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Just Another Travel Day? Not Quite!
Airports usually represent where we're going next, but this time one made us stop and look backward. Before flying to RootsTech, we discovered Wayne’s family connection to Lincoln J. Ragsdale and paused to honor the pioneering Black aviators whose stories are preserved at the Phoenix Airport Museum.
TRAVEL STORIESFAITH & PURPOSEREFLECTIONS & MILESTONES
Tamara Driver
9/19/20263 min read
What can we say except that, when we headed to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, we thought it would be just another travel day—check our bags, get through security, and board our flight to Salt Lake City, Utah. But apparently, family history had other plans for us. ✈️🌳
Wayne’s dear friend had told us that one of Wayne’s relatives by marriage, Lincoln J. Ragsdale, was waiting for him at the Phoenix airport. Who would have thunk it?
✈️ A Relative Waiting at the Airport?
Of course, she didn't mean Mr. Ragsdale was literally waiting for us! Lincoln J. Ragsdale passed away in 1995. But his incredible story and legacy were waiting for us inside the airport. Once we found the exhibit, we did what we normally do when history unexpectedly crosses our path: we stopped, we read, and then we started taking pictures. Lots of pictures! 😅
And we didn't stop with Mr. Ragsdale. We found ourselves photographing and learning about the other pioneering aviators displayed alongside him. Suddenly, getting to our gate wasn't nearly as interesting as discovering the history surrounding us.
🌳 Meet Wayne's Family Connection: Lincoln J. Ragsdale
For those who may not know the Ragsdale story, Lincoln and Eleanor Ragsdale were an important Black family in Phoenix history, with contributions spanning aviation, entrepreneurship, housing equality, school desegregation, and the Civil Rights Movement in Arizona.
Lincoln J. Ragsdale (1926–1995), who is connected to Wayne's family through marriage, was a Tuskegee Airman, aviator, entrepreneur, and influential civil rights leader who helped challenge racial barriers in Phoenix. After World War II, Lincoln and his wife, Eleanor, became prominent voices for equality, including efforts to desegregate Phoenix schools and neighborhoods. Lincoln was also a successful businessman who established a funeral home and continued his passion for aviation as a private pilot. His contributions to Phoenix were so significant that, in 1995, the city's aviation community honored him by naming the Lincoln J. Ragsdale Executive Terminal at Phoenix Sky Harbor.
What began as another stop on our journey suddenly became personal. Sometimes family history is waiting for you in the most unexpected places—even at the airport.
🛩️ Lincoln Ragsdale Wasn't Alone
Once we started exploring the Phoenix Airport Museum's “Arizona's Notable Aviators” exhibit, we quickly realized that Mr. Ragsdale was surrounded by some extraordinary company.
The exhibit also recognized Lloyd “Fig” Newton, who became the first African American pilot to join the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds; Janet Harmon Bragg, a pioneering Black female aviator who earned a commercial pilot's license; Robert “Bob” Ashby, a Tuskegee Airman who later became a commercial airline pilot; and Asa D. Herring, another Tuskegee Airman who remained involved in aviation after his military service. We also saw fellow Tuskegee Airmen Maurice D. Pompey, Alfred J. Penn, and Vernon Haywood among those honored.
So naturally, the cameras kept clicking. 📸 What started as our search for Wayne's family connection became an unexpected opportunity to learn about a remarkable group of aviation pioneers whose accomplishments helped break barriers and open doors for generations who followed.
🙏🏾 Paying Homage to Those Who Paved the Way
We couldn't help but feel proud as we stood there reading their stories. These men and women lived during a time when simply pursuing their dreams meant overcoming barriers that Wayne and I don't encounter when we walk into an airport today. Yet they flew. They served. They led. They built businesses. They challenged discrimination. And they opened doors.
There we stood decades later, bags packed, preparing to board an airplane bound for another destination—something we do regularly as travelers. We couldn't help but pause to pay homage to those who paved the way for generations like ours to dream, travel, explore, and fly. That is why this unexpected airport discovery deserved a story of its own.
✈️ From Living History to Family History
Eventually, though, Salt Lake City was calling! Just before boarding our flight, we spotted the sweetest little childlike figurine with a simple message:
“Jesus Loves You.” ❤️
Wayne and I couldn't help but smile. Think about how everything had come together. We had arrived at the airport expecting nothing more than a flight. Instead, we discovered Wayne's connection to Lincoln J. Ragsdale, learned about an extraordinary group of Black aviation pioneers, paused to appreciate the people who came before us, and then encountered one little reminder of our faith before boarding. And where were we headed?
Salt Lake City, Utah, for RootsTech—the world's largest genealogy conference.
How befitting! Before we even arrived at a conference devoted to discovering and preserving family history, family history had already found us. Lincoln J. Ragsdale and the other aviation pioneers became our precursor to RootsTech—living history on display.
So, come aboard! ✈️
We're headed to Salt Lake City, and if Phoenix taught us anything, it's that you never know when—or where—the next family story is going to find you.