William Norwood, United Airlines' first black pilot, retires after 30-year career

Jet, Feb 26, 1996

Captain William R. Norwood, the first Black pilot hired by United Airlines and also the first Black to achieve the rank of captain at the airlines, recently retired after 30 years.

Norwood, 60, who flew DC-10s between Chicago and Honolulu for United, was honored at a retirement gala at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare.

Norwood also was saluted at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago during the museum's annual Black History Month celebration. His name is painted on the side of a United Airlines jet airliner, which is on permanent exhibition at the museum.

Norwood shared his experiences in aviation and offered career guidance during his tribute at the museum.

"The most important guests here.. are young people," Norwood said.

"When you look at this, you think we got there just by being there. That does not happen. We think luck happens. Luck is combined with preparation. Young people, if you don't work, you will never succeed."

A native of Centralia, IL, he attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale where he was the first Black quarterback on the football team. He graduated from the university in 1959 and later earned a master's degree in business administration from the University of Chicago.

His interest in flying stems from his childhood when he met a teacher who had been a member of the historic Tuskegee Airmen Black fighter squadron. Norwood began to experience flying firsthand at Southern Illinois University as an ROTC cadet. That experience led to a six-year stint in the U.S. Air Force where he flew B-52s for the Strategic Air Command.

He has won numerous awards over the years including United's 1991 Community Relations Award and the airline's Flight Operations Division Special Achievement Award.

He also has served for many years as a trustee of Southern Illinois University.

In his retirement, Capt. Norwood plans to spend more time with his wife, Molly, and two sons, Atty. George Norwood and William Norwood Jr., an air traffic controller at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

United currently employs 236 Black pilots, the highest number in the industry.