The Curious Case of Edward J. Dwight

- Everyone wants to become a leader, but not everyone wants to earn the qualities that make one

- "Pass your matric exams, then come see me. But yes, you must accept this gift."

O nce, in a large village, lived a boy.

His house was small, located at the edge of the village.

He went to school every day.

Near the school was an airfield, where airplanes from all over the world landed.

Whenever he went to or came back from school, he saw the flying planes.

Whenever a roaring airplane flew over his head and landed at the airfield, the boy would stop and watch in wonder.

He would think, "If only I could be a pilot. If only I could sit in a plane and soar through the skies. But how can I become a pilot? Maybe if I get a job working on planes, I can learn to fly one."

The thought of becoming a pilot took root in his heart.

On holidays, the boy started going near the airfield.

He wasn't allowed inside, so he would roam around outside.

He thought, "If I meet a pilot, I'll ask him to give me a job on the airplane."

But he never found a pilot outside.

One day, an engineer was rushing toward the airfield.

A plane had malfunctioned. He needed tools.

He was carrying two toolboxes under his arms.

The boy ran up to him.

He greeted the engineer and said, "Sir, let me carry those for you."

The toolboxes were heavy and slowed the engineer down.

He immediately put them down and said, "Go ahead, friend, take them."

The boy was thrilled.

He picked up the toolboxes.

The engineer smiled and said, "Hurry and follow me."

The boy ran behind him.

They entered the airfield.

A plane stood nearby.

The engineer had the boy set the toolboxes down and called the pilot.

He then took out some money to pay the boy.

But the boy said, "Sir, I don't want wages. I just want to see airplane work. Please let me stay here a while."

The engineer, pleased, replied, "Come, I'll show you the plane. Pick up the toolboxes again."

They went inside the aircraft.

The engineer began fixing the damaged part.

He had the boy open the toolboxes.

As he worked, he asked the boy to hand over specific tools.

For two hours, they worked together.

Then the engineer placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and said, "My young friend, you've impressed me. You must accept a gift, not a wage."

He handed him a five-rupee note.

The boy said, "Sir, I don't want money. I want a job where I can learn airplane work and become a pilot."

The engineer laughed and said, "You could be a great pilot. But it's not easy. You need to study hard. Then you can get into a flying school. Once you pass, you can become a pilot."

The boy asked, "How much do I need to study?"

The engineer replied, "Pass your matric exams, then come see me. But yes, you must accept this gift."

The boy was delighted.

He took the money home and told his father.

His father said, "Son, we are not wealthy. But I can support you till matric. After that, I won't be able to afford further education."

The boy said, "Don't worry. We'll figure that out later."

He studied with full effort and enthusiasm.

He focused on his lessons and chose sports and exercises to strengthen his body.

On holidays, he would visit the same engineer.

Eventually, he passed his matric exams-with top marks.

The engineer submitted his flying school application.

First came an entrance exam.

Only those who passed could enter.

The boy ranked fifth among all first-division students.

He was accepted into flying school.

The engineer said, "Don't worry about expenses. I'll handle it."

This was in the city of Kansas, USA.

The boy lived there.

He was the son of a Black man.

People believed a Black boy could never become a pilot-maybe a laborer on a plane, but not a pilot.

But when the final exams came, the top name was:

Edward J. Dwight

That same Black boy.

He earned the rank of captain.

Later, he became such an expert pilot that he ranked among America's top fliers.

In 1963, the idea of space travel to the moon arose.

NASA began selecting astronauts who could ride a rocket to the moon.

Thousands of pilots applied.

Among those selected was the Black pilot, Edward J. Dwight.

A noble dream, combined with honest effort, always leads to success.