,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #gcd ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #be1 #bjbe,mr4 ,bennet 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,cornyn1 ,mr4 ,hickenlooper1 and ,mr4 ,king7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,banking1 ,housing1 and ,urban ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to award a ,congressional ,gold ,medal to ,edward ,j4 ,dwight1 ,jr41 the first ,african ,american astronaut candidate in the ,united ,states4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,edward ,j4 ,dwight1 ,jr4 ,congressional ,gold ,medal ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,edward ,joseph ,dwight1 ,jr41 was born on ,september #i1 #aicc1 to ,georgia ,baker ,dwight and ,edward ,dwight1 ,sr41 in ,kansas ,city1 ,kansas4 ,ed ,senior had been a second baseman and center fielder for the ,kansas ,city ,monarchs and played on other all-,black teams from #aibd to #aicg4 ,georgia was a devoted mother who enrolled her son in a ,head ,start type program at the age of #b and made sure to expose her children to as much culture as she could4 7#b7 ,edward ,joseph ,dwight1 ,jr41 grew up with a passion for art and airplanes4 7#c7 ,edward became the first ,african ,american male to graduate from ,bishop ,ward ,catholic ,high ,school in #aiea4 ,he then earned an associate degree in engineering in #aiec from ,kansas ,city ,junior ,college4 ,that same year he left to join the ,air ,force and began flight training4 7#d7 ,after completing flight training1 he served as a military pilot and obtained a degree in aeronautical engineering from ,arizona ,state ,university4 ,during his career as an officer in the ,air ,force1 ,edward served at bases in ,texas1 ,missouri1 and ,arizona1 developing technical manuals and training fellow pilots on various instruments1 as he accumulated flight hours4 7#e7 ,edward recalled1 ,i was the only ,black officer pilot just about every base ,i was stationed and that even at #e'd01 he got award after award4 ,while in the ,air ,force1 ,edward earned his ,bachelor of ,science in aeronautical engineering from ,arizona ,state ,university in #aieg4 7#f7 ,edward flew some of the most advanced aircraft of the era and ultimately accumulated over #i1jjj hours of flight time1 #b1jjj in high-performance jets4 ,his engineering background and extensive training opened the door for him to enter the test pilot school where the most successful trainees become astronauts4 7#g7 ,edward was chosen by ,president ,john ,f4 ,kennedy to enter training as an experimental test pilot4 ,the ,kennedy administration knew that a ,black astronaut would be an inspiring display of opportunity for ,african ,americans across the country4 7#h7 ,on ,november #d1 #aifa1 ,edward received a letter inviting him to join the astronaut training program4 ,he followed the advice of his mother and accepted the invitation to take the first steps toward improving diversity and talent in the ,united ,states space program by becoming the first ,african ,american astronaut candidate in the ,united ,states4 7#i7 ,edward went to the ,aerospace ,research ,pilot ,school at ,edwards ,air ,force ,base in ,california to begin training4 7#aj7 ,this was a time of uncertainty where the color of a person's skin mattered more than his or her skill4 7#aa7 ,the astronaut candidacy of ,edwards became cover news on ,black magazines such as ,jet1 ,ebony1 and ,sepia4 7#ab7 ,at ,edwards ,air ,force ,base1 however1 ,edward experienced prejudice and scorn1 as he recounted in his autobiography ,soaring on the ,wings of a ,dream3 ,the ,untold ,story of ,america's ,first ,black ,astronaut ,candidate4 7#ac7 ,edward completed the experimental test pilot course and entered aerospace research pilot training in preparation for astronaut duties4 ,he successfully completed the course and continued to perform duties as a fully qualified aerospace research pilot4 7#ad7 ,on ,october #ah1 #aifc1 the ,national ,aeronautics and ,space ,administration 7referred to in this section as ,,nasa7 announced #ad astronauts for ,group #c1 but ,edward did not make the list4 7#ae7 ,while in training1 ,edward faced obstacles due to his race1 which derailed his chance to be the first ,african ,american in space4 ,his fight for equality was one of many trailblazing battles happening during the ,civil ,rights ,era4 7#af7 ,the assassination of ,president ,kennedy1 the main sponsor in the ,white ,house of ,edward and the space journey1 led to his voluntary separation from the ,air ,force4 7#ag7 ,in #aiff1 ,edward resigned from the ,air ,force as a captain and moved to ,denver1 ,colorado4 7#ah7 ,after the ,kennedy assassination1 pressure on ,,nasa to fly a ,black astronaut waned1 and the first ,african ,american would not fly in space until ,guion ,bluford flew with the crew of ,,nasa's eighth space flight on the ,space ,shuttle orbiter ,challenger in #aihc4 7#ai7 ,after successful careers in the ,air ,force1 and as an ,,ibm systems engineer1 restauranteur1 aviation consultant1 real estate1 and construction entrepreneur1 ,edward dedicated #dc years solely to his artistic endeavors4 7#bj7 ,in #aigd1 ,george ,brown1 the first ,african ,american lieutenant governor of ,colorado and a member of the ,tuskegee ,airmen in ,world ,war ,,ii1 chose ,edward to create a bronze bust of him to display in the ,colorado ,state ,capitol4 7#ba7 ,being a neophyte to bronze sculpting1 and at the age of #db1 ,edward enrolled at the ,university of ,denver in the ,masters of ,fine ,arts program4 ,while at the ,university of ,denver1 he became proficient in metal casting and managed the foundry at the school while also teaching other students4 ,he received his ,master of ,fine ,arts in #aigg4 7#bb7 ,in #aige1 while at the ,university of ,denver1 ,edward received a commission from the ,colorado ,centennial ,commission to create a series of bronzes depicting the contribution of ,blacks to the ,american ,frontier ,west4 ,the series exhibited for several years throughout the ,united ,states1 gaining widespread acceptance and critical acclaim4 7#bc7 ,in #aigi1 the ,national ,park ,service encouraged ,edward to create a bronze series portraying the history and historical roots of jazz4 ,the series was created and entitled ,jazz3 ,an ,american ,art ,form1 which consisted of over #gj bronzes depicting the evolution of jazz from its ,african origins to the fusion of contemporary music4 7#bd7 ,since his art career began in #aigf1 ,edward has become one of most prolific and insightful sculptors in the ,united ,states4 ,as of the date of enactment of this ,act1 ,edward has completed more than #aae large-scale commissioned sculpture installations4 ,his pieces are collected by museums1 institutions and art enthusiasts around the world1 including the ,smithsonian4 ,ed ,dwight ,studios1 ,inc41 in ,denver1 is now one of the largest privately owned production facilities in the western ,united ,states4 7#be7 ,edward is the recipient of numerable living legends awards from around the country for his achievements in space activities and contributions in art and ,black history4 7#bf7 ,on ,august #e1 #bjbj1 in recognition of his accomplishments as a scientist1 test pilot1 and sculptor1 the ,space ,force inducted him as an honorary member4 ,a permanent display is installed at the ,pentagon in honor of these achievements4 7#bg7 ,in a ceremony at the ,pentagon1 ,general ,jay ,raymond1 ,chief of ,space ,operations of the ,space ,force1 presented ,edward with the ,commander's ,public ,service ,award and inducted him as an honorary member of the ,space ,force1 for his contributions to the ,united ,states1 space1 and history during times of overt racism in the field of science4 ,astronaut ,victor ,glover honored ,edward by carrying this award with him to the ,international ,space ,station during his ,crew-#a mission4 ,despite all that he had to overcome1 ,edward was an example of excellence1 embarking on a nationwide speaking tour encouraging young people to study science1 engineering1 and math4 7#bh7 ,in #bjba1 the ,minor ,planet ,center1 an organization affiliated with the ,international ,astronomical ,union1 named an asteroid after ,edward4 ,,nasa has honored him by sending his sculpture ,pioneer ,woman to space on ,exploration ,flight ,test-#a in #bjad4 7#bi7 ,on ,november #c1 #bjbb1 ,denver ,international ,airport opened an exhibit titled ,soaring on the ,wings of a ,dream1 the title of ,edward's book4 ,the exhibit is on the life of ,edward1 beginning with childhood and ending with adulthood4 ,it will be on display for #e months4 7#cj7 ,the ,national ,geographic documentary1 ,the ,space ,race1 weaves together the stories of ,black astronauts seeking to break the bonds of social injustice to reach for the stars1 including ,edward1 ,guion ,bluford1 ,charles ,bolden1 ,mae ,c4 ,jemison1 ,victor ,glover1 among many others1 including ,leland ,melvin1 one of the producers of the film4 7#ca7 ,on ,may #ai1 #bjbd1 ,edward1 sponsored by ,space for ,humanity1 finally traveled to space as #a of #f individuals aboard the ,blue ,origin ,new ,shepard rocket1 which launched from a private site near ,van ,horn1 ,texas4 ,at #ij years old1 ,edward became the oldest person to go to space4 #c4 ,congressional ,gold ,medal 7a7 ,presentation authorized ,the ,speaker of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,president pro tempore of the ,senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the presentation1 on behalf of ,congress1 of a single gold medal of appropriate design to ,edward ,j4 ,dwight1 the first ,african-,american astronaut candidate in the ,united ,states1 in recognition of-- 7#a7 his historic service to the ,united ,states2 7#b7 the example of excellence during times of struggle and overt racism2 and 7#c7 his contributions in art and ,black history4 7b7 ,design and striking ,for purposes of the presentation described in subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of the ,treasury 7referred to in this ,act as the ,secretary7 shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems1 devices1 and inscriptions1 to be determined by the ,secretary4 ,the design shall bear an image of1 and an inscription of the name of1 ,edward ,j4 ,dwight1 ,jr4 7c7 ,disposition of medal ,following the presentation described in subsection 7a71 the gold medal shall be given to ,edward ,j4 ,dwight1 ,jr41 or1 if unavailable1 to ,curtis ,christopher ,dwight4 #d4 ,duplicate medals ,the ,secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck under section #c1 at a price sufficient to cover the costs thereof1 including labor1 materials1 dies1 use of machinery1 and overhead expenses4 #e4 ,status of medals 7a7 ,national medals ,medals struck under this ,act are national medals for purposes of chapter #ea of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code4 7b7 ,numismatic items ,for purposes of sections #eacd and #eacf of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code1 all medals struck under this ,act shall be considered to be numismatic items4 #f4 ,authority to use fund amounts2 proceeds of sale 7a7 ,authority ,to use fund amounts ,there is authorized to be charged against the ,united ,states ,mint ,public ,enterprise ,fund such amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under this ,act4 7b7 ,proceeds of sale ,amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section #d shall be deposited into the ,united ,states ,mint ,public ,enterprise ,fund4