HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Renaming the Ames Municipal Airport to the “James Herman Banning Ames Municipal Airport” RESOLUTION NO. 22-583
RESOLUTION RENAMING THE AMES MUNICIPAL AIRPORT TO
"JAMES HERMAN BANNING AMES MUNICIPAL AIRPORT"
FOR THE CITY OF AMES,IOWA
WHEREAS, former Ames resident James Herman Banning was an African American pilot
and trailblazer in aviation. He was born in Oklahoma on November 5, 1899. As a young boy, Mr.
Banning's love of flying was sparked by the Wright Brother's historic flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903
and Wilbur Wright's flight in 1905, which covered an unprecedented 24 miles in 39 minutes and
23 seconds; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Banning's family moved to Ames in 1919, where he began studying
electric engineering at Iowa State University. Within the next year, Mr. Banning took his first
airplane ride, ended his studies, and decided to pursue aviation. He was denied entry into flight
schools because of his race,yet learned to fly through private lessons at the Raymond Fisher Flying
Field in Des Moines; and,
WHEREAS, from 1922 to 1928, Mr. Banning owned and operated an auto repair shop in
Ames. He became the first African American in the United States to obtain a pilot's license from
the U.S. Department of Commerce; and,
WHEREAS,in 1929,Banning left Iowa to take a chief instructor job at the Bessie Coleman
Aero Club aviation school for African Americans in Los Angeles, California. This school was
named for the first African American licensed woman pilot. At this time, Banning purchased his
own biplane and named it"Miss Ames"; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Banning and Thomas Cox Allen, of Oklahoma City, Okla., joined
together in 1932 to become the first African Americans to fly coast to coast. They left Los Angeles
on September 18th, 1932, and arrived at Long Island,New York, on October 9th, 1932. They made
a 3,300-mile trip over 21 days with an actual flight time of 42 hours. Just a few months later,
Banning was killed while riding as a passenger in plane that crashed at a San Diego, California air
show on February 5th, 1933.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Ames, Iowa,
that renaming the Ames Municipal Airport to "James Herman Banning Ames Municipal Airport"
is hereby approved.
ADOPTED THIS 8th day of November, 2022.
Renee Nall, City Clerk John A. Haila, Mayor
Introduced by: Betcher
Seconded by: Rollins
Voting aye: Beatty-Hansen, Betcher, Corrieri, Junck, Rollins
Voting nay: Gartin Absent: None
Resolution declared adopted and signed by the Mayor this 81h day of November, 2022.