Today, International Black Aviation Professionals Day, celebrates diversity in the aviation industry. In the spirit of that celebration, we would like to recognize some of Delta's first Black aviation professionals that helped shape the airline.
Patricia Grace Murphy
Delta’s
first Black flight attendant. Hired on June 27, 1966. Member of
Delta’s inaugural Chairman’s Club class in 1997.
Hired in June 1966, Pat holds the
important distinction of serving as Delta’s very first Black flight
attendant. Throughout her long and stellar career of service, Pat was featured
in national advertising in 1980 and ultimately honored in 1997 as part of the
inaugural Chairman’s Club class. She was an early supporter of the Delta Flight
Museum. Pat retired from Delta in 2001.
Eugene Harmond
Delta’s first Black male flight attendant in 1973. Eugene is still flying with Delta today! He's pictured here in the center next to Patricia Murphy
(right) and Phenola Culbreath Smith (left), Delta’s first and second Black
female flight attendants, both hired in 1966.
Sam Graddy
Samuel Louis Graddy, a former captain in the U.S. Army, became Delta’s first Black pilot on July 8, 1968, as a Second Officer. Graddy became Delta’s first Black Captain on January 1, 1979.
Dana Nelson
Dana was the first Black female pilot hired by
Delta. She joined as a First Officer in January 2001. Here she's pictured with Captain John Bailey, First Officer Jon Graham, First Officer Doug Hill, Captain Brian Todd, and First Officer Marx Davis, ca. 2002.
Stephanie Johnson
Stephanie was Delta’s first Black female captain. She was hired as Northwest Airlines' first Black female pilot in 1997 and came to Delta from
Northwest during the merger.
Joe Jackson
Joseph Jackson, hired in 1968, became Delta’s first Black flight dispatcher, sector manager and duty director.
After obtaining his
dispatcher's license in 1982, Jackson was promoted to flight superintendent. He
became the airline's first Black sector manager, now known as
systems operations manager, in 1991. From there he received another promotion
to become a duty director. Jackson served as a duty director for eight years, Delta's
first and only African American (as of 2018) in that role. He eventually
returned to what he enjoyed best, systems operation management, and retired in
2018 with 50 years of service.
Each Delta employee mentioned is worth celebrating both as Black aviation professionals and as people. They are vital to Black history and Delta's history.
Thank you for your contributions and service!
Austin Vallejos-Coleman
Registrar