Ruth Carol Taylor
Ruth Carol Taylor (born December 27, 1931) was the first African-American flight attendant in the United States.[1]
Biography
Born in Boston, into a family of black, white, and Cherokee heritage, Taylor attended Elmira College and graduated as a registered nurse from the Bellevue School of Nursing in New York City.[2][3][4]
Hired in December 1957,[4] on February 11, 1958, Taylor was the flight attendant on a Mohawk Airlines flight from Ithaca to New York, the first time such a position had been held by an African American.[5] She was let go within six months as a result of Mohawk's then-common marriage ban.[6]
Taylor was later significantly involved in covering the 1963 March on Washington and as an activist for consumer affairs and women's rights.[3]
In 2008, fifty years after her historic flight, her accomplishments were formally recognized by the New York State Assembly.[3]
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ "AVIATION: Another First", Time magazine, January 6, 1958.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Eric Adams, "In the Constituent Spotlight: Ms. Carol Taylor!" The New York State Senate, July 28, 2009.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Flight Attendants in Labor History", Femininity in Flight.
- ↑ Booneville Herald
- ↑ "The First African-American Flight Attendant in the United States", Airline Travel, February 12, 2010.
