and first black female pilot hired by the United Parcel Service.
Early life
Patrice Francise Clarke was born on 11 September 1961 in Nassau, The Bahamas{{sfn|San Diego Air & Space Museum|n.d.}} to Peggy Ann and Nathaniel Clarke.{{sfn|Moss|2012}} From the age of five, when she took her first flight, Clarke was interested in aviation.{{sfn|Smith|Bracks|Wynn|2015|p=473}} Raised by a single, divorced mother, along with her two sisters, Clarke learned responsibility at a young age.{{sfn|Ebony|1995|p=76}} During her high schooling in Nassau she participated in career week activities hoping to become a stewardess,{{sfn|San Diego Air & Space Museum|n.d.}}{{sfn|Ebony|1995|p=74}} by the time she graduated, she had dreams of becoming a pilot. In 1979, intent on her goal, Clarke enrolled in the Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University of Daytona Beach, Florida, despite the fact that she was the only black student and spoke only Bahamian Creole.{{sfn|Ebony|1995|p=76}} In April 1982, Clarke graduated as the first black woman in the school's history with a BS in aeronautical science and her commercial pilot's certification.{{sfn|San Diego Air & Space Museum|n.d.}}
Career
Soon after her graduation, Clarke began working at a charter company, Trans Island Airways, in the Bahamas, as a pilot. She continued her studies and was able to earn her qualifications to fly Boeing 737 and Boeing 747-8 aircraft over the next few years. In 1984, Clarke became the first woman pilot of Bahamasair,{{sfn|Tribune 242|2012}} when she was hired as a First Officer by the air service. Though often facing discrimination Clark persevered{{sfn|Ebony|1995|p=78}} and in 1988, she was hired by United Parcel Service (UPS) as a flight engineer.{{sfn|San Diego Air & Space Museum|n.d.}} Her three-person crew flew routes from Louisville, Kentucky to Anchorage, Alaska, as well as to Australia and Cologne, Germany. In 1990, Washington was promoted to First Officer with UPS.{{sfn|Smith|Bracks|Wynn|2015|p=473}}
In 1994, Clarke married Ray Washington, a pilot for American Airlines.{{sfn|San Diego Air & Space Museum|n.d.}}{{sfn|Ebony|1995|p=76}} In December 1994, she was promoted to captain by UPS, becoming the first black female, and one of only eleven female captains, to command planes for a major U.S. airline.{{sfn|Horton|2000|p=14}}{{sfn|Ho|1995}}
Legacy
In 1995, Washington and other female pilots founded the Bessie Coleman Foundation{{sfn|Ho|1995}} with the purpose of preserving Coleman's legacy, promoting the aviation profession among African American men and women, and providing a network for mentoring women in the airline sector.{{sfn|Sulton III|2008|p=4}} In 2000, Washington was presented with the Trumpet Award from Turner Broadcasting for her pioneering work in aviation on behalf of women.{{sfn|Horton|2000|p=14}}
References
=Citations=
{{Reflist|30em}}
=Bibliography=
{{refbegin|30em}}
- {{cite news|last1=Ho|first1=Rodney|title=Black Woman Pilot A Role Model|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1995/02/12/black-woman-pilot-a-role-model/|access-date=23 December 2016|newspaper=The Chicago Tribune|date=12 February 1995|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024004421/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-02-12/travel/9502120075_1_female-pilot-black-airline-pilots-aviation-history|archive-date=24 October 2015|url-status=live|location=Chicago, Illinois}}
- {{cite journal|editor-last1=Horton|editor-first1=Phyllis R.|title=M'Lis Ward: First Black Female Captain in Commercial Aviation|journal=Ebony|date=February 2000|volume=55|issue=4|page=14|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XtYDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA14|access-date=23 December 2016|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|location=Chicago, Illinois|issn=0012-9011}}
- {{cite news|last1=Moss|first1=Shavaughn|title=Flying High|url=http://www.thenassauguardian.com/index.php?option=com_content&id=31534:flying-high&Itemid=58|access-date=23 December 2016|publisher=The Nassau Guardian|date=8 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223195437/http://www.thenassauguardian.com/index.php?option=com_content&id=31534:flying-high&Itemid=58|archive-date=23 December 2016|location=Nassau, The Bahamas}}
- {{cite book|last1=Smith|first1=Jessie Carney|last2=Bracks|first2=Lean'tin|last3=Wynn|first3=Linda T.|title=The Complete Encyclopedia of African American History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UsKHCgAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PA473|year=2015|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Canton, Michigan|isbn=978-1-57859-583-9}}
- {{cite thesis|last=Sulton III|first=James E.|title=African-American Women Pilots' Perceptions of Barriers to Success in Flight-Training and Strategies to Enhance Their Presence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jiSfon__y8AC&pg=PA50|date=June 2008|type=PhD |institution=Pepperdine University|access-date=23 December 2016|via=ProQuest LLC: Ann Arbor, Michigan}}
- {{cite journal|ref={{harvid|Ebony|1995}}|author=|title=Soaring to New Heights|journal=Ebony|date=July 1995|volume=50|issue=9|pages=74–78|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kPryDT_PFEoC&pg=PA74|access-date=23 December 2016|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|location=Chicago, Illinois|issn=0012-9011}}
- {{cite news|ref={{harvid|Tribune 242|2012}}|author=|title=Trio Of Female Captains Make History|url=http://www.tribune242.com/news/2012/may/23/trio-of-female-captains-make-history/|access-date=23 December 2016|publisher=Tribune 242|date=23 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912073806/http://www.tribune242.com/news/2012/may/23/trio-of-female-captains-make-history/|archive-date=12 September 2012|location=Nassau, The Bahamas}}
- {{cite web|ref={{harvid|San Diego Air & Space Museum|n.d.}}|author=|title=Women at the Forefront|url=http://sandiegoairandspace.org/exhibits/online-exhibit-page/women-at-the-forefront|website=San Diego Air & Space Museum|access-date=23 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624102011/http://sandiegoairandspace.org/exhibits/online-exhibit-page/women-at-the-forefront|archive-date=24 June 2016|location=San Diego, California|date=n.d.}}
{{refend}}
External links
- [https://edan.si.edu/slideshow/viewer/?eadrefid=NASM.2001.0022 Patrice Washington] on Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives
{{Authority control}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Patrice}}
Category:People from Nassau, Bahamas