William R. Norwood
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William ‘Bill’ Norwood is a Lincoln Laureate and a retired United Airlines captain. He was the first African American pilot for United Airlines. He flew the ‘friendly skies’ for 31 years before retiring in 1996. Bill, who was in ROTC at Southern Illinois University, flew the B-52 in the Air Force. His inspiration was his elementary school principal in his small southern Illinois town of Centralia, who was a pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II.
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